IBM Z Dev/Ops / Automation Engineer

HelloKindred; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

HelloKindred is seeking a Senior DevOps / Automation Engineer (IBM Z & Hybrid Platform) for a 6‑month remote engagement. Lead automation modernization, design CI/CD pipelines, and enforce governance across IBM Z and distributed platforms.

You will mentor engineers, build robust automation in Python/YAML, manage pipelines (Jenkins, GitHub), and implement secure credentials with Vault. Insightful observability with Grafana/Splunk is part of the role.

Qualifications

• Has 10+ years in DevOps engineering with governance, compliance and implementation.
• Minimum 2 years of IBM Z environment experience.
• Leads teams, mentors engineers and promotes engineering excellence.
• Hands‑on with GitHub, Jenkins, AAP, Nexus, Python, Vault, API integration.
• Strong Python development skills and production‑quality code.
• Experience with Groovy pipelines, YAML automation, and CI/CD practices.
• Knowledge of PostgreSQL schema design and observability tooling.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership, mentor engineers, and promote DevOps best practices.
• Design and develop production‑grade automation using Python and YAML with robust testing and logging.
• Develop automation workflows across IBM Z and distributed platforms using AAP and GitHub workflows.
• Build reliable, restartable workflows with proper failure handling and safeguards.
• Create and maintain CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins) and release practices with Groovy scripts.
• Integrate automated compliance checks, evidence capture and artefact management.
• Design PostgreSQL schemas and automation state tracking for reliability and audit needs.
• Develop Grafana dashboards and observability pipelines with Splunk integrations.
• Implement secure secrets management with Vault; ensure least privilege across workflows.
• Design REST API integrations and enterprise service interfaces.
• Support drift detection, automated remediation, compliance governance, and secure engineering standards.
• Document reusable automation patterns and collaborate across mainframe and infra teams.

Skills

DevOps leadership

Mentoring engineers

Python programming

CI/CD design & implementation

Security & compliance governance

Observability & monitoring

Documentation & collaboration

Tools

GitHub

Jenkins

Ansible Automation Platform (AAP)

Nexus Repository

Groovy

HashiCorp Vault

API integration

PostgreSQL

Grafana

Splunk

Job description

Who is HelloKindred?

HelloKindred are specialists in staffing marketing, creative and technology roles, offering a range of talent solutions that can be delivered on-site, remotely or hybrid.

Our vision is to make work accessible and people’s lives better.We do this by disrupting traditional employment barriers –connecting ambitious talent to flexible opportunities with trusted brands.

Anticipated Contract End Date/Length:6 months
Work Set Up: Remote (100% remote)

Our client in the Information Technology and Services industry is looking for a Senior DevOps / Automation Engineer (IBM Z & Hybrid Platform) to lead automation and DevOps modernisation across IBM Z and distributed platforms. This role will involve designing and implementing production-grade automation, CI/CD pipelines, compliance controls, observability solutions, and secure orchestration capabilities across a global enterprise environment.

The ideal candidate will bring extensive DevOps engineering experience, strong technical leadership skills, and hands‑on expertise in enterprise automation and platform integration. The successful candidate will drive engineering best practices, strengthen governance and compliance, and mentor engineers in delivering resilient, secure, auditable, and scalable automation solutions across complex enterprise environments.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership, mentor engineers, conduct design reviews, and promote DevOps engineering best practices.
• Design and develop production‑grade automation using Python and YAML, incorporating testing, logging, error handling, and operational resilience.
• Develop and maintain enterprise‑scale automation workflows using Ansible Automation Platform (AAP) across IBM Z and distributed platforms.
• Build idempotent, restartable, and state‑aware workflows with appropriate failure handling, retry logic, and operational safeguards.
• Develop and maintain GitHub workflows and Jenkins CI/CD pipelines, including Groovy‑based pipeline development and Git‑based release practices.
• Integrate automated compliance checks, quality gates, evidence capture, and artefact management through Nexus Repository or equivalent tools.
• Design and optimise PostgreSQL schemas, queries, and automation state tracking to support operational reliability and audit requirements.
• Develop Grafana dashboards and observability pipelines, integrating logging and metrics with enterprise monitoring platforms such as Splunk.
• Implement secure secrets management using HashiCorp Vault, applying least‑privilege principles and integrating secure credentials into CI/CD and AAP workflows.
• Design and maintain REST API integrations and enterprise service interfaces.
• Support configuration drift detection, automated remediation, compliance governance, and secure engineering standards.
• Document reusable automation patterns and operational procedures, collaborate across mainframe and infrastructure teams, and support risk, audit, and regulatory requirements.

• At least 10 years of demonstrable DevOps engineering experience, including solution design, governance, compliance, and implementation of DevOps best practices.
• A minimum of 2 years of experience working within an IBM Z environment.
• Strong technical leadership experience, including mentoring engineers, providing technical guidance, and promoting engineering excellence.
• Hands‑on experience with GitHub, Jenkins, Ansible Automation Platform (AAP), Nexus Repository, Python, HashiCorp Vault, and API integration.
• Strong Python development skills, including production‑quality code, testing, logging, error handling, and modular design.
• Experience with Jenkins pipeline development using Groovy, Git‑based CI/CD practices, and YAML automation.
• Practical knowledge of PostgreSQL schema design, query optimisation, and operational data management.
• Experience developing Grafana dashboards and supporting monitoring, metrics, and observability initiatives.
• Knowledge of secure secrets management, credential lifecycle management, compliance verification, and configuration drift management.
• Familiarity with IBM Z and z/OS concepts, including JCL and batch scheduling.
• Ability to design resilient, restartable automation workflows and operate effectively in complex enterprise environments.
• Strong documentation, collaboration, and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to engage technical, infrastructure, risk, and audit stakeholders.
• Experience in regulated financial services environments is preferred.
• Familiarity with IBM z/OSMF and zOAU is highly advantageous; experience with IWS, Infrastructure‑as‑Code governance, and observability tooling is desirable.

Candidates must be legally authorized to live and work in the country where the position is based, without requiring employer sponsorship.

HelloKindred is committed to fair, transparent, and inclusive hiring practices. We assess candidates based on skills, experience, and role‑related requirements.

We appreciate your interest in this opportunity. While we review every application carefully, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

HelloKindred is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.