DevSecOps Engineer - Pathogen

Ellison Institute of Technology; Oxford; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading research institute in Oxford is seeking a DevSecOps Engineer to build a secure, automated data platform. You will focus on cloud infrastructure, automate security processes, and ensure compliance with best practices. Ideal for someone with strong skills in Oracle Cloud, Terraform, and CI/CD pipelines. The role offers a collaborative environment and is essential for impactful research initiatives.

Benefits

Enhanced holiday pay

Pension

Life Assurance

Income Protection

Private Medical Insurance

Hospital Cash Plan

Therapy Services

Perk Box

Electrical Car Scheme

Qualifications

• Strong hands-on experience with cloud infrastructure.
• Proficiency in Terraform or similar tools.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and automated security testing.
• In-depth knowledge of containerization technologies.
• Solid understanding of cloud security best practices.
• Experience with monitoring and alerting tools.
• Proficiency with Git or other version control systems.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain secure cloud infrastructure.
• Develop and maintain Infrastructure as Code solutions.
• Implement and manage CI/CD pipelines with security testing.
• Ensure compliance with security standards and regulations.
• Automate vulnerability assessments to mitigate risks.
• Collaborate with engineering teams to integrate security.

Skills

Cloud Infrastructure

Terraform

CI/CD pipelines

Docker

Kubernetes

Cloud Security Best Practices

Monitoring and Alerting Tools

Git

Tools

Oracle Cloud

GitHub Actions

Job description

Led by a world-class faculty of scientists, technologists, policy makers, economists and entrepreneurs, the Ellison Institute of Technology aims to develop and deploy commercially sustainable solutions to solve some of humanity’s most enduring challenges. Our work is guided by four Humane Endeavours: Health, Medical Science & Generative Biology, Food Security & Sustainable Agriculture, Climate Change & Managing Atmospheric CO2 and Artificial Intelligence & Robotics.

Set for completion in 2027, the EIT Campus in Littlemore will include more than 300,000 sq ft of research laboratories, educational and gathering spaces. Fuelled by growing ambition and the strength of Oxford’s science ecosystem, EIT is now expanding its footprint to a 2 million sq ft Campus across the western part of The Oxford Science Park. Designed by Foster + Partners led by Lord Norman Foster, this will become a transformative workplace for up to 7,000 people, with autonomous laboratories, purpose-built laboratories including a plant sciences building and dynamic spaces to spark interdisciplinary collaboration.

The Pathogen Mission highlights EIT’s transformative approach, using Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) and Oracle’s cloud technology to create a global pathogen metagenomics system. This initiative aims to improve diagnostics, provide early epidemic warnings, and guide treatments by profiling antimicrobial resistance. The goal is to deliver certified diagnostic tools for widespread use in labs, hospitals, and public health.

EIT Oxford fosters a culture of collaboration, innovation, and resilience, valuing diverse expertise to drive sustainable solutions to humanity’s enduring challenges.

EIT is seeking a DevSecOps Engineer to join the Pathogen Programme. This is an excellent opportunity to help build a secure, automated data platform that supports critical research. In this role, you’ll focus on automation across the development lifecycle, enabling engineers and bioinformaticians to deploy data pipelines and product features efficiently.

You will design and maintain infrastructure, create secure automation pipelines, manage cloud environments, and ensure compliance. Working closely with cross-functional teams, you’ll help deliver solutions that are reliable, scalable, and secure.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain secure cloud infrastructure using Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI).
• Develop and maintain Infrastructure as Code (IaC) solutions with tools such as Terraform, ensuring secure and repeatable deployments.
• Implement and manage CI/CD pipelines with automated security testing, deployment, and monitoring.
• Ensure all components of the data platform—OCI infrastructure, data ingest pipelines, tool deployments, access controls, and monitoring tools—are developed, tested, and deployed using automated best practices.
• Collaborate with bioinformaticians to ensure pipelines are secure by design, version-controlled, and deployed through automated processes.
• Work closely with engineering teams to integrate security throughout feature development and deployment.
• Automate vulnerability assessments to identify and mitigate risks across systems and environments.
• Partner with the security function to embed best practices into new and existing features.
• Ensure compliance with security standards and regulations (e.g., ISO 27001, SOC2).
• Implement monitoring solutions to detect and respond to security incidents in real time.
• Perform root cause analysis and troubleshoot infrastructure and security issues in production.
• Collaborate with technical leads to continuously improve security processes and workflows.

Essential Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Strong hands-on experience with cloud infrastructure, ideally Oracle Cloud, including provisioning, configuration, and service management.
• Proficiency in Terraform or similar infrastructure automation tools.
• Experience implementing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines (e.g., GitHub Actions) with automated security testing.
• In-depth knowledge of containerization technologies (e.g., Docker) and orchestration tools like Kubernetes.
• Solid understanding of cloud security best practices, including IAM, network security, and encryption.
• Experience with monitoring and alerting tools (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack).
• Proficiency with Git or other version control systems.

Desirable Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• Certifications in Oracle Cloud (OCI) or other platforms (AWS, GCP).
• Hands‑on experience with security tools (e.g., OWASP ZAP, Burp Suite).
• Familiarity with project management tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence).
• Knowledge of compliance frameworks and standards (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, ISO27001, ISO13485).
• Previous experience in start‑up or scale‑up environments.

Key Attributes

• Strong collaboration and communication skills.
• Willingness to learn and upskill in new technologies.
• Hands‑on approach to exploring new tools and developing POCs.
• Excellent problem‑solving and analytical abilities, with a critical approach to security challenges.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines in a fast‑paced environment.
• Attention to detail and commitment to security and quality assurance.
• Flexibility to adapt and contribute to a rapidly scaling organisation.

We offer the following benefits:

• Enhanced holiday pay
• Pension
• Life Assurance
• Income Protection
• Private Medical Insurance
• Hospital Cash Plan
• Therapy Services
• Perk Box
• Electrical Car Scheme

Why work for EIT:

At the Ellison Institute, we believe a collaborative, inclusive team is key to our success. We are building a supportive environment where creative risks are encouraged, and everyone feels heard. Valuing emotional intelligence, empathy, respect, and resilience, we encourage people to be curious and to have a shared commitment to excellence. Join us and make an impact!

Terms of Appointment:

• You must have the right to work permanently in the UK with a willingness to travel as necessary.
• You will live in, or within easy commuting distance of, Oxford.
• During peak periods, some longer hours may be required and some working across multiple time zones due to the global nature of the programme.