DevOps Engineer

Remote First – Occasional travel to client sites - Farnham/Manchester

Active Security Clearance / Security Clearance Eligible

About Amber Labs

Amber Labs is a fast-growing UK technology consultancy delivering digital transformation across enterprise, government and regulated sectors. We specialise in cloud, data, software engineering, user-centred design and AI, helping organisations deliver better services through modern technology and agile ways of working.

We are supporting the establishment of a new AI Centre of Excellence within a major UK organisation and are looking for an experienced Senior DevOps Engineer to help build and maintain the secure, scalable cloud infrastructure and automated delivery capabilities that underpin its data and AI initiatives.

This is an opportunity to work with modern cloud-native technologies, contribute to enterprise-scale engineering practices and enable the reliable delivery of data platforms, AI/ML workloads and containerised applications.

The Role

As a Senior DevOps Engineer, you will design, implement and optimise cloud infrastructure, automation and deployment pipelines supporting a modern enterprise data platform and its AI/ML workloads.

Working closely with Data Engineers, MLOps Engineers, Solution Architects and wider engineering teams, you will take ownership of CI/CD pipelines, Infrastructure as Code and containerised deployments within Microsoft Azure . You will play a key role in ensuring infrastructure is secure, resilient, scalable and compliant with enterprise cloud governance standards.

The role combines hands‑on technical engineering with technical leadership, continuous improvement and collaboration across the wider engineering community. You will help establish reusable infrastructure patterns, champion DevOps best practices and contribute to architectural decisions that support the long‑term success of the new AI Centre of Excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop and maintain CI/CD pipelines using GitLab CI/CD to enable reliable, automated software and infrastructure deployments.
• Build, manage and optimise containerised applications using Docker, deploying and operating workloads on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).
• Develop and maintain Infrastructure as Code using Terraform, creating reusable modules for provisioning and managing Azure infrastructure.
• Configure and maintain AKS environments, ensuring workloads are secure, scalable, resilient and aligned with engineering standards.
• Implement secure configuration, secrets management and access controls using Azure Key Vault, Microsoft Entra ID and role‑based access control (RBAC).
• Support Azure networking and hybrid connectivity, including virtual networks, hub‑and‑spoke architectures, private endpoints and connectivity between on‑premises services and cloud environments.
• Ensure infrastructure and deployment pipelines align with Azure Landing Zone standards, enterprise security policies and governance requirements.
• Collaborate with Data Engineers and MLOps Engineers to deliver reproducible, reliable and auditable infrastructure supporting data pipelines and AI/ML workloads.
• Implement and maintain monitoring, logging and observability capabilities using tools such as Azure Monitor, Prometheus and Grafana.
• Support platform orchestration services, including Apache Airflow, and help maintain reliable integration between platform components.
• Troubleshoot complex infrastructure, deployment and production issues, identifying opportunities to improve reliability, performance, security and automation.
• Contribute to architecture discussions, reusable platform patterns and technical standards, championing DevOps best practices across the engineering team.
• Strong commercial experience in a DevOps, Cloud Engineering, Platform Engineering or Infrastructure Engineering role.
• Extensive hands‑on experience with Microsoft Azure and enterprise cloud infrastructure.
• Proven experience designing, building and troubleshooting CI/CD pipelines, ideally using GitLab CI/CD.
• Strong experience with Docker and deploying containerised applications to Kubernetes, ideally Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).
• Practical experience with Infrastructure as Code, particularly Terraform, including the development and maintenance of reusable modules.
• Good understanding of Azure Landing Zones, cloud governance, networking, virtual networks, RBAC and hybrid connectivity.
• Experience managing secrets, application configuration and identity controls using Azure Key Vault, Microsoft Entra ID or equivalent technologies.
• Understanding of secure container image build, scanning, storage and distribution processes.
• Experience with Git‑based version control and modern DevOps practices, including automated testing and deployment.
• Knowledge of monitoring, logging and observability practices, using tools such as Azure Monitor, Prometheus and Grafana.
• Strong troubleshooting skills, with the ability to investigate complex infrastructure and deployment issues across multiple environments.
• Understanding of cloud security, compliance, operational resilience and cost optimisation.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively alongside architects, developers, data specialists and AI/ML engineers.
• Experience with GitOps delivery practices and tools such as Argo CD.
• Experience deploying and managing applications using Helm.
• Exposure to Red Hat OpenShift or other enterprise Kubernetes platforms.
• Experience with container registries such as Harbor or Nexus.
• Familiarity with HashiCorp Vault or equivalent secrets management technologies.
• Experience working in restricted, highly regulated or air‑gapped environments.
• Exposure to Apache Airflow and data platform orchestration.
• Experience supporting MLOps, machine learning pipelines or AI‑enabled applications in production.
• Experience with hybrid cloud connectivity and enterprise networking solutions.
• Participation in architecture reviews, technical governance forums or proof‑of‑concept processes.
• Relevant Azure, Kubernetes or DevOps certifications.
• A relevant degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Cloud Computing or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.

What We Offer

• 25 days annual leave plus public holidays.
• Private medical insurance with Bupa.
• Remote‑first working with access to our London office.
• Personal training budget.
• Electric Vehicle Scheme after one year.
• Employer pension contributions.
• Regular team socials.
• Referral scheme offering up to £3,000.
• The opportunity to contribute to a new AI Centre of Excellence, helping build the cloud infrastructure and engineering capabilities that enable innovative data and AI solutions.
• The chance to work with modern cloud‑native technologies, influence engineering standards and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams on complex technical challenges.

Amber Labs is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive, regardless of background, identity or experience.

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