Configuration Management and DevOps Engineer

For more than half a century, Serco has walked alongside the pioneers of space. Serco has supported over 50 ESA missions where our teams have helped launch satellites, guide spacecraft across the void and turn data into discoveries that reshape our world.

With thousands of specialists contributing across the entire space lifecycle from satellite testing to launch services, LEOP to operations and surveillance, we’ve become a trusted force in national And European space strategies. And now, the next chapter could include you.

We are looking for a highly motivated Configuration Management and DevOps Engineer to join a cross-mission team supporting ESA scientific missions in the domains of Astronomy, Heliophysics and Planetary Science.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the administration, automation and continuous improvement of software configuration management, release management and deployment processes across multiple ESA mission environments. The role combines traditional Configuration Management responsibilities with modern DevOps practices, contributing to the harmonisation of engineering processes, tools and workflows across several operational and development projects.

The engineer will work closely with software development teams, system engineers, operations engineers, Product Assurance representatives and Configuration Management Coordinator to ensure the stability, traceability, quality and reliability of software delivery processes throughout the full project lifecycle.

A key objective of the position is to foster harmonised engineering practices across missions, identify opportunities for process optimisation and automation, and contribute to the evolution of common workflows and standards applicable to both operational missions and projects currently under development.

Main Responsibilities

• Manage and maintain software configuration management activities across multiple ESA mission projects.
• Administer software repositories and configuration management tools, including Bitbucket and GitLab environments hosted on ESA premises.
• Maintain and evolve Configuration Item Data Lists (CIDLs), ensuring consistency, traceability and completeness.
• Investigate and implement automated approaches for CIDL generation and maintenance.
• Design, implement and maintain CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins, Harness and related technologies.
• Support and maintain integration with software quality platforms such as SonarQube.
• Coordinate and execute automated build, testing and release activities.
• Generate and maintain software Release Notes, baselines and release documentation.
• Support automated test campaigns for development, integration, validation and operational environments.
• Coordinate software deployments across development, integration, validation and operational environments.
• Contribute to infrastructure automation and environment provisioning using DevOps methodologies.
• Support containerised deployments and Kubernetes-based environments.
• Develop scripts and tools to automate operational, configuration management and reporting activities.
• Produce automated reports, engineering metrics and quality indicators to improve traceability and reduce manual effort.
• Support Product Assurance activities, audits, review campaigns and compliance verification exercises.
• Produce and maintain technical documentation, procedures and engineering reports throughout the software lifecycle.
• Collaborate with Configuration Management Coordinators, DevOps engineers, Product Assurance engineers and technical teams to identify opportunities for harmonisation, reuse and standardisation across missions.
• Propose, define and improve common engineering workflows, deployment strategies and configuration management practices applicable across multiple ESA projects.
• Contribute to Agile and DevOps working practices within multidisciplinary and international engineering teams.

Required Skills and Experience

Essential

• Solid experience with Configuration Management and software release processes.
• Strong knowledge of CI/CD concepts and DevOps methodologies.
• Hands-on experience with Jenkins administration and pipeline development.
• Experience with Linux system administration.
• Good understanding of software build systems, particularly Maven.
• Experience with Git-based repositories and branching strategies.
• Experience in software integration and automated testing environments.
• Ability to automate engineering processes through scripting and tooling.
• Experience producing technical documentation, release documentation and engineering reports.
• Understanding of software quality assurance principles and engineering best practices.
• Ability to work independently while interacting effectively within multidisciplinary teams.
• Good written and spoken English communication skills in an international environment.

Desirable

• Harness CI/CD platform.
• SonarQube administration and integration.
• Atlassian suite (Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket).
• Kubernetes administration and container orchestration technologies.
• Bash and Python scripting.
• Gradle build system.
• Ansible automation.
• Agile/Scrum methodologies.
• Familiarity with ECSS software engineering, configuration management and quality assurance standards.
• Experience supporting Product Assurance, audits or software review activities.
• Experience supporting technical reviews, audits and qualification activities.
• Experience supporting scientific, operational or space mission projects.

What We Offer

The position offers the opportunity to work within a challenging and highly collaborative environment supporting multiple ESA scientific missions.

The successful candidate will contribute to the stability and continuity of operational systems while driving technological evolution through automation, harmonisation and DevOps practices across multiple ESA missions. The role combines configuration management, release engineering and modern software delivery methodologies, providing direct exposure to mission-critical systems and engineering activities across multiple ESA projects.

The role provides exposure to a broad range of engineering disciplines and technologies, with the opportunity to influence common processes, standards and automation strategies adopted across multiple ESA missions and future programmes.