Cloud Engineer

Bailie Group; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A technology services company in Leeds is seeking an experienced Cloud Engineer to manage cloud infrastructure, focusing on delivering, supporting, and optimizing cloud solutions across various platforms like Azure and Cloudflare. The ideal candidate will have strong experience in cloud technologies, DevOps practices, and a proactive approach to service excellence. The role includes mentoring juniors and optimizing resource efficiency. The company offers a competitive salary and benefits along with opportunities for professional growth.

Benefits

Company pension and life assurance scheme

Medicash health plan

Cycle to work scheme

Season pass loan for public transport

Complimentary fruit and beverages

Qualifications

• Strong hands-on experience with Cloudflare or equivalent networking platforms.
• Deep understanding of Microsoft Azure services and deployment best practices.
• Proficient in Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform.
• Experience working in hybrid or multi-cloud environments.
• Solid grounding in networking fundamentals.
• Familiarity with observability tools for proactive monitoring.

Responsibilities

• Deliver and maintain highly available and secure cloud infrastructure.
• Provide hands-on operational support and incident troubleshooting.
• Deploy and manage Cloudflare services including DNS and DDoS protection.
• Support hybrid and multi-cloud environments, integrating AWS services.
• Manage and enhance CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure automation.
• Mentor junior engineers and promote knowledge sharing within the team.

Skills

Cloudflare

Microsoft Azure

Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

DevOps practices

Incident management

Strong communication

Tools

Terraform

Git

Azure Monitor

Job description

CDS Tech is the newly formed technology services arm of Bailie Group, a family-owned group of human-centred communications and technology services businesses. With a strong heritage in delivering critical transformation projects, CDS Tech is poised to become the 'go to' professional services partner for Cloud, Security, Data and Digital transformation services - both in the UK and beyond. Underpinned by a People First and Client Obsessed mindset, our ambition is to drive meaningful impact for our clients, their audiences, their users, and society as a whole. Societal impact is not just an outcome - it's our north star, guiding everything we do and ensuring we make a lasting, positive difference.

As we continue to grow, we are seeking an experienced Cloud Engineer to take ownership of the hands-on technical delivery and operational support of cloud solutions for our clients. This role will involve a balance of project-based engineering work, day-to-day BAU activities, and participation in out-of-hours support to ensure the smooth running and continuous improvement of client environments.

You will be responsible for designing, building, deploying, and maintaining cloud infrastructure and services along with ensuring that all solutions are delivered efficiently, securely, and in line with industry best practices. Your work will directly contribute to achieving client objectives, with a strong focus on reliability, performance, and operational excellence.

In addition to project delivery, you will play a key role in supporting the ongoing operations and managed services of the cloud platforms we oversee. A solid understanding of service delivery frameworks, incident and problem management, and a strong commitment to meeting SLAs are essential for driving client satisfaction and maintaining scalable, stable environments.

You will also collaborate closely with Delivery Teams and Technical Leads, offering expert technical guidance throughout the project lifecycle and supporting BAU operations. This role is critical to ensuring high-quality service delivery, resolving complex technical challenges, and driving continuous improvement across our cloud engineering practices.

Responsibilities and expectations

About the role

We are looking for a Cloud Engineer to play a key role in delivering, managing, and supporting cloud infrastructure, security, networking, and DevOps solutions. You will work closely with the Cloud BAU (Business as Usual) team to ensure reliable, secure, and efficient operations across a mix of Azure, Cloudflare environments. This role requires strong technical expertise, problem solving and a proactive approach to continuous improvement, automation, and service excellence.

You will be involved in a variety of tasks ranging from infrastructure deployment, platform optimisation, incident response, and automation, to collaborating with stakeholders to meet business needs in a cloud-first environment.

Responsibilities

• Deliver and maintain highly available, secure, and scalable cloud infrastructure solutions.
• Provide hands-on operational support, including incident troubleshooting, service enhancements, and proactive monitoring.
• Deploy, configure, and manage Cloudflare services (or similar platforms), including WAF, CDN, DDoS protection, DNS, Zero Trust, Magic WAN, Magic Firewall, Load Balancing, Argo Smart Routing, and Anycast network architecture
• Implement infrastructure solutions in Microsoft Azure (IaaS/PaaS) including App Services, Azure Functions, API Management, VMs, SQL, and ensure adherence to security and governance best practices.
• Support hybrid and multi-cloud environments, integrating AWS services as needed.
• Manage and enhance CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure automation, and observability (logging, monitoring, alerting).
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure that infrastructure meets performance, security, and compliance requirements.
• Take ownership of incidents, acting as an escalation point, and participate in the on-call support rota.
• Optimise cloud resources to ensure cost efficiency, performance tuning, and capacity planning.
• Mentor junior engineers, promoting knowledge-sharing and technical growth within the team.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across Cloud, infrastructure, automation, and operations workflows.
• Provide mentorship and take a leadership role in problem-solving and supporting team growth.

Skills and experience
Essential

Essential Skills & Experience:

• Strong hands-on experience with Cloudflare or equivalent edge networking platforms (Akamai, Fastly) covering WAF, CDN, DDoS protection, DNS, Zero Trust access.
• Deep understanding of Microsoft Azure services (IaaS and PaaS) and deployment best practices.
• Proficient in Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform for scalable and repeatable infrastructure deployments.
• Experience working in hybrid or multi-cloud environments, with knowledge of AWS services.
• Solid grounding in networking fundamentals - VPNs, DNS, routing, firewalls, load balancing.
• Proven experience in DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, Git workflows, and automation.
• Familiarity with observability tools (e.g., Azure Monitor, Datadog, Grafana) for proactive monitoring and alerting.
• Comfortable in handling incident management, root cause analysis, and escalation support.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, able to engage confidently with clients and stakeholders.
• A proactive, delivery-driven approach with a focus on ownership, accountability, and problem-solving.
• Willingness to participate in out-of-hours on-call support rotation.

Desirable:

Certifications such as:

• Cloudflare Certified Professional (certification support can be provided for the right candidate).
• Microsoft Azure Certifications (AZ-104).
• AWS certifications
• DevOps and automation certifications, such as HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate, GitLab Certified CI/CD Specialist, or equivalent
• Lead and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, driving enhancements in infrastructure reliability, operational efficiency, and automation.
• Advocate for engineering best practices, including cost optimisation, security hardening, and DevOps culture.
• Represent the team in client discussions, workshops, and service reviews, ensuring technical excellence and client satisfaction.
• Support the team's continuous learning and upskilling, staying current with emerging cloud technologies and practices.

What You will Bring:

• A problem-solver mindset who enjoys hands-on Cloud engineering.
• A passion for cloud technologies, automation, and improving platform reliability.
• The ability to thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative, and client-facing environment.

Why join us

There are many compelling reasons to join our newly formed technology services business, and we'll bring these to life when we meet you during the process. For now, though, we believe the following aspects offer an exciting opportunity for the right candidate...

• Shaping the future of CDS Tech - your work will directly impact our brand, market positioning, revenue growth, and success.
• Autonomy and ownership - a unique opportunity to own the delivery function and drive real impact for clients and programmes of work that genuinely make a positive difference to society.
• High-impact partnerships - work with some world-leading, most recognisable technology brands as our partners and position CDS Tech for success.
• Competitive package - attractive salary and benefits, meaningful work and genuine opportunities for growth and professional development.

Vetting

Due to the nature of this role and the business, you will need to either currently hold or obtain UK Government clearance to a minimum of SC level

Hybrid & Homeworking

To ensure the health, safety & wellbeing of our employees we have minimum standards for homeworking environments which must be maintained. Further details available on request.

In return we offer

• Smart, engaged co-workers and a culture of inclusion, innovation, and opportunity
• A business focused on professional development and personal growth opportunities
• Company pension and life assurance scheme
• Medicash health plan - online GP access, support services & discounted gym membership
• Complimentary fruit, coffee, tea, and Wednesday social drinks at the office
• Cycle to work scheme
• Season pass loan for rail or bus travel