Senior Infrastructure Engineer (up to £59,266)

Job summary

The Department for Education is seeking to recruit IT Infrastructure Engineers to work across multiple endeavours, predominantly in the Microsoft Azure public cloud. We continually seek new & innovative opportunities in our cloud estate for efficiencies, economies of scale and new value to users across established cloud computing platforms to make them better for users, increase value for money and reduce complexity.

Infrastructure Engineers in the Department design, build, operate and support IT infrastructure resources that underpin internal user services and services to the public. If you are successful, you will work as part of a team providing a range of capabilities and may operate across one or more contexts including the following:

• Hosting environments and landing zone management. Security, management, governance and automation of DfE’s centrally managed hosting environments and cloud landing zones. Includes design, build, operate and maintain core cloud computing IT infrastructure services, ensuring that they remain available, secure, performant, and that they continue to meet requirements.
• Managed infrastructure service. Build, operate & maintain cloud and on-premises infrastructure resources for business applications. Updates and patching, back-up & restore, security vulnerability management, capacity management, service optimisation, incident resolution, request fulfilment, service controls, and asset management.
• Service improvement. Develop new, and enhance existing IT infrastructure products, services or processes to simplify infrastructure, enhance security, improve reliability & performance, avoid costs, scale & expand, prevent legacy, meet new requirements, or address emergent problem statements.

Job description

As a Senior Infrastructure Engineer in the Department, you will work within a team of infrastructure specialists and engineers building, operating and maintaining solutions as directed and according to policy. You will:

• Build, operate and maintain Microsoft Azure infrastructure resources to ensure that they are integrated and delivered effectively.
• Respond to incidents and requests to identify and resolve issues preventing delivery.
• Automate the deployment and maintenance of cloud infrastructure resources.
• Advocate user-centric, agile approaches which focus on rapid, effective delivery of high-quality digital services.
• Work with and support third parties in providing infrastructure services.
• Work with technical architects to translate architectural designs into operations.
• Share knowledge of tools and techniques with the wider team and community, growing awareness, inclusivity and balance.
• Provide input into overall management - workforce, budget, technology roadmaps, projects and tasks.
• Oversee and provide management/support to Infrastructure Engineers on the team.

Security vetting

If you are successful, you must be prepared to undergo the Security Check (SC) clearance process before you begin your role at DfE. Please see the guidance here for further information.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Experience of building, configuring, operating and maintaining infrastructure resources in Microsoft Azure environments such as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) software, tenants, management groups, subscriptions, identity & access, network topology and connectivity, certificate services, cryptographic key management, availability & performance monitoring, developer collaboration software, virtual desktop, virtual machines and update management.
• Experience of using automation techniques to configure services, automate processes and extract information. This may include using software, tooling, scripting and other automation techniques such as Azure Automation, PowerShell, Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI), JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), Bicep, Terraform, Python and Ansible.
• Experience of administering security controls, options and configuration settings to protect cloud computing services, and to mitigate against security threats and vulnerabilities.
• Experience of breaking down IT infrastructure problems into component parts to identify and diagnose root causes; troubleshooting; and identifying problems across different technology areas.
• Experience of problem management techniques; adopting a proactive approach for example by availability and performance monitoring, or reviewing historic incidents to spot patterns and trends, and working to eliminate the root cause before incidents arise in the first place.

Desirable Criteria:

• Microsoft Azure verified credentials, certification or qualifications.
• Experience of defining integration builds to combine IT infrastructure components to create a consolidated solution, and co-ordinating & testing build activities across systems.
• Experience of collaborating with, and conveying technical concepts to, both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• An understanding of the benefits of service levels and service frameworks and how to operate within them to deliver, operate and maintain IT infrastructure services.
• Experience of working with and applying design standards, methods and tools; and developing systems designs for review to ensure the selection of appropriate technology, efficient use of resources and integration of multiple systems and technology.
• Experience of reviewing requirements and specifications, defining test conditions and analysing and reporting test activities and results.

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 £42,806, Department for Education contributes £12,400 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.

Your statement of suitability (maximum 1,250 words) should demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification section above.

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

Interview

Longlisted candidates 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 9 February 2026

Interviews will likely take place in the week commencing 23 February 2026.

Once a provisional offer has been made, you will be invited to participate in a capability assessment to determine the value of the CBP allowance we can offer you. The assessment compares your skills against the advertised role described in DfE’s local Infrastructure Engineering Capability Framework, which is based on the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework.

Subject to your availability, we will aim to conduct the capability assessment and confirm the allowance offer to you within a week of the provisional offer being made.

This is a discretionary non-consolidated, non-pensionable allowance which, if awarded, is attached to the post. The value of the allowance is based on the outcome of a capability assessment and is reviewed annually. Allowance values range up to £13,000, with the highest values reserved for candidates whose capability is above the expected level for all of the skills.

If applicants are not appointable at this grade, they may be considered for positions at the grade below.

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 6 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.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).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)Reasonable Adjustments guide 05_2025 - accessible version (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 723kB)OGD Transfer Supplementary information - accessible version Opens in new window (pdf, 327kB)