Operational Technology Engineer

AHEAD; Reading; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A technology company is looking for an Operational Technology Engineer in Reading. The role involves maintaining operational networks, supporting automation, and ensuring security compliance. The ideal candidate should have strong networking and Linux skills, along with experience in automation environments. This position offers a salary range of £70,000 to £80,000 depending on experience and requires strong communication skills and a degree in a relevant field.

Qualifications

• Strong networking fundamentals: routing, switching, VPNs, segmentation, and firewall concepts.
• Experience supporting automation or imaging platforms in production environments.
• Solid Linux experience and familiarity with virtualization.

Responsibilities

• Operate and maintain the Foundry operational networks and supporting platforms.
• Monitor and respond to alerts across network, compute, backup, UPS, and facility systems.
• Support network and platform hardening using segmentation, firewalls, and access controls.

Skills

Networking fundamentals

Linux experience

Troubleshooting skills

Clear communication skills

Education

Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical discipline

Tools

Palo Alto

Nutanix

GitLab

Ansible

Puppet

Job description

Operational Technology Engineer – UK Foundry

AHEAD builds platforms for digital business. By weaving together advances in cloud infrastructure, automation and analytics, and software delivery, we help enterprises deliver on the promise of digital transformation.

We are an equal opportunity employer. No discrimination based on age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage & civil partnership, pregnancy & maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Right to work in the UK is required. Visa sponsorship is not available.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Technology Platforms

• Operate and maintain the Foundry operational networks and supporting platforms.
• Support the automation tooling and systems used for imaging, testing, and validation.
• Assist with Linux-based system builds, OS imaging, and test tooling (Python-based).
• Participate in maintaining cross-site file synchronisation and golden image governance.

Network, Compute, and Access

• Support a network environment with hundreds of switches and thousands of ports.
• Assist with VPNs, remote access platforms, and secure client connectivity for staging and testing.
• Operate and maintain on-prem Nutanix clusters hosting production tooling and remote access services.
• Administer Jira and Confluence environments used by the Foundry team.

Security, Compliance, Backup, and DR

• Support network and platform hardening using segmentation, firewalls, and access controls.
• Assist with Palo Alto firewall operations, Panorama management, licensing and updates.
• Support GitLab operations for CI and source control availability.
• Participate in backup operations and disaster recovery testing to meet RPO/RTO objectives.
• Operate within ISO certified environments (ISO 9001).

Reliability and Observability

• Monitor and respond to alerts across network, compute, backup, UPS, and facility systems.
• Participate in change control processes, patching windows, and configuration management.
• Assist with diagnosing and resolving complex, multi-layer operational issues.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Foundry Operations on capacity planning and facility optimisation.
• Collaborate with Product and Software teams to extend automation and integrate new technologies.
• Coordinate with telecoms providers, vendors, and internal teams for connectivity and infrastructure delivery.
• Support testing standards and new hardware introduction with engineering and verification teams.

Health, Safety and Environment

• Work in accordance with the company health and safety policies.
• Reporting of hazards, incidents, or unsafe working conditions.
• Using equipment and tools in accordance with safety guidance and training.

Data Protection and Confidentiality

• Comply with all company information security, confidentiality, and data protection policies when handling company systems, customer data, or proprietary information.

Technology Environment: Networking and security (Palo Alto, Panorama, EVPN/BGP), Linux, Nutanix, GitLab, Puppet/Ansible, automation tooling, telemetry and alerting platforms.

This job description outlines the general nature and level of work expected in the role. Duties may change as the business needs.

Essential Skills and Experience

• Strong networking fundamentals: routing, switching, VPNs, segmentation, and firewall concepts.
• Solid Linux experience and familiarity with virtualisation (KVM, Nutanix).
• Experience supporting automation or imaging platforms in production environments.
• Familiarity with configuration management or automation tools (Ansible, Puppet, CI/CD).
• Strong troubleshooting skills across hardware, network, and software layers.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills.

Desirable

• Exposure to ISO 9001 and/or ISO 13485 environments.
• Experience with Palo Alto firewalls, Panorama, or Cisco DNA.
• Familiarity with AI/HPC hardware, or high-density rack environments.
• GitLab administration experience.

Qualifications

• Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical discipline.
• or equivalent professional experience in operational infrastructure, network engineering, or systems engineering.

Additional Information

• Line Management: This role has no line management responsibilities.
• Work Environment: professional office, computer integration facility, and server rooms; uses computers, phones, and conferencing equipment.
• Physical Demands: standing, walking, working with computer hardware; occasional lifting and handling of equipment.
• Reasonable adjustments in line with the Equality Act 2010.
• Work Hours: 8 AM-5 PM Monday to Friday; occasional evening and weekend work may be necessary.
• Travel: up to 10% travel, may include international.
• Compensation: £70,000 – £80,000 a year, depending on experience.