Senior Platform & Infrastructure Engineer (Azure Platform Specialist)

Essex County Council; Chelmsford; Hybrid; GBP 48,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Essex County Council is seeking a Senior Platform & Infrastructure Engineer to manage a large Azure estate in a hybrid setup. You will drive automation, governance, networking and monitoring to deliver secure, scalable cloud services that support residents and colleagues across Essex.

This hands-on role requires extensive Azure experience, Terraform modules, and PowerShell automation. Work closely with architecture, cyber security, delivery teams and suppliers to ensure reliable operations

Qualifications

• Extensive hands-on experience implementing and operating Microsoft Azure infrastructure in large, complex enterprise environments.
• Strong Terraform experience, including reusable modules, source control and automated deployment pipelines.
• Advanced PowerShell skills used for infrastructure automation, platform management and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Operate and continuously improve ECC’s Azure Landing Zone, ensuring it remains secure, resilient and supportable.
• Build and maintain Azure infrastructure using Terraform, PowerShell and automation tooling.
• Provide senior technical expertise across Azure networking and connectivity, including Virtual Networks, Virtual WAN, ExpressRoute, VPN, DNS and private connectivity.
• Maintain core platform governance controls across Management Groups, Azure Policy, RBAC, tagging and subscriptions.
• Support project and development teams to onboard services using approved platform patterns.
• Drive platform enhancements, service improvements and infrastructure modernisation to improve resilience, performance, cost efficiency, monitoring and operational visibility.
• Contribute to disaster recovery planning, implementation and testing across Azure platform services.
• Provide senior technical input during incidents, root cause analysis and service improvement activity.
• Maintain clear operational documentation and support effective handover for platform changes, incidents and operational processes.

Skills

Azure Platform

Terraform

PowerShell

Azure networking

CI/CD pipelines

Troubleshooting

Collaboration

Tools

Azure DevOps

Terraform

Job description

Senior Platform & Infrastructure Engineer (Azure Platform Specialist)

Fixed Term / Secondment (12 months), Full Time

About The Role

Senior Platform & Infrastructure Engineer (Azure Platform Specialist)

£47,878 to £56,326 per annum

Location: Chelmsford*

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Closing Date: 6th October 2026

• Please note this is a hybrid-working role, with a requirement to work in the Chelmsford office five days per month on average or as required, depending on business need.

This role will be offered as a fixed-term contract for a duration of 12 months, with the possibility of extension beyond the initial fixed-term period. Visa sponsorship is not available for this role, so applicants must have current unrestricted right to work in the UK for this period.

This role would suit an experienced Azure platform engineer who can make an immediate contribution within a large, live Azure estate.

As Essex County Council (ECC) continues to modernise its digital estate, we are investing in the Azure capability needed to keep critical services secure, reliable and efficient. You will work within an established Platform and Infrastructure team, delivering practical improvements to automation, governance, networking, monitoring and operational support across services that matter to residents and colleagues across Essex.

Join a Council Shaping the Future of Public Services

Essex Digital Service is transforming how Essex County Council delivers services, making it easier and safer for colleagues and residents to get things done. We design and support modern, user-focused digital services across areas such as social care, education, transport and the environment. This role provides the platform engineering expertise needed to support that work in a secure, scalable and reliable way.

This is a hands‑on Azure platform role for someone who can quickly become productive in a live, governed enterprise environment. As Senior Platform and Infrastructure Engineer, you’ll work closely with architecture, cyber security, delivery teams and suppliers to support the safe and effective use of Azure across ECC.

Key Responsibilities:

• Operate and continuously improve ECC’s Azure Landing Zone, ensuring it remains secure, resilient and supportable.
• Build and maintain Azure infrastructure using Terraform, PowerShell and automation tooling.
• Provide senior technical expertise across Azure networking and connectivity, including Virtual Networks, Virtual WAN, ExpressRoute, VPN, DNS and private connectivity.
• Maintain core platform governance controls across Management Groups, Azure Policy, RBAC, tagging and subscriptions.
• Support project and development teams to onboard services using approved platform patterns.
• Drive platform enhancements, service improvements and infrastructure modernisation to improve resilience, performance, cost efficiency, monitoring and operational visibility, using team KPIs and service data to identify priorities and demonstrate meaningful improvement.
• Contribute to disaster recovery planning, implementation and testing across Azure platform services.
• Provide senior technical input during incidents, root cause analysis and service improvement activity.
• Maintain clear operational documentation and support effective handover for platform changes, incidents and operational processes.

The Experience You Will Bring:

• Extensive hands‑on experience implementing and operating Microsoft Azure infrastructure in large, complex enterprise environments, including Azure Landing Zone management, governance controls, Management Groups, Azure Policy, RBAC and subscription lifecycle management.
• Strong Terraform experience, including reusable modules, source control and automated deployment pipelines.
• Advanced PowerShell skills used for infrastructure automation, platform management and reporting.
• Strong Azure networking experience, including routing, DNS, ExpressRoute, VPN, Virtual WAN, Load Balancers and Private Endpoints.
• Experience developing and maintaining Azure infrastructure CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps or equivalent tooling.
• Strong troubleshooting experience across Azure platform, networking, Entra ID and hybrid infrastructure services.
• A collaborative approach, with the ability to work across multiple teams, explain technical decisions clearly and contribute to practical service improvements.

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

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If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email [e-mail]

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