Senior Systems Engineer - Secure Cloud & Infrastructure

CBSbutler Holdings Limited trading as CBSbutler; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

CBSbutler Holdings Limited trading as CBSbutler seeks a Senior Systems/Platform Engineer for a secure digital platform in defence/aerospace. The role combines cloud and on‑prem deployments with Kubernetes/OpenShift, IaC, and automation across hybrid environments.

Based in Reading, 3 days onsite, 2 days remote; 6+ month contract inside IR35. Required: 5+ years in systems/infra roles, Azure mastery, OpenShift/Kubernetes, Terraform/Ansible, and strong scripting.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in systems/platform engineering or similar.
• Experience delivering infrastructure in regulated environments.
• Active SC Clearance and sole British national.
• Strong Azure administration and hybrid cloud/on‑premise experience.
• Experience with Kubernetes/OpenShift and IaC tools.
• Strong scripting with PowerShell, Bash, Python.
• Networking, Linux/Windows, virtualization, and security focus.
• Ability to mentor junior engineers; Agile/DevOps exposure.

Responsibilities

• Design, deploy and support enterprise infrastructure across cloud and on‑premises.
• Administer Azure and cloud‑native infrastructure; manage Windows/Linus.
• Deploy and support Kubernetes and OpenShift platforms.
• Implement IaC and automation; ensure security and resilience.
• Monitor performance; support backup, DR and business continuity.
• Collaborate with security teams; mentor junior engineers.

Skills

Azure

Kubernetes

OpenShift

Terraform

PowerShell

Python

Linux

Windows Server

VMware

Hyper-V

IaC

DevOps

Security

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/IT/Systems Eng

Tools

Ansible

ARM

Terraform

Bicep

Job description

Salary: £? - ? per year

Requirements

• 5+ years experience in systems engineering, infrastructure engineering, platform engineering or a similar role.
• Demonstrable experience delivering infrastructure within defence, aerospace or highly regulated environments.
• Active SC Clearance.
• Sole British National.
• Strong experience administering Microsoft Azure services and infrastructure.
• Experience supporting hybrid cloud and on-premises environments.
• Experience working within classified or secure environments.
• Strong knowledge of Windows Server and Linux operating systems.
• Experience with enterprise virtualisation platforms such as VMware or Hyper-V.
• Strong understanding of networking technologies, including TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, VPNs, load balancing, firewalls and routing.
• Hands‑on experience administering Kubernetes clusters.
• Practical experience supporting Red Hat OpenShift environments.
• Experience supporting large‑scale enterprise container platforms.
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code tools such as Terraform, Bicep, ARM Templates or Ansible.
• Strong scripting and automation skills using PowerShell, Bash, Python or similar.
• Experience with monitoring, logging and observability platforms.
• Experience with backup, recovery and disaster recovery solutions.
• Strong troubleshooting, root cause analysis and problem‑solving skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to mentor and support junior engineers.
• Experience working within Agile, DevOps or Platform Engineering environments.
• A Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Systems Engineering or a related discipline is desirable, alongside significant professional experience in infrastructure, systems, cloud or platform engineering.

Responsibilities

• Design, deploy and support enterprise infrastructure across cloud and on-premises environments.
• Administer and optimise Microsoft Azure services and cloud‑native infrastructure.
• Manage and maintain Windows Server and Linux environments.
• Deploy, configure and support Kubernetes and OpenShift platforms.
• Implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and automation solutions.
• Ensure infrastructure meets security, compliance, resilience and availability requirements.
• Monitor system performance, capacity and operational health.
• Support backup, disaster recovery and business continuity capabilities.
• Work with security teams to implement secure‑by‑design infrastructure solutions.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex incidents, problems and technical issues.
• Maintain technical documentation, standards and operational procedures.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to knowledge sharing.
• Support infrastructure transformation, cloud migration and technology refresh programmes.

Technologies

• ARM
• Ansible
• Azure
• Bash
• Cloud
• DevOps
• Hyper-V
• Support
• Kubernetes
• Linux
• Load Balancing
• OpenShift
• PowerShell
• Python
• Security
• TCP/IP
• Terraform
• VMware
• Windows
• Architect
• Istio
• ITIL

More

We are seeking an experienced Senior Systems Engineer to support a secure digital platform within a highly regulated defence and aerospace environment. The role is based in Reading with 3 days onsite and 2 days remote, on a 6-month+ contract inside IR35. We provide technical leadership across hybrid environments, ensuring systems are secure, resilient, scalable and aligned with business and programme objectives. You will work across Microsoft Azure, on‑premises infrastructure, virtualisation, storage, networking and container platforms including Kubernetes and Red Hat OpenShift, partnering closely with security, architecture, application and service delivery teams to support business‑critical services while driving automation, modernisation and operational excellence.

last updated 36 week of 2026