Principal Cloud Engineer

Skipton Building Society; Skipton; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Skipton Building Society is seeking a Principal Cloud (Azure) Engineer to lead Azure cloud infrastructure development. The role focuses on optimizing solutions, enhancing operational efficiency through DevOps principles, and mentoring a dynamic team, all within a supportive and flexible work environment.

Benefits

Annual discretionary bonus scheme

25 days annual leave increasing to 30

Holiday trading scheme

Matching employer pension contribution

Colleague mortgage benefits

Salary sacrifice scheme for hybrid & electric cars

Training and development opportunities

Private medical insurance

3 paid volunteering days

Wellbeing benefits

Qualifications

• Expert knowledge in Azure cloud services including networking and security.
• Strong solution architecture skills for scalable solutions.
• Experience in automation and IaC technologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical expert in Azure Cloud solutions and infrastructure as code.
• Define best practices and drive adoption of DevOps principles.
• Engage with senior leadership to shape cloud strategy.

Skills

Stakeholder Engagement

Leadership

Automation

Solution Architecture

Strategic Thinking

Tools

PowerShell

Terraform

Bicep

Azure DevOps

Job description

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Hours: 35hrs per week, permanent, Hybrid, 1 day a week at the office.

Closing Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2025

We are recruiting for a Principal Cloud (Azure) Engineer to provide a key role in the development, implementation, and optimisation of our Azure Cloud infrastructure. If you are a strategic but hands-on technical leader who thrives in a fast-paced and agile environment where technology is at the centre of our organisational goals, then this may be the job for you!

Who Are We?

Not just another building society. Not just another job.

We're the fourth biggest building society in the UK, and what makes us a bit different is that we're a mutual organisation. We don't have shareholders; we're owned by our members.

Our colleagues say Skipton's a great place to work, and you could be one of them, bringing new ideas on how we can keep customers at the heart of what we do.

Whatever your background and goals, we'll help you take the next step towards a better future.

You will be working within our IT function as part of our Cloud Engineering teams on our Azure Platform, ensuring it is fit for purpose, resilient, scalable, and provides the capabilities needed to deliver value at pace. The teams consist of around 20 engineers whom you will support as the overall lead technical authority and decision-maker. The teams work closely with the rest of the IT function and our software and data engineering teams building cutting-edge solutions within our Azure Platform.

What’s In It For You?

Skipton values work/life balance and supports hybrid and flexible working, where possible. We have a newly refurbished head office offering a vibrant and collaborative workspace.

Benefits include:

• Annual discretionary bonus scheme
• 25 days standard annual leave + bank holidays + increasing to 30 days with service
• Holiday trading scheme
• Matching employer pension contribution (up to 10%)
• Colleague mortgage (conditions apply)
• Salary sacrifice scheme for hybrid & electric cars
• Training and development opportunities
• Private medical insurance
• 3 paid volunteering days per year
• Diverse colleague networks including Carers and Pride Alliance
• Wellbeing benefits such as cycle to work and gym discounts

What Will You Be Doing?

As part of our hybrid cloud strategy, migrating services to Azure, developing greenfield solutions, and managing a large change portfolio, you will:

• Serve as the leading technical expert in Azure Cloud solutions, infrastructure as code (IaC), automation, and security.
• Define and enforce best practices, ensuring adoption of cutting-edge Azure methodologies and adherence to security, compliance, and performance standards.
• Drive the adoption of DevOps and SRE principles to improve operational efficiency and resilience.
• Engage with senior leadership and various teams to shape cloud strategy aligning with digital transformation goals.
• Advise on Azure cost management and optimize resource usage.
• Mentor engineering teams, promote technical excellence, and ensure regulatory compliance.

What Do We Need From You?

You should have expert knowledge in Azure cloud services, including networking, data services, security, identity management, and access control. Your skills should include automation and IaC technologies like PowerShell, Terraform, Bicep, and Azure DevOps pipelines. You should also possess:

• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills.
• Proven leadership and mentoring abilities.
• Strong solution architecture skills for scalable, high-performance, resilient solutions.
• Strategic thinking and cross-team collaboration skills.
• A passion for learning and continuous improvement.