DevOps Architect / Head of DevOps (Newcastle Upon Tyne)

Job Summary:

In this role, you’ll provide architectural direction, hands-on support, and people leadership to a small, distributed group of DevOps engineers embedded across cross-functional teams. Working closely with technical architects and operations, you will lead the DevOps function, facilitating the smooth integration of DevOps practices into the product team's day to day.

Key Responsibilities:

• Solution Architecture – Collaborate with various teams to design and implement solutions that meet business requirements.
• Line Management – Manage a group of embedded DevOps engineers, providing mentorship, coaching, and performance management to foster professional growth and development.
• Driving Quality and Standards – Identify opportunities to improve quality and work with teams to effect change, promoting reliability, security, performance, observability, etc.
• Security and Compliance – Ensure systems remain compliant with relevant controls and help funnel critical infrastructure security and compliance issues into product backlogs.
• Cost Management – Manage budgets for development environments and software, helping teams track and manage spend.
• Hands-On Development – Lead by example with technical proficiency and direct contributions to team deliverables.
• Reporting, Stakeholder Communication & Alignment – Provide regular updates on team performance, initiatives, and challenges to leadership and stakeholders.

Skills & Knowledge:

• Cloud Expertise (AWS) – Strong knowledge of AWS services, their applications, and limitations.
• Infrastructure as Code – Proficiency with AWS ecosystem tools such as CDK, TypeScript, and CloudFormation.
• CI/CD Proficiency – In-depth understanding of the software development lifecycle and CI/CD tools (e.g., GitHub Actions).
• Scalable System Design – Experience building and maintaining scalable, highly available systems with established SLAs/SLOs.
• NoSQL Expertise – Practical experience with NoSQL technologies such as DynamoDB, MongoDB, or Cassandra.
• Design Patterns – Understanding of modern infrastructure design patterns, including serverless computing, containers, gateways, and event brokers.

Education & Experience:

• 8+ years of experience with AWS and cloud technologies.
• 8+ years of experience in DevOps roles.
• 3+ years of experience in a leadership or management capacity.
• Prior experience in a SaaS environment is a plus.