Sr DevOps Engineer

Experis UK; Reading, Leeds; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Experis UK is seeking a Senior DevOps Engineer to join a hybrid team in Reading or Leeds, with 1 day onsite per week. You will design automated pipelines, manage cloud infrastructure, and improve deployment processes across Java microservices. The role requires SC clearance and strong AWS/Kubernetes experience.

The ideal candidate will push for automation, collaborate across development, QA and operations, and guide junior engineers in a modern cloud environment.

Qualifications

• Experience designing and implementing automated build and deployment pipelines for microservices.
• Strong knowledge of infrastructure as code and automation frameworks.
• Hands-on AWS experience (EC2, S3, Lambda) and container orchestration (Kubernetes/EKS).
• Proficient in scripting languages (Python, Groovy, Shell, Perl).
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and source control (Git/GitLab).
• Familiarity with security hardening and monitoring in cloud environments.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement automated build and deployment pipelines for Java-based microservices.
• Contribute to version-controlled configuration assets within a fully automated CI/CD environment.
• Diagnose and troubleshoot infrastructure and deployment issues.
• Collaborate with development, QA, and operations teams to deliver reliable software services.
• Mentor and support junior team members.
• Work within an Agile delivery environment.

Skills

CI/CD practices

Agile delivery

SRE mindset

Tools

Jenkins

Git/GitLab

Terraform

Ansible

AWS

Kubernetes

EKS

API Gateway

ALB

Job description

Role: Senior DevOps Engineer

Location: Reading or Leeds (Hybrid 1 day per week onsite)

Salary: £80k - £85k

Active SC Clearance required

We are looking for an experienced DevOps Engineer to join a high-performing team delivering fully automated, continuous deployment solutions. You will play a key role in building, maintaining, and improving infrastructure and deployment pipelines, while collaborating across development, QA, and operations teams.

This is an exciting opportunity to work in a modern, cloud-based environment using industry-leading tools and practices.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement automated build and deployment pipelines for Java-based microservices
• Contribute to version-controlled configuration assets within a fully automated CI/CD environment
• Diagnose and troubleshoot infrastructure and deployment issues
• Collaborate with development, QA, and operations teams to deliver reliable software services
• Act as a key liaison between management, technical teams, and operations
• Identify and implement automation opportunities that drive business value
• Support large-scale CI/CD and source code management implementations
• Monitor project progress and provide technical guidance where required
• Build strong working relationships with internal teams and third-party suppliers
• Work within an Agile delivery environment
• Create and maintain lightweight technical documentation
• Mentor and support junior team members

Essential Skills & Experience

• Strong experience with CI/CD tools and practices (Jenkins, Git/GitLab)
• Expertise in Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Ansible)
• Proven experience building automation frameworks using Ansible
• Hands-on experience with AWS services, including:
• EC2, S3, Lambda
• EKS (Kubernetes)
• API Gateway, ALB
• Auto Scaling
• Solid understanding of Linux systems, networking, and security hardening
• Experience with containerisation and orchestration (Kubernetes, preferably EKS)
• Strong scripting/programming skills (e.g., Python, Groovy, Shell, Perl)
• Knowledge of Git branching strategies and source control management
• Experience with automated testing tools (e.g., Cucumber, ReadyAPI)
• Experience managing and scaling distributed systems in AWS environments
• Familiarity with deployment strategies and release management approaches
• Understanding of development concepts (REST APIs, JSON, YAML)
• Experience integrating quality gates (e.g., SonarQube, regression testing) into pipelines

Desirable Skills

• Experience with Jira or similar issue tracking tools
• Knowledge of HashiCorp Packer (AMI creation) and Vault (secrets management)
• Familiarity with messaging systems (IBM MQ, RabbitMQ)
• Experience with monitoring/observability tools (Elastic Stack, AppDynamics)