Cloud Infrastructure Engineer

As a Cloud Infrastructure Engineer, you'll help ensure the reliability, security and performance of the infrastructure that supports AQA's scanning and marking services. You'll work closely with technology teams, suppliers and business users to deploy, support and enhance cloud-based solutions, while contributing to the ongoing modernisation of our platform services.

This role offers the opportunity to work with Microsoft Azure technologies, infrastructure as code practices and modern DevOps approaches in an environment where your work directly supports learners and educators across the UK.

Key responsibilities

In this role, you'll be responsible for:

• Deploying, supporting and improving cloud-based applications and infrastructure within Microsoft Azure using modern DevOps practices and infrastructure as code technologies.

• Monitoring, maintaining and optimising platform performance, security and availability while helping resolve infrastructure and application issues, including taking part in the agreed out-of-hours support roster during live exam series.

• Working collaboratively with development teams, technology colleagues, suppliers and business users to deliver reliable services and support ongoing platform modernisation., This is an opportunity to develop your cloud engineering career while working on platforms that make a genuine difference to education across the UK.

• Exposure to large-scale, business-critical technology platforms supporting millions of learners.

• The opportunity to work with new technologies as part of a significant modernisation programme.

• A 35-hour working week with flexible, hybrid working

• 25 days' annual leave (rising to 30), plus Christmas closure days

• Excellent pension (up to 11.5% employer contribution) etc, Responsible for the deployment and support of of in-house developed application to Azure using DevOps tools and methodologies for production, staging, and development environments. Landscape: The Assessment Technology group is responsible for the operational systems that deliver millions of GCSE and A-level results annually. The Scanning & Marking department reports to the Director of Assessment Technology and are responsible for delivering, deploying, and supporting several software products in that area. This position sits within the Platform Services & Support team within Scanning & Marking department and will report directly to the Platform Services and Support Manager.Activities:

• Deploy and support of in-house developed application to Azure using DevOps tools and methodologies.

• Provide advice and recommendations on Infrastructure and Security and proactively collaborate with architecture and application development teams to ensure the infrastructure meets current and future business objectives.

• Implement system monitoring and alerting to ensure application health state is maintained.

• Provide technical support for all infrastructure, both in Azure and on premise.

• Ensure correct security controls are in place on all environments and assist in providing recommendations on additional security improvements.

• Implement and maintain performance monitoring of all infrastructure and provide recommendations on improvements.

• Be part of the out of hours incident support rota covering nights and weekends (typically around 4-6 weeks per year).

• Report upward to the Platform Services & Support Manager as required.

You'll thrive in this role if you're a self-motivated infrastructure professional who enjoys solving problems, taking ownership and working independently while collaborating effectively with others.

• Strong hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure and the ability to troubleshoot and resolve cloud infrastructure issues.

• Experience working with Infrastructure as Code technologies such as Bicep, Terraform or ARM templates.

• Experience using CI/CD pipelines and DevOps tooling to deploy and support applications and infrastructure.

• Strong communication skills and the ability to build effective relationships with technical and non-technical stakeholders., * Have a minimum of 1 years' experience in an Azure infrastructure engineer role., * AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator or comparable certification (essential).

• AZ-400 or AZ-305 (desirable).

Skills

• Strong knowledge of IAAS, PAAS and SAAS mainly in Azure.
• Good knowledge of PowerShell, T-SQL, and other scripting languages.
• Good knowledge of IaC, e.g. Bicep, Terraform and ARM.
• Strong knowledge of modern application deployments and configuration techniques via CI/CD pipelines, in particular Azure DevOp's YAML and classic pipelines.
• Knowledge and experience of troubleshooting automated and manual application deployments and configuration pipelines.
• Knowledge about agile development and modern development tools such as Git would be an advantage

Personal Attributes

• Have an aptitude and passion for all things Cloud.
• Be ambitious and keen to learn.
• Have an attention to detail. Be able to work on own initiative.

At AQA, we're committed to advancing education and we're committed to our people. As the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK, we mark over 10 million exam papers each year and it's our people who make this happen.