Senior IT Operations Engineer

Dublin Port; Dublin; On-site; EUR 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

On site parking

Job summary

Dublin Port is seeking a Senior IT Operations Engineer to strengthen the in‑house team as first-line support moves to a managed service. You will own the availability, security and performance of the IT estate, directing MSPs and leading infrastructure and application projects from design to service handover.

Reporting to the CTO, you will balance operational stability with project delivery, maintain security controls, and ensure ISO/IEC practices across hybrid environments.

Qualifications

• Level 8 degree in IT, computing or engineering or equivalent experience.
• Seven+ years in IT infrastructure and operations, with three+ at senior level.
• Experience with enterprise virtualization and hybrid Microsoft 365 environments.
• Cloud platform delivery and administration (Azure or AWS) essential.
• Strong networking, security controls and incident response capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Own availability, security and performance of IT estate across sites.
• Lead infrastructure, cloud, security and application projects end-to-end.
• Manage outsourced service providers and SLA performance.
• Administer Microsoft 365 tenancy, Entra ID and hybrid AD/Exchange.
• Maintain backup, DR and business continuity with tested procedures.
• Produce documentation, runbooks and change-controlled handovers.

Skills

Enterprise virtualization

M365 administration

Hybrid AD / Entra ID

Cloud platforms

Networking fundamentals

Cybersecurity basics

Education

Level 8 IT/Computing/Engineering

Tools

VMware

Hyper-V

Azure / AWS

Nutanix / Proxmox

Active Directory / Entra

Job description

Job Title: Senior IT Operations Engineer

Location: Dublin Port, Dublin, Ireland

Reporting to: Chief Technology Officer

About Us

Dublin Port is one of Ireland’s most essential pieces of national infrastructure, handling €165bn of trade and 1.7mn passengers annually. As Ireland's largest and busiest port, Dublin Port plays a critical role in the country's economy and international connectivity, supporting exporters and ensuring homes and businesses across Ireland have what they need for daily life.

Overview

Dublin Port Company is moving first-line support, helpdesk triage and end-user device provisioning to a managed service. This role will strengthen senior engineering capacity in a small in-house team facing a growing project delivery pipeline. The Senior IT Operations Engineer owns the availability, security and performance of DPC's IT estate, directs the MSPs who deliver day-to-day support, and personally leads infrastructure and application projects from design through to handover into service. The role is deliberately balanced between run and change: assured operations and vendor performance on one side, hands‑on project delivery on the other.

Why Join Us

• Work in an inclusive, values‑driven organisation committed to diversity and sustainability.
• Access to professional development and growth opportunities.
• GP Refund Scheme for employees.
• Defined Contribution Pension Scheme.
• On site parking.

Key Responsibilities

Infrastructure and Platform Operations

• Own the administration, monitoring, patching and capacity of servers, virtualisation, storage, network and cloud platforms across both sites.
• Maintain backup, disaster recovery and business continuity arrangements, and prove them through scheduled testing.
• Administer the Microsoft 365 and Entra tenancy, on-premises Active Directory and the hybrid estate.
• Project Delivery
• Lead assigned infrastructure, cloud, security and application projects: requirements, design, procurement input, build, testing, cutover and handover into support.
• Produce the technical documentation, runbooks and as‑built records that make systems supportable by others.
• Apply structured change control so that project work does not compromise operational stability.
• Guide projects from Development and Test into Production
• Managed Service and Vendor Management
• Act as service owner for outsourced first‑line support, end‑user computing and device provisioning: set expectations, manage escalations and hold providers to SLA.
• Monitor and report service performance, incident and problem trends, and drive corrective action with providers.
• Contribute to procurement, contract renewal and commercial negotiation with technology suppliers.
• Security, Risk and Compliance
• Implement and maintain technical security controls - identity and access, endpoint, firewalls, network segmentation and segregation, and Zero Trust principles.
• Support DPC's obligations under NIS2 and GDPR, working to ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 20000 practice.
• Identify IT and OT‑adjacent risks, design proportionate controls, and elevate residual risk to the CTO.
• Participate in incident response, including out‑of‑hours response to threats against operationally critical systems.
• Applications, Data and Stakeholders
• Provide third‑line support for business applications and their integrations; carry out database administration including tuning, backup, recovery and access control.
• Work with business functions to specify and implement system enhancements, and support management reporting and data visualisation.
• Build credible working relationships across the business and translate technical issues into plain language for non‑technical colleagues.

Qualifications

Essential

• Level 8 degree (or equivalent) in IT, computing or engineering, or equivalent demonstrable professional experience.
• Seven or more years in IT infrastructure and operations, with at least three at senior level.
• Enterprise virtualisation - VMware, Hyper‑V, Nutanix, Proxmox VE or equivalent - including clustered or multi‑site configurations.
• Microsoft 365 tenancy administration, Entra ID, Windows Active Directory and hybrid Exchange.
• Cloud platform delivery and administration (Azure or AWS).
• Enterprise networking: routing, switching, VLANs, firewalls and network segmentation.
• Practical cybersecurity delivery - SOC or MDR services, firewall management, segmentation, Zero Trust.
• Database administration and query skills (SQL, NoSQL, Oracle or equivalent).
• Backup, disaster recovery and 24×7×365 real‑time solution support.
• Managing outsourced service providers: SLA administration, escalation and performance management.
• Leading technical projects to time, cost and quality without formal line authority.
• ITIL‑aligned service management and ISO/IEC 27001 or 20000 (or equivalent) working practice.
• Strong written and verbal communication, with the ability to document and explain technical content clearly.

Desirable

• Operational Technology exposure: CCTV, VTS, automated mooring, machine networks, sensor and telemetry monitoring.
• OT and critical infrastructure security frameworks - IEC 62443, NIS2, DORA or equivalent.
• Data analysis and visualisation (SQL, Power Query, Power BI or equivalent).
• Storage and SAN configuration.
• Automation and scripting (PowerShell, infrastructure as code, containerisation).
• Experience in ports, logistics, marine transportation, utilities or another critical infrastructure sector.
• Public sector or semi‑state procurement experience.

The Dublin Port Environment

• A VMware / Dell stretched cluster across two sites, alongside cloud and SaaS platforms.
• A corporate network built on DPC‑owned fibre across the port estate.
• Microsoft 365 tenancy - Entra ID, hybrid Exchange, Teams and SharePoint - with on‑premises Active Directory.
• Core business systems: VTS (Vessel Tracking System), PMIS (Port Management Information System), ERP (Integra Centros), HR SaaS, CCTV, SaaS service desk.
• Delivery partners under managed service and support contracts.
• A regulated environment: NIS2, GDPR, and OT systems supporting 24/7 port operations.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Dublin Port Company is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to creating a workplace that promotes diversity and inclusion, and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates.