Platform & Infrastructure Engineer (Azure Platform Specialist

*Please note this is a hybrid-working role, with a requirement to work in the Chelmsford office five days per month on average or as required, depending on business need. This role will be offered as a fixed-term contract for a duration of 12 months, with the possibility of extension beyond the initial fixed-term period. Visa sponsorship is not available for this role, so applicants must have current unrestricted right to work in the UK for this period. This role would suit an experienced Azure platform engineer who can make an immediate contribution within a large, live Azure estate. As Essex County Council (ECC) continues to modernise its digital estate, we are investing in the Azure capability needed to keep critical services secure, reliable and efficient. You will work within an established Platform and Infrastructure team, delivering practical improvements to automation, governance, networking, monitoring and operational support across services that matter to residents and colleagues across Essex. Join a Council Shaping the Future of Public Services Essex Digital Service is transforming how Essex County Council delivers services, making it easier and safer for colleagues and residents to get things done. We design and support modern, user-focused digital services across areas such as social care, education, transport and the environment. This role provides the platform engineering expertise needed to support that work in a secure, scalable and reliable way. This is a hands-on Azure platform role for someone who can quickly become productive in a live, governed enterprise environment. As Senior Platform and Infrastructure Engineer, you’ll work closely with architecture, cyber security, delivery teams and suppliers to support the safe and effective use of Azure across ECC., * Operate and continuously improve ECC’s Azure Landing Zone, ensuring it remains secure, resilient and supportable.

• Build and maintain Azure infrastructure using Terraform, PowerShell and automation tooling.
• Provide senior technical expertise across Azure networking and connectivity, including Virtual Networks, Virtual WAN, ExpressRoute, VPN, DNS and private connectivity.
• Maintain core platform governance controls across Management Groups, Azure Policy, RBAC, tagging and subscriptions.
• Support project and development teams to onboard services using approved platform patterns.
• Drive platform enhancements, service improvements and infrastructure modernisation to improve resilience, performance, cost efficiency, monitoring and operational visibility, using team KPIs and service data to identify priorities and demonstrate meaningful improvement.
• Contribute to disaster recovery planning, implementation and testing across Azure platform services.
• Provide senior technical input during incidents, root cause analysis and service improvement activity.
• Maintain clear operational documentation and support effective handover for platform changes, incidents and operational processes.

• Extensive hands-on experience implementing and operating Microsoft Azure infrastructure in large, complex enterprise environments, including Azure Landing Zone management, governance controls, Management Groups, Azure Policy, RBAC and subscription lifecycle management.
• Strong Terraform experience, including reusable modules, source control and automated deployment pipelines.
• Advanced PowerShell skills used for infrastructure automation, platform management and reporting.
• Strong Azure networking experience, including routing, DNS, ExpressRoute, VPN, Virtual WAN, Load Balancers and Private Endpoints.
• Experience developing and maintaining Azure infrastructure CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps or equivalent tooling.
• Strong troubleshooting experience across Azure platform, networking, Entra ID and hybrid infrastructure services.
• A collaborative approach, with the ability to work across multiple teams, explain technical decisions clearly and contribute to practical service improvements.