Senior Platform Engineer (12 month FTC)

National Physical Laboratory (NPL); Teddington; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is recruiting a Senior Platform Engineer to join the Time & Frequency team on a 12‑month fixed term contract. You will design, deploy and operate VMware, VDI, Windows Server, and automation platforms with a focus on resilience and security.

You will lead provisioning, upgrades, and lifecycle management while delivering IaC and robust documentation. The role requires clear communication with stakeholders and readiness for potential site travel.

Qualifications

• Experience designing, deploying and supporting VMware environments (ESXi, vCenter, vSAN).
• Extensive Windows Server administration in enterprise settings (AD, DNS, PKI, GPO).
• Proven experience with VDI environments and end-user computing solutions.
• Strong scripting/automation skills (PowerShell, Ansible, Bash, Python, Terraform).
• Ability to design secure, resilient, highly available systems and document plans.
• Experience producing technical docs, runbooks and implementation plans.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication and collaboration.
• Senior infra/platform engineering background or technical consultancy.
• Certifications in VMware, Microsoft, or automation technologies are desirable.

Responsibilities

• Administer, maintain and optimise VMware vCenter and vSAN environments.
• Support and develop VDI platforms for enterprise users.
• Manage Windows Server environments including AD, Trusts, DNS, GPO, PKI and security hardening.
• Design and support resilient, highly available infrastructure; troubleshoot complex issues.
• Deliver upgrades, migrations, patching and lifecycle management.
• Develop automation and orchestration using scripting and IaC tools.
• Support enterprise security initiatives, including privileged access mgmt and monitoring.
• Produce technical documentation, runbooks and operational procedures.
• Contribute to disaster recovery, business continuity and redundancy planning.
• Travel to sites as needed to support deployments and operations.

Skills

VMware ESXi/vCenter/vSAN

Windows Server administration

VDI platforms

Scripting & automation

Infrastructure resilience

Documentation & runbooks

Stakeholder management

Senior infra experience

Certifications desirable

Education

VMware certification / Microsoft / automation certifications

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Tools

VMware vCenter

VMware ESXi

VMware vSAN

Kubernetes

Automation tooling (Terraform, Ansible)

Job description

About the Role

Fixed Term Contract for 12 months

Our world-leading Time & Frequency department are seeking a Senior Platform Engineer with experience in VMware technologies, VDI platforms, automation, systems administration, and infrastructure resilience. This is an exceptional opportunity to join the global authority in precision timing at a defining moment for UK digital infrastructure.

Backed by a government investment of £180 million in the National Timing Centre (NTC) programme, we are developing a world-first resilient time distribution capability that will provide industry with a robust complement to satellite systems (such as GPS) – which are increasingly vulnerable to disruption from solar storms, jamming and spoofing. This will underpin essential services, including

• Telecommunications,
• Online banking,
• Emergency response,
• Transport networks, and
• Wider digital and data-driven operations.

Together, these services form the backbone of modern society - and your leadership will help ensure they remain secure, reliable and robust even if global navigation satellite systems fail.

Key Responsibilities

As a Senior Platform Engineer specialising in Virtualisation, Windows, and Security, you will support and maintain critical infrastructure across multiple customer environments, with a strong focus on automation and DevOps practices. Working as part of a specialist team, you will design, deploy, administer, and optimise virtualisation platforms, end-user computing solutions, servers, and supporting infrastructure services, including orchestration services (Kubernetes) running on virtual platforms.

Key responsibilities include:

• Administering, maintaining, and optimising VMware vCenter and vSAN environments.
• Supporting and developing VDI platforms.
• Managing Windows Server environments, including Active Directory, Trusts, DNS, Group Policy, PKI, certificate services, and security hardening.
• Designing, implementing, and supporting resilient, highly available infrastructure solutions, while troubleshooting complex infrastructure, platform, and network issues.
• Delivering upgrades, migrations, patching, and lifecycle management activities.
• Developing automation and orchestration capabilities using scripting and Infrastructure as Code (IaC).
• Supporting enterprise security initiatives, including privileged access management, monitoring, logging, and data protection.
• Producing technical documentation, operational procedures, and support runbooks.
• Contributing to disaster recovery, business continuity, and redundancy planning.
• Travelling to sites as required to support deployment, implementation, and operational activities.

About You

Essential Criteria

• Experience designing, deploying, administering, and supporting VMware environments, including ESXi, vCenter, and vSAN.
• Experience administering Windows Server in enterprise environments, including the design, implementation, and support of Microsoft services such as Active Directory, Group Policy, and PKI.
• Experience supporting VDI environments.
• Strong scripting and automation skills using one or more of PowerShell, Ansible, Bash, Python, or Terraform.
• Experience designing, implementing, maintaining, and supporting secure, resilient, and highly available systems.
• Experience producing technical documentation, operational procedures/runbooks, and implementation plans.
• Strong stakeholder management, communication, and engagement skills.
• Demonstrable experience in a senior infrastructure, platform engineering, systems administration, or technical consultancy role.
• Relevant certifications in VMware, Omnissa, Microsoft, or automation technologies are desirable.

Desirable Criteria

• Knowledge of Linux operating systems, with a willingness to further develop skills in Linux & related Linux tooling.
• Experience with Kubernetes and containerised platforms.
• Experience supporting infrastructure in regulated, public sector, financial, or security-conscious environments.

We actively recruit citizens of all backgrounds, but the nature of our work in specific departments means that nationality, residency and security requirements can be more tightly defined than others. You will be asked about this throughout the recruitment process. To work at NPL, you will need to obtain BPSS security clearance.

However, to work in this role in the Time & Frequency department, you will need to have an SC clearance with no restrictions, or you must have the ability to obtain an SC clearance.

About Us

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is a world-leading centre of excellence that provides cutting-edge measurement science, engineering and technology to underpin prosperity and quality of life in the UK. Find out more about what it is like working here - The measure of us - Overview

NPL and DSIT have strong commitments to diversity and equality of opportunity, and welcome applications from candidates irrespective of their background, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, or age, providing they meet the required criteria. Applications from women, disabled and black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates in particular are encouraged. All disabled candidates (as defined by the Equality Act 2010) who satisfy the minimum criteria for the role will be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme.

At NPL, we believe our success is a result of the diversity and talent of our people. We strive to nurture and respect individuals to ensure everyone feels valued by treating everyone on the basis of their own individual merits and abilities regardless of their own or perceived identity, as part of our commitment to diversity & inclusion, we ensure we’re creating an environment where all our colleagues feel supported and welcome. More about this on our Diversity & Inclusion page.

We are committed to the health and well-being of our employees. Flexible working and social activities are embedded in our culture to create a positive work-life balance, along with a broad range of rewards, benefits and recognition. Our values are at the heart of what we do, and they shape the way we interact, develop our people and celebrate success. To ensure everyone has an equal chance, we’re always willing to make reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process.