Platform Engineer - Pathogen

Ellison Institute of Technology; Oxford; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading research institution in Oxford seeks a Platform Engineer to develop and manage the data platform infrastructure, ensuring security and efficiency. The role involves collaboration with data engineers to support advanced bioinformatics workflows and address global health challenges using innovative technologies. Candidates should have extensive experience in cloud infrastructure and automation techniques. Competitive benefits include enhanced holiday pay and private medical insurance.

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 Oracle Cloud infrastructure.
• Ability to automate processes using Terraform.
• In-depth knowledge of Docker and Kubernetes.

Responsibilities

• Manage object data storage and access controls.
• Build and maintain research compute environment.
• Ensure data platform compliance with disaster recovery standards.
• Collaborate with AI team on modular asset reuse.

Skills

Cloud infrastructure management

Terraform automation

Containerization (Docker)

Orchestration (Kubernetes)

Cloud security best practices

Version control (Git)

Tools

Oracle Cloud

Jira

Confluence

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.

We are seeking a Platform Engineer to join the EIT Pathogen Programme. In this role, you will help manage and develop the infrastructure behind our data platform, ensuring it is secure, scalable, and efficient.

Working closely with data engineers and DevSecOps specialists, you’ll support research teams by enabling advanced bioinformatics workflows and cloud‑based solutions. This position offers the chance to contribute to a programme focused on improving global health through pathogen genomics and cutting‑edge technology.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage object data storage, ensuring efficient design, tiering, and access controls.
• Build and maintain the research compute environment for bioinformatics pipelines and interactive analytics.
• Ensure the data platform complies with disaster recovery standards.
• Manage cloud resources to set standards and automate deployments.
• Collaborate with the AI and Robotics team to contribute to and reuse modular assets using Terraform code models.
• Automate the deployment of tools within the research environment.
• Monitor all platform components for availability, cost, and performance.
• Support R&D activities to test novel approaches and Oracle Cloud usage.
• Support data ingestion from a global network of distributed sequencing devices.
• Maintain platform security in alignment with EIT standards.
• Work with architects and engineers to build optimised data platform components, including genomic variant stores, sequence stores, and pathogen analytics databases.
• Partner with the DevSecOps engineer to automate deployments using a standard toolchain.
• Enable engineers to perform common tasks through automated self‑service scripts.
• Support system administration and operations across environments.
• Collaborate with engineers to learn from incidents and implement improvements.

Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

• Strong hands‑on experience with cloud infrastructure, ideally Oracle Cloud, including provisioning, configuration, and service management.
• Ability to automate processes using Terraform and appropriate toolchains.
• In‑depth knowledge of containerisation technologies (e.g., Docker) and orchestration tools like Kubernetes.
• Solid understanding of cloud security best practices, including IAM, network security, and encryption.
• Experience with Git or other version control systems.

Desirable Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

• Certifications in Oracle Cloud (OCI) or other platforms (AWS, GCP).
• Experience with Jira, Confluence, or similar project management tools.
• Knowledge of compliance frameworks and standards (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, ISO27001, ISO13485).

Key Attributes

• Strong collaboration skills.
• Willingness to learn and cross‑train in new technologies.
• Hands‑on approach to exploring new technologies and developing POCs.
• Excellent problem‑solving and analytical skills, with the ability to address security challenges critically.
• Effective communication and teamwork abilities, especially in cross‑functional teams.
• 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.