Senior DevOps Engineer

Zen Internet Limited; Rochdale; On-site; GBP 72,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Life Assurance (2x)

25 days annual leave

Private Medical Healthcare

Hybrid working

Pension

Onsite parking

Continuous learning

Job summary

Zen Internet Limited is seeking a senior DevOps Engineer to join the Engineering Reliability Team in the UK. You will work with development, engineering and operations to support, maintain and improve the development estate, enabling teams to focus on innovation and delivery.

You’ll report to the DevOps team manager, drive incident response, implement automated monitoring (Zabbix/Elastic), and champion SRE practices while growing the capability of our production platforms across cloud and

Qualifications

• Must have experience as a DevOps Engineer
• Experience in ISP/Telco or Managed Services environments or complex heterogeneous environments
• Strong scripting experience (C#/JavaScript/.Net)
• Comfortable with automation tools: Azure DevOps, GitLab, Puppet
• Complex networking/firewall environments experience
• Production use of AWS and Kubernetes debugging
• Experience with technical debt management
• Familiar with SRE principles and lean methodologies

Responsibilities

• Deliver continuous incremental improvement of systems and infrastructure
• Take end-to-end ownership of development infrastructure and systems
• Be a technical escalation point and participate in 24/7 escalation rota
• Document as you go to enable colleagues to follow what’s been done and why
• Drive tasks forward with energy and enthusiasm
• Create proactive monitoring solutions using standard tooling (Zabbix, Elastic)
• Conduct RCA for incidents
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures and documentation
• Develop and maintain self-managing infrastructure services and dashboards
• Identify cost-saving opportunities
• Provide guidance on DevOps standards and practices
• Provide coaching and mentoring to Software and DevOps Engineer peers

Skills

Problem solving

DevOps/SRE concepts

Automation tools

CI/CD pipelines

Docker

Kubernetes

Elasticsearch/Kibana

Scripting

AWS

CloudFormation

Windows/Linux admin

Tools

Azure DevOps

GitLab

Puppet

Docker

Kubernetes

Elasticsearch

Kibana

AWS

CloudWatch

Job description

Overview

You’ll be a senior member of the Engineering Reliability Team that will work closely with Zen’s development, engineering, and operations centre teams. You’ll Work alongside the Development and engineering teams, to support, maintain, and consistently improve the development estate so the development teams can focus and innovate constantly to drive Zen’s business and the teams’ priorities.

Reporting to the DevOps team manager, you must have an excellent track record in DevOps roles and the drive and attitude to succeed. Zen are committed to investing in and developing you - we believe that everyone can lead and the way we do has a huge impact on our people and play a vital part in our success.

The DevOps team will be responsible for the design and implementation of applications’ build, release, deployment and configuration activities. Other responsibilities include working within multi-functional teams to gather requirements, evaluate tools, implementing/updating solutions, building and executing test plans, provision environments, application performance reviews, assist migration of Legacy systems, and triaging and fixing operational issues.

You’ll ensure incidents are run smoothly and ensure that operational knowledge is available and shared. As a senior you will be a point of escalation, demonstrating problem solving skills, the ability to learn quickly and adapt your skills and knowledge.

As a service provider we operate many technologies, so you’ll have the skills to work with experienced Lead DevOps engineers, Systems Engineers and developers leveraging frameworks, standards, and defined operational process to make the unfamiliar comfortable and familiar. Over time we’ll increasingly leverage SRE principles to further optimize and enhance capabilities - it’s a great opportunity to get in at the start and shape this journey.

Objectives

• Deliver continuous incremental improvement of systems and infrastructure
• Take end to end ownership and responsibility for development infrastructure and systems
• Be a technical escalation point and eventually be part of a 24/7 escalation rota
• Document as you go - enough so your colleagues can follow what’s been done and why
• Drive tasks forward with energy and enthusiasm
• Create proactive monitoring solutions using standard tooling - mainly Zabbix and Elastic
• Conduct RCA (Root Cause Analysis) for incidents
• Develop standard operational procedures and documentation
• Develop and maintain self-managing infrastructure services and dashboards.
• Identify cost-saving opportunities
• Provide advice on DevOps standards and practices

• Provide coaching and mentoring to Software and DevOps Engineer peers

Experience

• Worked and succeeded as a DevOps Engineer
• Ideally, experience working in an ISP, Telco or other Managed Services environment or able to demonstrate experience in a complex heterogeneous environment
• Strong adaptable scripting experience - ideally C#/JavaScript/typescript/.Net
• Comfortable working with automation tools (Azure DevOps, GitLab, Puppet)
• Worked in complex networking and firewall environments
• Production use of multiple AWS capabilities and Kubernetes debugging
• Demonstratable experience in dealing with technical debt effectively
• Comfortable working with SRE principles and lean methodologies

Skills - Essential

• Very strong problem-solving skills are essential - understanding of DevOps and SRE concepts with the ability to apply key techniques to unfamiliar problems
• Ability to influence others in matters of standards and best practice, especially individuals outside of our team
• Comfortable working with automation tools (Puppet, Git) and CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps) with complex integrations and test frameworks
• Experience using containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes etc)
• Comfortable with Elasticsearch log standardisation, Kibana dashboard creation and data analysis skills
• Able to code to a good level - this isn’t a developer role but you need scripting skills to succeed
• AWS hands on - Cloud formation, Route53, S3, DynamoDB, Cloud-watch, Lambda, Security, and troubleshooting
• Certificate management and automation
• Strong troubleshooting and diagnosis skills
• Able to write documentation that covers what your peers and operations need to know
• Knowledge of Database systems and models
• Windows Server, SQL Server, IIS and Linux

Interpersonal Skills

We value interpersonal skills and responsible teamwork. You should be able to:

• Patient & friendly with excellent interpersonal skills - demonstrate a natural aptitude for dealing with people
• Influence and lead
• Strong attention to detail
• Happy working and supporting a small closeknit team
• Take and give feedback to tune future actions and behaviours
• Embrace and demonstrate Zen values
• Be kind, understanding, and listen to others
• Be organized

Impact You’ll Make

You will be influencing and contributing to Zen’s long-term goals and joining a family that believes business should be a force for good. We’re a company committed to improving the lives of our people, creating a better future through our community and charity work, and ensuring that we look after our environment.

Perhaps that’s why we’re officially a Great Place to Work and have achieved Carbon Neutral Plus status and B Corp Certification!

We’re building an inclusive work environment

At Zen, your individuality matters. Your gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexuality, neurodiversity, background, and everything else that makes you who you are, we value it all. We want you to feel seen, respected, and supported from the very start of your journey with us.

Our Values shape how we work and who we are.

We celebrate diversity and build strong communities where everyone belongs. We put people and the planet before profit, and we’re ambitious about the future, always learning, innovating, and striving to deliver award-winning service. Together, this means you’ll find opportunities not just to grow your career, but to make a meaningful impact.

We’re always open to conversations about part‑time or flexible working, or reasonable adjustments, and we’ll support you wherever we can. Please feel comfortable sharing your preferences during the recruitment process.

Benefits

• 2 x Life Assurance Cover, with option to flex upwards
• 25 days Annual leave, rising to 30 days with length of service, with the option to purchase up to 5 more.
• Access to private Medical Healthcare and a Healthcare Cash Plan
• An extra day off for your birthday
• Car salary sacrifice scheme
• Continuous learning and development
• Discounted Mobile plans
• Flexible and Hybrid working
• Free onsite parking
• Internal coaching and mentoring opportunities
• Onsite Contemplation and Prayer room
• Onsite Electric Car Charging points
• Optional flexible critical illness cover
• People-friendly policies
• Recognition awards where we celebrate the most awesome people
• Retail discounts
• Salary sacrifice Pension- minimum of 3% Employee contributions for a 5% Employer contribution
• Six monthly salary reviews
• Subsidised Nursery fees
• Subsidised Onsite Restaurant
• Superfast Free Reliable Broadband
• Travel Loan and Ride2Work Schemes
• Two days' paid leave per year for voluntary work

About Zen

At Zen, we’re redefining what it means to be a business, not just through what we do, but how we do it. We believe there's a better way of doing business.

As the UK’s largest independently owned telecommunications and technology provider, we put people and planet before profit. We’re here for the long term, never for sale and driven by our purpose: Do right for people and planet. Being a certified B Corp is just one way we demonstrate our commitment to social and environmental responsibility. From award‑winning services and industry‑leading customer support to our focus on sustainability and community. Everything we do is guided by our core values, and yours.

At Zen, we know that our strength lies in our people. That’s why we celebrate individuality and diversity, creating a workplace where everyone belongs. We bring together our Zen values and personal values to build a supportive, open, and inclusive environment. Together, we grow, both as professionals and as people. We’re proud to be recognised as a Great Place to Work across multiple categories: Large Organisation, Wellbeing, Women, Development, and Technology, a reflection of the inclusive, empowering, and future‑focused culture we’ve created.

We’re ambitious. We embrace innovation and welcome change. We challenge ourselves to think differently, improve constantly, and lead by example. We see every challenge is an opportunity. Every voice matters. And every success fuels a much bigger purpose.

So, if you’re looking for a job where your values matter, where you can help build a future where business is a force for good, join us and help make a difference. Whether you’re just starting out or bringing years of experience, your work at Zen will have real impact on our people, customers, communities, and the planet.