Infrastructure Engineer Placement - 12 months - Leicester

Devopsroles; Leicester; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 24,000; Full time

Job summary

NEXT is offering a 12‑month Trainee Infrastructure Engineer placement at our Head Office in the UK. You will gain hands-on experience by supporting server infrastructure, storage solutions, and security remediations across our operations.

You will work under guidance from Senior Engineers, learn our technical standards, and contribute to secure, robust, and scalable systems while studying for a STEM degree with a placement year from July 2027 to July 2028.

Qualifications

• Studying towards a STEM degree with a dedicated 12-month placement year.
• Strong attention to detail and logical problem solving.
• Curiosity to understand how systems work and where they may fail.
• Clear and professional communication for technical and non-technical colleagues.
• Self-motivated with collaborative mindset and eagerness to learn.

Responsibilities

• Support the build, configuration, and maintenance of server infrastructure and storage.
• Carry out security remediation activities, such as patching and vulnerability identification.
• Assist in building and maintaining virtualization platforms and cloud environments.
• Follow Infosec guidance to ensure data safety and reliability of infrastructure.
• Update documentation and follow established technical standards.

Skills

Attention to detail

Problem solving

Communication

Curiosity

Documentation

Education

STEM degree with 12-month placement

STEM Master's degree

2:1 or higher in STEM

Job description

The role

Technology drives what we do at NEXT, and as a Tech Placement, you will be a vital part of our evolution. This role is designed to help you learn and grow by giving you hands‑on experience and real responsibilities.

As a Trainee Infrastructure Engineer on a 12-month placement at our Head Office, you will play a hands‑on role in keeping our corporate infrastructure secure, robust, and future‑ready. You will make a real difference by supporting the vital systems that power NEXT, working closely with our Information Security and Infrastructure teams to identify weaknesses and build secure, innovative solutions.

We don’t expect you to know everything from day one; you will be fully supported with clear technical standards, detailed documentation, and expert guidance from our Senior Engineers to help you hit the ground running and gain invaluable real‑world experience.

This is a 12-month industrial placement and applicants must be studying a relevant University Degree course that includes a dedicated placement year July 2027 to July 2028.

What you’ll take on

• Support the build, configuration, and maintenance of server infrastructure and storage solutions across our retail operations and head office.
• Carry out essential security remediation activities, such as patching systems, identifying vulnerabilities, and strengthening security across our wider networks.
• Assist in building and maintaining virtualisation platforms and cloud-based environments, ensuring our systems run efficiently.
• Follow the strategic direction set by our Infosec team, contributing to the overall safety and reliability of our data science and server infrastructure.
• Work collaboratively to follow established technical standards, actively using and updating documentation to support the wider team.

About you:

• Currently studying towards a STEM degree (on track for a 2:1 or higher) or a STEM Master's degree, that includes a 12-month placement—ideally with relevant studies in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cyber Security, or a similar field.
• An exceptional eye for detail and a systematic, logical approach to solving complex problems.
• Natural curiosity and a strong desire to understand how systems work, and how they might break.
• Clear and professional communication skills, allowing you to articulate findings to both technical and non-technical team members.
• A self-motivated, ambitious attitude with an eagerness to learn and build strong, collaborative working relationships.

BE BRAVE. BE YOU. BE NEXT.