Senior AI & Automation Engineer

Searchability®; Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work pattern

Job summary

Searchability® is partnering with an international software organisation investing in cloud infrastructure, AI and automation. We are seeking a Senior AI & Automation Engineer to modernise infrastructure, drive scalable automation and champion AI-powered operations across a multi-cloud environment.

The role combines hands-on engineering with technical leadership, focusing on IaC, Terraform and Azure, plus automation frameworks, secure operations and mentoring engineers to raise engineering

Qualifications

• Extensive hands-on experience in infrastructure automation, cloud engineering, DevOps or platform engineering.
• Strong practical experience with Terraform, including designing and delivering reusable Infrastructure as Code solutions.
• Experience working with Microsoft Azure, ideally within cloud migration or infrastructure transformation programmes.
• Strong scripting and automation capabilities using languages such as Python, PowerShell or Bash.
• Experience designing, building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines.
• Solid understanding of cloud infrastructure, provisioning, configuration management and operational processes.
• Experience using AI-assisted development tools, LLMs or automation agents within an engineering environment.
• Knowledge of cloud security, identity and access management, and secrets management.
• Ability to investigate complex technical challenges and independently design and implement solutions.
• Strong communication skills and the confidence to challenge existing processes constructively.
• Experience mentoring engineers, sharing technical knowledge and promoting engineering best practices.
• Experience with OCI or other cloud platforms.
• Exposure to Pulumi or Bicep.
• Experience automating cloud migrations and large-scale infrastructure environments.
• Familiarity with AI development tools such as GitHub Copilot or Cursor.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop and implement infrastructure automation solutions across cloud environments.
• Build and maintain Infrastructure as Code (IaC) solutions, primarily using Terraform.
• Support cloud migration and infrastructure modernisation initiatives, automating provisioning, deployment and configuration processes.
• Identify manual, repetitive operational tasks and develop automation to improve efficiency, consistency and reliability.
• Design and enhance CI/CD pipelines to streamline infrastructure deployments and operational workflows.
• Explore and implement AI-powered automation, including LLM-assisted tooling and AI agents, to improve cloud operations.
• Establish reusable automation frameworks, engineering standards and best practices.
• Collaborate with infrastructure, cloud and platform engineering teams to challenge existing approaches and introduce more efficient ways of working.
• Embed security, identity and access management, and secrets management into automation solutions.
• Improve platform resilience, disaster recovery capabilities and operational performance through automation.
• Provide technical guidance, mentoring and knowledge-sharing to engineers across the wider business.
• Evaluate emerging AI and automation technologies and contribute to the future technical direction of the team.

Skills

Cloud automation

Terraform

Azure

CI/CD pipelines

Python scripting

LLMs / AI automation

DevOps / platform engineering

Automation

Tools

Pulumi

Bicep

OCI

GitHub Copilot

Cursor

Job description

Working Pattern: Hybrid – 3 days office / 2 days home

Employment Type: Permanent, Full-Time

The Opportunity

We're working with an established, international software organisation that is investing heavily in cloud infrastructure, AI and automation as part of its ongoing technology transformation.

The business is expanding its Cloud Operations capabilities and is looking for an experienced Senior AI & Automation Engineer to help modernise infrastructure, introduce scalable automation solutions and drive the adoption of AI-powered technologies.

This is a highly technical, hands-on position offering the opportunity to influence engineering practices, improve operational efficiency and help shape the organisation's approach to infrastructure automation.

You'll work across a complex, multi-cloud environment, collaborating with infrastructure, cloud and engineering teams to identify opportunities for improvement and deliver practical automation solutions.

The ideal candidate will combine strong experience in Terraform, Azure, Infrastructure as Code and automation with the ability to challenge existing processes, mentor engineers and introduce new ways of working.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop and implement infrastructure automation solutions across cloud environments.
• Build and maintain Infrastructure as Code (IaC) solutions, primarily using Terraform.
• Support cloud migration and infrastructure modernisation initiatives, automating provisioning, deployment and configuration processes.
• Identify manual, repetitive operational tasks and develop automation to improve efficiency, consistency and reliability.
• Design and enhance CI/CD pipelines to streamline infrastructure deployments and operational workflows.
• Explore and implement AI-powered automation, including LLM-assisted tooling and AI agents, to improve cloud operations.
• Establish reusable automation frameworks, engineering standards and best practices.
• Collaborate with infrastructure, cloud and platform engineering teams to challenge existing approaches and introduce more efficient ways of working.
• Embed security, identity and access management, and secrets management into automation solutions.
• Improve platform resilience, disaster recovery capabilities and operational performance through automation.
• Provide technical guidance, mentoring and knowledge-sharing to engineers across the wider business.
• Evaluate emerging AI and automation technologies and contribute to the future technical direction of the team.

Skills & Experience

We're looking for an experienced Cloud Automation, Platform Engineering or DevOps professional who combines strong hands-on technical expertise with a passion for improving how infrastructure is managed.

• Extensive hands-on experience in infrastructure automation, cloud engineering, DevOps or platform engineering.
• Strong practical experience with Terraform, including designing and delivering reusable Infrastructure as Code solutions.
• Experience working with Microsoft Azure, ideally within cloud migration or infrastructure transformation programmes.
• Strong scripting and automation capabilities using languages such as Python, PowerShell or Bash.
• Experience designing, building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines.
• Solid understanding of cloud infrastructure, provisioning, configuration management and operational processes.
• Experience using AI-assisted development tools, LLMs or automation agents within an engineering environment.
• Knowledge of cloud security, identity and access management, and secrets management.
• Ability to investigate complex technical challenges and independently design and implement solutions.
• Strong communication skills and the confidence to challenge existing processes constructively.
• Experience mentoring engineers, sharing technical knowledge and promoting engineering best practices.
• Experience with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) or other cloud platforms.
• Exposure to Pulumi or Bicep.
• Experience automating cloud migrations and large-scale infrastructure environments.
• Familiarity with AI development tools such as GitHub Copilot or Cursor.
• Experience developing AI agents or integrating LLM capabilities into operational workflows.
• Knowledge of disaster recovery, resilience and recovery objectives (RTO/RPO).
• Understanding of FinOps and cloud cost optimisation.
• Familiarity with ISO 27001, SOC 2 or GDPR requirements.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

This is an excellent opportunity to join a growing technical function within an established international software business, with genuine scope to influence how cloud infrastructure and automation are delivered.

Rather than simply maintaining existing systems, you'll have the opportunity to introduce new technologies, develop scalable automation frameworks and help improve engineering practices across the organisation.

You’ll be working in a collaborative, technically focused environment where engineers are encouraged to share ideas, challenge existing approaches and take ownership of solutions.

The position offers a balance of hands-on engineering, technical leadership and exposure to emerging AI technologies, making it particularly appealing to someone who enjoys both building solutions and helping others develop.