DevOps Engineer

LRQA; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

LRQA is seeking a DevOps Engineer in Birmingham to drive automation and streamlined software delivery. You will design robust CI/CD pipelines in Azure, manage cloud infrastructure with IaC, and champion security, observability and cost optimization across teams.

You will mentor juniors, collaborate with security and development teams, and shape DevOps practices in a fast-paced, global assurance environment.

Qualifications

• 4+ years in IT platforms, infra engineering or software development with 2+ years in DevOps.
• Deep Azure experience: design, deployment and management of resilient infra.
• Experience building CI/CD pipelines with Azure DevOps and GitOps workflows.

Responsibilities

• Evolve DevOps practices to align with industry standards and educate teams.
• Design and enhance CI/CD pipelines for deployment and infrastructure provisioning.
• Implement IaC using Terraform, ARM/Bicep templates and Helm charts.
• Operate Kubernetes-based infrastructure and cloud resources in Azure.
• Implement observability with Prometheus, Grafana and OpenTelemetry.
• Lead security practices, policy-as-code and vulnerability scanning.
• Mentor junior engineers and drive DevOps culture and improvements.

Skills

Azure DevOps

CI/CD pipelines

Terraform

Kubernetes (AKS)

Docker

OpenTelemetry

Prometheus

Grafana

GitOps

ArgoCD

FluxCD

Python

PowerShell

Bash

Tools

ARM templates

Bicep

Helm

AKS

Job description

Job ID:43413

Location: Birmingham : 1 Trinity Park : Bi

Position Category: Information Technology

Position Type: Employee Regular

About The Role

LRQA is a global assurance provider with operations in over 100+ countries and a mission to delight our customers. We have a diverse portfolio of assurances activities that range from Security, ESG and Supply Chain, and many more.

As a DevOps Engineer, you will act as an ambassador for DevOps principles within the company, driving process improvements and advancing automation across the SDLC for both infrastructure and software delivery. You will focus on optimizing the speed, scalability, and security of deployments, ensuring that production releases are stable and reliable. In this role, you will be responsible for designing and implementing robust CI/CD pipelines, establishing monitoring and alerting systems, and leading incident management efforts to minimize downtime and improve recovery times.

Additionally, you will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to implement best practices in security (DevSecOps), drive cost optimization (FinOps), and proactively identify areas for operational improvement.

Adaptability, a proactive approach to problem-solving, and the ability to quickly learn and implement new tools and methodologies are critical to your success in this role. You will also play a pivotal role in mentoring junior team members and driving the adoption of best practices across teams.

Responsibilities

• Assist in the evolution of our DevOps function and practices, aligning them to industry best standards whilst facilitating and educating our development teams.
• Design, architect, and enhance Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines using Azure DevOps, ensuring they are scalable, secure, and optimized for both application deployment and infrastructure provisioning.
• Develop and manage complex cloud infrastructure using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools such as Terraform, Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates, or Bicep, while ensuring best practices are followed.
• Take part in the design, implementation and maintenance of scalable, resilient and secure infrastructure within Kubernetes.
• Automate the provisioning, scaling, and monitoring of cloud resources within Azure, implementing advanced automation and orchestration strategies to increase operational efficiency.
• Implement and optimise observability, logging and alerting with tools such as Prometheus, Grafana and OpenTelemetry.
• Collaborate with the application development teams to enable and facilitate best practices for containerisation, microservice architecture and secure development.
• Collaborate closely with security teams to enforce security best practices such as policy-as-code (OPA/Gatekeeper), zero-trust architecture and automated vulnerability scanning throughout the entire DevOps lifecycle, and actively contributing to security audits and improvements.
• Lead incident management efforts, owning root cause analysis and post-incident reviews, while implementing preventative measures and improvements to minimize future risks.
• Champion and implement cutting-edge best practices for code quality, deployment strategies, release automation, and continuous improvement across the entire software delivery pipeline.
• Drive cost optimization (FinOps) initiatives, identifying opportunities to reduce infrastructure costs and ensure efficient resource utilization, while working with the internal LRQA teams.
• Stay ahead of industry trends and evolving technologies, proactively researching and adopting new tools, technologies, and methodologies that can drive innovation and performance improvements across the DevOps landscape (e.g. CNCF recommendations).
• Act as a technical leader and mentor to more junior members of the DevOps team, sharing knowledge, providing guidance, and promoting a learning environment that encourages skill growth and development within the team.
• Drive the adoption of DevOps principles and culture, advocating for collaboration across teams and the wider business, driving continuous improvement initiatives, and leading organizational alignment with modern DevOps methodologies.

Required

Technical/Professional Qualifications/Requirements

• 4+ years of experience in IT platforms, infrastructure engineering, or software development, with 2+ years of experience within a DevOps capacity focusing on cloud and process automation and infrastructure design
• Extensive proficiency within Microsoft Azure with deep hands-on experience in designing, deploying, and managing resilient infrastructure to Microsoft best practices
• Proven experience managing Azure DevOps and its features, including implementing CI/CD pipelines, branch policies, repositories/repo structure and driving best practice for usage and workflows
• Skilled in Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools such as Terraform, Helm, ARM templates, or Bicep. (AWS exposure is a bonus)
• Strong knowledge in containerization technologies such as Docker, and Kubernetes (AKS), with experience in deploying, scaling, and managing containerized workloads in production environments and their supporting infrastructure layers
• Experience implementing monitoring, observability, traceability and logging stacks, including tools such as Prometheus, New Relic, Grafana, Loki and OpenTelemetry
• Strong knowledge of Cloud Native Technologies and CNCF-recommended solutions, and the implementation thereof
• Knowledge of implementing and maintaining GitOps workflows using ArgoCD or FluxCD
• Experience in implementing and managing serverless architectures and event-driven microservices
• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills, capable of diagnosing and resolving complex issues across cloud environments and applications, CI/CD pipelines, and automated processes
• Strong scripting and automation skills in PowerShell, Bash, or Python, with the ability to build sophisticated automation solutions to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce manual work
• Ability to lead and guide DevOps best practices, collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure the successful implementation of automation, security, and deployment strategies
• Understanding of ITIL best practices around Release, Deployment, and Change Management, ensuring that changes to production environments are secure, controlled, and follow established processes.
• Experience working in multi-disciplinary teams, with the ability to collaborate with developers, security teams, and other stakeholders to align DevOps processes with business and operational requirements.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills, capable of influencing decision-making, challenging assumptions, and driving teams toward successful resolutions of complex technical challenges.
• Self-driven and proactive, able to take initiative and work independently to implement innovative solutions, while balancing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to assess complex problems, visualize solutions, and translate business requirements into scalable, efficient, and innovative technology solutions within a matrixed organization.
• Ability to mentor and lead junior engineers, providing technical direction, guidance, and support to ensure team growth and alignment with best practices.
• Solid knowledge of cloud networking and security concepts, including virtual networks, VPNs, firewalls, security policies, and access control, ensuring that cloud infrastructure is both performant and secure.

Desirable

• Experience in Agile and Hybrid Agile/ITSM workflows, and building automation to support hybrid scenarios
• Experience with FinOps and cost optimization, including monitoring cloud usage, rightsizing resources, and implementing strategies to optimize cloud spend while maintaining performance and scalability
• Experience working with new and emerging technologies, continuously exploring and adopting the latest DevOps tools and methodologies to improve the organization’s efficiency and performance
• Relevant certifications such as AZ-104 (Microsoft Azure Administrator), AZ-204 (Microsoft Azure Developer), AZ-400 (Microsoft DevOps Engineer Expert), and AZ-305 (Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert) are a bonus but not essential

Pre-Employment Checks

If you are successful in securing a role with us, we will carry out pre-employment checks in accordance with what is allowed under local law.

These checks will include, (as permitted):- right to work, identification, verification of employment history, education, and criminal records.

We may involve the third-party supplier to run the background checks as needed and your data will be retained for a period as needed for the purpose of employing you.

Your data will be stored in accordance with all relevant privacy legislation.

Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Diversity and Inclusion at LRQA

We are on a mission to be the place where we all want to work and we are passionate about embracing different perspectives because we understand the value this brings to our business, our clients and each other. We are all about creating a safer and more sustainable future and our inclusive culture is right at the heart of our business.

Together our employees make our communities better and we want you to be part of our diverse team!

LRQA is a leading global assurance provider. The integrity and expertise we bring to our partnership with clients support their journey to a safer, more secure and more sustainable future. ( Group entities ).