Automation Engineer (Chef)

Xcede Recruitment Solutions; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment agency seeks an Automation Engineer for a 6-month contract. The role involves designing, automating, and securing enterprise infrastructure with a focus on Chef and AWS. Ideal candidates have advanced skills in Chef DSL, AWS services, and CI/CD pipeline integration, along with strong communication abilities. This position supports remote work and requires candidates to be based in the EU.

Qualifications

• Advanced experience with Chef DSL and cookbook development.
• Strong hands-on experience with AWS services.
• Proven ability to integrate automation tests into CI/CD pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Deliver engineering solutions aligned with Cyber Resilient Framework.
• Develop and maintain Chef cookbooks and InSpec profiles.
• Automate server build and configuration processes.

Skills

Chef DSL

AWS services

CI/CD integration

Scripting (Ruby, PowerShell, Python)

Automation tools (Chef, Ansible, Terraform)

Communication skills

Tools

Chef

AWS

Jenkins

Job description

Automation Engineer (Chef) - 6-month contract, outside IR35, remote working. Must be based in the EU.

We are seeking an Automation Engineer with strong expertise in Chef InSpec, AWS, and Windows, to play a key role in designing, automating, and securing enterprise infrastructure. The successful candidate will bring deep knowledge of Chef cookbooks, InSpec profiles, and CI/CD automation to enhance cyber resilience and compliance across hybrid environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver engineering solutions aligned with the Cyber Resilient Framework across global Windows and AWS environments.
• Develop and maintain Chef cookbooks and InSpec profiles to enforce compliance, configuration, and security baselines.
• Integrate InSpec compliance testing within CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, Bitbucket, GitHub Actions, etc.).
• Automate server build, configuration, and deployment processes for Windows and AWS infrastructure.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Windows, Linux, Cloud, Security) to ensure consistent engineering and automation standards.
• Research and implement emerging automation, cloud, and security technologies to improve operational resilience.

Essential Skills / Basic Qualifications

• Advanced experience with Chef DSL, cookbook development, and Chef InSpec profile creation.
• Strong hands-on experience with AWS services (EC2, Systems Manager, Config, Security Hub, IAM).
• Proven ability to integrate automation and compliance tests into CI/CD pipelines.
• Scripting proficiency in Ruby, PowerShell, or Python.
• Deep understanding of server build, deployment, desired state configuration (DSC), and security hardening.
• Practical experience with automation and configuration tools (Chef, Ansible, Terraform, Jenkins, etc.).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, working effectively in globally distributed teams.