Senior DevOps Engineer

Job summary

Help run the platforms behind over £85bn of education funding.

The Department for Education (DfE) is recruiting a Senior DevOps Engineer (Grade 7) to play a leading role in how we build, run, and evolve the platforms that underpin one of the largest funding operations in government. Our Funding Services support the allocation and payment of funding to education providers across England, making this a critical national service where reliability, accuracy, and security are essential.

This role sits within the DevOps profession in the Digital & Infrastructure Group and is central to a significant transformation of how these services are engineered and operated. We are simplifying a complex estate, moving towards a single Azure tenancy, and adopting containerised platforms (AKS) and modern CI/CD practices to improve consistency, resilience, and delivery across a broad portfolio of internal and public-facing services.

As a Senior DevOps Engineer, you will lead the adoption of DevOps and DevSecOps practices through automation, platform capabilities, and engineering standards. You will help establish reusable patterns, embed infrastructure and policy as code, and improve the reliability, security, and cost-effectiveness of our live services. This work underpins not just the digital platforms themselves, but the wider operational processes and data flows that ensure funding is delivered accurately and on time.

You will operate with a high degree of autonomy across multiple programmes and suppliers, working closely with Technical Architecture, Cyber Security, and delivery teams. While remaining hands-on with complex systems, you will influence technical direction, challenge legacy approaches, and help shape a more consistent, user-focused funding service, supporting both external users and the internal teams who rely on these systems every day.

Job description

As a Grade 7 Senior DevOps Engineer, you will act as a technical authority for DevOps practices and tooling. You will be accountable for decisions that affect live services, delivery pipelines, and operational resilience, balancing pace of delivery with risk, security, and compliance.

You will work within multidisciplinary, agile teams and will be expected to set direction, influence standards, and lead by example. Your responsibilities will include:

• Providing senior technical leadership for the design, build, operation, and continuous improvement of Developer platforms and shared DevOps capabilities, CI/CD pipelines, and supporting cloud infrastructure.
• Owning and enforcing technical approaches to ensure platforms are secure, resilient, scalable, and cost-effective.
• Translating architectural intent into operable, supportable engineering solutions, working closely with Technical Architecture and Cyber Security colleagues.
• Embedding DevSecOps practices, ensuring security controls are integrated into delivery pipelines and infrastructure in a proportionate, risk-based manner.
• Leading the adoption of standardised platform patterns and supporting the migration of services from legacy hosting models to modern, containerised platforms.
• Identifying and leading initiatives to improve ways of working, automation, and platform maturity across the Department.
• Acting as a senior point of escalation for complex incidents and problems, leading root cause analysis and preventative improvement activity.
• Influencing suppliers, commercial teams, and internal stakeholders to manage costs, reduce technical risk, and deliver best value for money.
• Defining, governing, and driving adoption of engineering standards, policies, and technical guidance across teams and services.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Proven experience providing senior technical leadership across multiple teams or services, guiding the design, operation, and continuous improvement of developer platforms, CI/CD capabilities, and cloud infrastructure.
• Experience making and owning strategic technical decisions for complex systems, balancing reliability, security, delivery pace, cost, and risk, and understanding the trade-offs between them.
• Experience defining and driving adoption of standardised engineering approaches or platform patterns, reducing duplication, service-level variance, and operational complexity.
• Experience embedding DevSecOps principles, including secure configuration, access control, vulnerability management, and integrating security controls into delivery pipelines and infrastructure in a proportionate, risk-based manner.
• Experience leading technical responses to major incidents and service issues, identifying systemic trends, managing risk, and implementing preventative and long-term improvements.
• Experience operating in or supporting service transformation or migration initiatives (e.g. legacy to cloud, or to containerised platforms), improving reliability, scalability, and cost efficiency.
• Ability to influence, challenge, and build alignment with senior stakeholders, translating complex technical concepts into clear, evidence-based advice and driving informed decision-making.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience working in government, public sector, or other highly regulated environments.
• Strong cloud platform expertise (particularly Microsoft Azure), including experience designing or operating containerised platforms (e.g. Kubernetes / AKS).
• Experience defining or implementing internal developer platforms, golden paths, or reusable engineering patterns to improve consistency and reduce delivery friction.
• Experience supporting service transformation or migration from legacy hosting models to modern cloud-native architectures.
• Experience working with suppliers and commercial teams to manage contracts, optimise spend, and improve value for money.
• Strong mentoring and technical leadership capability, with evidence of raising engineering standards and capability across teams.

Desirable criteria will only be assessed at interview, in the event of a tie break situation, to make an informed decision.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £58,185, Department for Education contributes £16,856 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Applicants currently holding a permanent post in the Civil Service should note that, if successful, their salary on appointment would be determined by the Department’s transfer / promotion policies.

As a member of the DfE, you will be entitled to join the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme, which many experts agree is one of the most generous in the UK.

You will have 25 days leave, increasing by 1 day every year to a maximum of 30 days after five years’ service. In addition, all staff receive the King’s Birthday privilege holiday and 8 days’ bank and public holidays.

We offer flexible working arrangements, such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.

Most DfE employees will be working a hybrid pattern, spending at least 60% of their time in an office or work setting. Changes to these working arrangements are available in exceptional circumstances but must be agreed with the line manager and in line with the requirements of the role.

Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for by DfE, but costs for travel to an office which is not your main location will be covered.

As an organisation, which exists to support education and lifelong learning, we offer our staff excellent professional development opportunities.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Application/sift:

At application you will be asked to provide your CV and a statement of suitability. Both should be anonymised (all personal information removed, such as your name, date of birth, gender, contact information, nationality etc).

• Your CV should include details of previous roles held and responsibilities / previous skills and experience.
• Your statement of suitability (maximum 1,250 words) should demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification section above, paying attention to providing evidence of leadership, decision-making, and how that has impacted across services or teams.

Your CV and statement will be assessed together against the listed essential criteria.

Interview:

Candidates that pass the sift will be invited to attend an interview typically involving a commitment of up to 90 minutes. The interview will consist of a series of questions to assess against the essential criteria for the role.

Interviews will be on MS teams, which may be remote or from a DfE office - we will confirm which when you are invited to an interview.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

Timing

We expect to sift in week commencing 1 June 2026.

Interviews will likely take place in the week commencing 15 June 2026.

Other Information

Interviews may be via Microsoft teams or face to face; the vacancy manager will confirm prior to the Interview.

In your application, please don’t include personal information that identifies you.

This means we can recruit based on your knowledge and skills, and not background, gender or ethnicity - it's called name blind recruitment (opens in a new window).

Please ensure that you remove from your application, all references to your:

• name/title

• educational institutions

• age

• gender

• email address

• postal address

• phone number

• nationality/immigration status

We reserve the right to raise the minimum pass mark in the event of a high volume or strong field of candidates.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK from the location options provided and not from overseas.

The government is committed to supporting apprenticeships, enabling people to learn and progress in a role whilst earning. We want to monitor the number of people who have completed apprenticeships who are now applying to progress further in their career and are asking this question to all candidates, on all vacancies. You will be asked a question as part of the application process about any previous apprenticeships you have completed. Your response to this question will not affect your application and it is not a requirement of the role to have completed a previous apprenticeship.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check maybe carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstance some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Department of Education of your intention by emailing Pre-Employment.Checks.DFE@education.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Department for Education do not cover the cost of travel to your interview/assessment unless otherwise stated.

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Candidates will be posted in merit order based upon location preference. Where more than one location is advertised you will be asked to state your preferred location.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

Terms and conditions of candidates transferring from ALBs and NDPBs

Bodies that are not accredited by the Civil Service Commission and are not able to advertise at Across Government on Civil Service jobs will be treated as external new starters and will come into DfE on modernised terms and conditions with a salary at the band minimum.

Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission but do not have civil service status will be offered modernised terms and will not have continuous service recognised for leave or sickness benefits. Salaries should be offered at band minimum, but there is some flexibility where this would cause a detriment to the individual.

Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission and do have Civil Service status will be treated as OGD transfers. Staff appointed on lateral transfer will move on to pre-modernised DfE terms (unless they were on modernised terms in their previous organisation). Staff appointed on promotion will move on to modernised DfE terms. Staff will transfer over on their existing salary (on lateral transfer) and any pay above the DfE pay band maximum will be paid as a mark time allowance. Staff moving on promotion will have their salaries calculated using the principles set out in the attached OGD transfer supplementary information.

Reasonable adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Department of Education via centralrecruitment.operations@education.gov.uk soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Please refer to the attached ‘Reasonable Adjustments Guide 05_2025 – accessible version’ at the bottom of the advert, for further information.

Childcare Vouchers

Any move to Department for Education (DfE) will mean you will no longer be able to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : DDT Capability Based Pay team
• Email : pay-capability.ddat@education.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : Centralrecruitment.operations@education.gov.uk

Further information

The Department for Education’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the Civil Service Commissioners Recruitment Principles, which outlines that selection for appointment is made on merit based on fair and open competition. You have the right to complain if you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles. In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly with the department concerned via CentralRecruitment.Operations@education.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages

Attachments

DFE Terms & Conditions - accessible version Opens in new window (pdf, 215kB)OGD Transfer Supplementary information - accessible version Opens in new window (pdf, 327kB)Reasonable Adjustments guide 05_2025 - accessible version Opens in new window (pdf, 723kB)