Senior DevOps Engineer

Job summary

We are currently recruiting for a Senior DevOps Engineer to join our Technology team on a hybrid basis, working two to three days per week from our headquarters in Coventry and the remainder remotely.

This is a key technical role responsible for the design, delivery and continuous improvement of AHDB’s Azure cloud platform and Azure DevOps. Working closely with development, architecture and security teams, you will drive infrastructure automation, optimise CI/CD processes and ensure our cloud environments remain secure, resilient and scalable.

We are seeking an experienced DevOps professional with strong hands-on expertise in Microsoft Azure, Terraform, GitHub and YAML-based CI/CD pipelines. The ideal candidate has knowledge on Infrastructure as Code, automation and DevOps best practices, with the ability to provide technical leadership and contribute to the successful delivery of business-critical platforms and services in an Agile environment.

About AHDB

We are the independent, impartial public body that unlocks success in British agriculture. Funded by a levy from over 100,000 British producers in the beef, lamb, pork, dairy and cereals sectors, we support and champion farmers, growers and processors, often where no one else can or will.

We share the expert, evidence-based research and reports that inform on-farm decision making. We promote British produce to the UK public through domestic marketing campaigns, and we identify and open new global export opportunities to help farm businesses grow.

We help levy payers learn more, sell more and export more to remain sustainable and profitable. Together, we deliver the insights, the influence and the impact that farmers need.

Job description

• Support and maintain the Azure cloud infrastructure, including testing and development environment
• Investigate, implement and document ways to automate and improve development and release processes, managing build and release pipelines within Azure DevOps
• Implement monitoring/alerting/remediation for production systems
• Support projects and provide technical knowledge and skills in process investigation, solution design, development and system testing
• Maintain required digital data storage such as databases, registers, completing and maintaining to required standards
• Review applications and infrastructure for compliance and auditing purposes, and actioning outcomes from those activities
• Work in conjunction with The Development Team to test and examine code written by developers related to cloud infrastructure and to oversee code releases and provide clear and concise release notes for stakeholders involved

Person specification

• Extensive hands-on experience administering and supporting the Microsoft Azure platform and its technologies, including App Service, Virtual Machines, Storage Account, Key Vault, Networking and DNS
• Strong experience designing and deploying cloud infrastructure using infrastructure scope techniques and best practices
• Extensive experience using GitHub and GitHub Actions for source control, automation and CI/CD delivery
• Strong experience creating, maintaining and troubleshooting YAML-based pipelines
• Experience designing, maintaining and optimising CI/CD processes and release automation
• Strong understanding of cloud security principles, monitoring, logging and governance within Azure
• Experience working within Agile delivery environments
• Excellent troubleshooting, stakeholder management and technical communication skills
• Experience with Kubernetes and Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) and experience with Docker and PowerShell, Python or other automation scripting languages is desirable
• Experience implementing Azure security and compliance controls, including UK-based regulations; experience with CMS frameworks such Umbraco, WordPress and Orchard but not essential

Benefits

We believe in rewarding our people for their hard work, so we have a great mix of benefits and opportunities to give you the recognition you deserve:

• 35 hours per week, Monday–Friday, to include hybrid working
• 33 days annual leave plus one privilege day (inclusive of bank holidays)
• Life assurance cover (4x salary)
• A market-leading defined contribution pension scheme with Legal & General
• Enhanced pay of 20 weeks for maternity, adoption and shared parental leave, subject to length of service
• A paid day each year to volunteer and make a difference in your community
• Comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
• Excellent training and development opportunities and an agreed development plan
• Recognition awards throughout the year
• Reward Gateway membership – this gives you a huge number of online discounts and savings

Apply now, or call 024 7693 5722 if you require any further information.

Please note that we reserve the right to close the vacancy early should we receive a significant number of suitable applications.

At AHDB, we are committed to developing, maintaining and supporting a culture of equality, diversity and inclusion, to include flexible working opportunities. This applies to both our workforce and the practices we follow.

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

To apply, simply upload your CV and Cover Letter via our careers portal by clicking the ‘Apply’ button on this page. Our hiring managers will review your application, and we’ll be in touch with the outcome shortly after the closing date.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an initial interview via MS Teams. If successful, a second-stage face-to-face interview will be held at our HQ in Coventry, Warwickshire, following our competency-based framework.

Please note that we reserve the right to close the vacancy early should we receive a significant number of suitable applications.

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

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

Security

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

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.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.

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

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 : recruitment@ahdb.org.uk
• Email : recruitment@ahdb.org.uk
• Telephone : 02476 935722

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@ahdb.org.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles of the Civil Service, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact the Head of HR via email: hr@ahdb.org.uk