DevOps Engineer

**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.