DevOps Engineer

Job DescriptionOur client is a rapidly growing, London-headquartered oil derivatives trading house with significant market presence in global energy markets. They operate a dynamic, entrepreneurial trading environment with substantial annual trading volumes The business is experiencing fast growth and requires a hands-on Senior DevOps Engineer (Contract). Senior DevOps Engineer (Contract)London - 5 days onsiteContract Type: Outside IR35, 6 month initial term with extension potential Job ResponsibilitiesLead the design and architecture of complex, scalable software solutions, applying innovative and forward-thinking approaches to technical challenges.Establish technical direction and best practices for secure, high-quality production code across the organization.Drive strategic automation initiatives to proactively identify and remediate recurring issues, significantly enhancing operational stability and system reliability.Architect and standardize containerization strategies using Docker and Kubernetes across the enterprise.Define and implement reusable infrastructure-as-code templates and DevOps standards that serve as the foundation for organizational excellence.Partner directly with the CTO to shape the future of DevOps infrastructure, driving transformational change and elevating engineering practices company-wide.Champion innovation by researching, evaluating, and implementing best-in-class tools, methodologies, and approaches that position the company for rapid, sustainable growth.Own the end-to-end CI/CD pipeline strategy, working cross-functionally with development, infrastructure, and security teams.Mentor and develop DevOps engineers, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and technical excellence.Lead complex deployments and releases across multiple environments, ensuring zero-downtime and business continuity.Act as a technical advisor to senior leadership on DevOps strategy, cloud architecture, and infrastructure optimization.

Required Qualifications, Capabilities, and SkillsFormal training or certification on software engineering concepts and 5+ years applied experience in senior engineering roles5+ years of Python (or Java, C#, Rust) development with demonstrated expertise in building production-grade systems5+ years with Kubernetes in enterprise environments5+ years with Terraform for infrastructure as code, including module development and state managementProven leadership experience mentoring teams and driving technical strategyExpert-level knowledge of automation, continuous delivery, and DevOps methodologiesDeep expertise in agile practices, CI/CD, system resiliency, security, and observabilityDemonstrated thought leadership in technical disciplines (cloud architecture, AI/ML, microservices, etc.)Extensive hands-on experience with Azure/cloud services and cloud-native architecture patternsStrong architectural background with experience designing and implementing large-scale distributed systemsUnderstanding of trading, commodity or financial service IT systems is beneficialExcellent communication and stakeholder management skills Preferred Qualifications, Capabilities, and SkillsAzure certifications (Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Azure DevOps Engineer Expert, or CKAD) strongly preferredExperience leading DevOps transformation initiatives in fast-growing organizationsBackground in Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) principles and practices welcomeExperience with observability platforms (Prometheus, Grafana, Datadog, etc.) This contract position reports to the CTO and is critical to the firm's infrastructure and DevOps strategy. Competitive day rate for the right candidate.