Lead Observability Engineer

At VML, we are a beacon of innovation and growth in an ever-evolving world. Our heritage is built upon a century of combined expertise, where creativity meets technology, and diverse perspectives ignite inspiration. With the merger of VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson, we have forged a new path as a growth partner that is part creative agency, part consultancy, and part technology powerhouse.

The opportunity: We’re seeking an experienced Lead Observability Engineer to lead the discovery, implementation and optimisation of a clients Observability Strategy, with a primary focus on New Relic. This role will be consultative in nature; you will be instrumental in providing end-to-end visibility across their digital ecosystem and thus enabling data-driven decision-making.

What you’ll be doing:

• Leading the assessment, documentation, and design of their current New Relic implementation
• Providing a gap analysis and roadmap to improve the clients existing solution with our client score cards
• Being the observability champion in the client, driving positive change against our roadmap
• Create and maintain observability standards and best practices
• Design and implement monitoring solutions for complex distributed systems
• Build comprehensive dashboards and alerts for various stakeholder groups
• Conduct training sessions and create documentation for internal teams
• Establish complete visibility of digital operations
• Enable proactive problem identification
• Improve system reliability and performance
• Build internal capability within our teams

What we want from you:

• Deep expertise in New Relic platform configuration and optimisation
• Extensive understanding of observability principles (metrics, events, logs, traces)
• Experience with APM tools and distributed tracing (ideally including implementation)
• Understanding of cloud platforms and how they relate to observability
• Knowledge of modern web technologies
• Proficiency in log and metric aggregation and analysis
• Experience with infrastructure as code and automation
• Knowledge of common programming languages and debugging techniques
• Strong presentation and communication skills
• Ability to translate technical concepts for non-technical audiences
• Experience in training and mentoring teams
• Problem-solving and analytical thinking

If you have some of this even better:

• Experience working with global retail/e-commerce clients
• Understanding of e-commerce KPIs and business metrics
• Previous consulting experience preferred
• Ability to work across different time zones
• Experience in creating technical documentation
• Track record of successful observability implementations

This role requires a combination of technical expertise and business acumen, with the ability to drive adoption across a global organization while maintaining strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels.

What we can offer you: Alongside the opportunity to work with some of the most exciting brands around the world, we’ll also prioritise your career development and help you grow your skills. We’ll empower you to make a difference, allow you to be yourself, and respect who you are.

Our personality and behaviours: We believe that we are what we do, not just what we say. Our shared values and behaviours show how to bring the VML Enterprise Solution's culture to life through the actions we all take every day: Connect Meaningfully, Include Purposefully.

Interested in this role? Get in touch with us: vmles.talent@vml.com

If you need reasonable adjustments at any point in the application or interview process, please let us know. At VML, we are committed to fostering an all-inclusive work environment that is both rewarding and career-forward.