DevOps Engineer – Contract
Location: Flexible (UK-based, with 1–2 days per week onsite)
Duration: 9 months
Rate: £525 per day (PAYE) or £709.70 via umbrella (inside IR35)

About the Role
We are seeking an experienced DevOps Engineer to support the Enterprise Data Platform (EDP), delivering robust infrastructure and deployment pipelines for advanced AI/ML workloads. This role is ideal for someone with deep expertise in cloud-native technologies, automation, and secure platform engineering within Azure environments.

You will play a key role in designing, building, and maintaining scalable, secure, and high-performing infrastructure, while working closely with Data Engineers, MLOps Engineers, and Solution Architects.

Key Responsibilities
*Design, build, and maintain CI/CD pipelines using GitLab CI for reliable, automated deployments to Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
*Develop and manage containerisation workflows using Docker, including image build and registry management
*Configure and support AKS clusters, ensuring scalability, resilience, and security
*Implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform aligned with Azure Landing Zone standards
*Manage secrets and access control using Azure Key Vault and Azure AD
*Enable hybrid connectivity between on-premises and cloud environments
*Support orchestration workflows using Apache Airflow
*Monitor system performance using tools such as Azure Monitor, Prometheus, and Grafana
*Collaborate across engineering teams to ensure reproducibility, scalability, and compliance
*Contribute to architecture discussions and promote DevOps best practices
Skills & Experience

Essential:
*Strong experience with Azure, including networking, RBAC, and Landing Zone principles
*Hands-on expertise with GitLab CI/CD pipelines
*Experience with Docker and container orchestration (AKS preferred)
*Proven experience with Terraform (or similar IaC tools such as Bicep)
*Solid understanding of cloud networking (hub/spoke, private endpoints)
*Experience troubleshooting infrastructure and deployment issues
*Strong collaboration and communication skills
Desirable:
*Experience with Airflow or similar orchestration tools
*Knowledge of observability tooling (Prometheus, Grafana)
*Exposure to AI/ML platform environments
Qualifications
*Relevant degree or equivalent industry experience
Why Join?
This is an opportunity to work on cutting-edge data and AI platforms within a highly secure and impactful environment. You’ll be part of a collaborative, forward-thinking team where your expertise will directly influence platform capability, scalability, and innovation.