Lead DevOps Engineer in London

As Lead DevOps Engineer, you will define, build and operate the CI/CD, runtime and observability foundations that power NaaS across multi-site, active/active environments - ensuring high availability, change safety at scale and rapid incident recovery. This is a technical hands-on role so you are expected to lead by example.

Responsibilities

• Own the reference architecture and paved paths for services on Kubernetes (Helm Charts), infra as code (Terraform), Git-based workflows, and artefact standards.
• Design progressive delivery (Argo CD/Flux, canary/blue-green) and automated database/network change patterns fit for telco-grade reliability.
• Standardise API platform pipelines for Apigee / API gateway(s) and NaaS service onboarding, including contract testing and gateway policy automation.
• Define service SLOs/error budgets; engineer robust alerting, runbooks, and incident response across multi-region, GSLB-fronted estates.
• Lead operational readiness: wargaming, failover simulations, capacity management, and performance testing at API and network layers.
• Embed security gates in CI/CD; manage vulnerability scanning (e.g., Qualys) and endpoint protection (EDR) posture; enforce secrets and key management.
• Partner on identity & consent patterns for CAMARA APIs (OAuth2/OIDC), and ensure auditability for customer and developer actions.
• Run engineering communities of practice; maintain standards, scorecards, and playbooks.
• Performance and chaos engineering at scale; cost optimisation in multi-cluster estates.
• Operate with a product mindset; partner with Product, Architecture, and Security to deliver business outcomes.
• Coach engineers; model BT's Connected Leaders behaviours (Solution-Focused Achiever, Change Agent, Team Coach).

Qualifications

• Strong Linux fundamentals and troubleshooting (system performance, networking, storage).
• Practical understanding of L7/L4 load balancing, service mesh, DNS/GSLB, certificate management and API connectivity patterns into telco/core systems.
• Hands‐on Kubernetes experience in production (deployments, upgrades, debugging, cluster/workload operations, managing secrets, network policies).
• Automation mindset: scripting (Python/Bash) + one or more of Terraform/Ansible/Helm/Kustomize/GitOps.
• GitOps and modern engineering practices (PRs, code review, release discipline).
• Strong knowledge of API gateway/service mesh patterns and secure ingress.
• Experience designing observability for serverless systems (logs/metrics/traces) and implementing distributed tracing and dashboards using open standards and various tooling like Elastic, Grafana etc.
• Access, use, and disclose information only as required for the job; ensure appropriate safeguards and adherence to Information Security policies.
• Familiarity with ITIL/incident management and change practices (or equivalent experience).
• AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills.
• CAMARA and TMF-931 familiarity; API aggregator marketplace exposure (e.g., AWS/Vonage/NAC listings).
• Kubernetes certification (e.g., CKA/CKAD).
• Technical leadership experience, including mentoring junior DevOps and infrastructure engineers.
• Good understanding of foundational AWS services like EKS, IAM, VPC, S3, CloudWatch, and hybrid connectivity patterns (e.g., VPN/Direct Connect where applicable).
• Sound understanding of authentication and authorisation patterns, including OpenID Connect (OIDC), OAuth 2.0 and LDAP/Active Directory and how these integrate with Kubernetes (e.g., OIDC-based SSO, RBAC mapping, identity federation) and AWS identity/access controls.
• Experience with network automation (YANG/NETCONF/RESTCONF, Ansible) and telco workloads.

Benefits

• 10% on target bonus.
• BT Pension scheme, minimum 5% Employee contribution, BT contribution 10%.
• Life Assurance Cover.
• Exclusive colleague discounts on our latest and greatest BT broadband packages, BT TV with TNT Sports and NOW Entertainment.
• From January 2025, equal family leave: receive 18 weeks at full pay, 8 weeks at half pay and 26 weeks at the statutory rate. It’s for all parents, no matter how your family is made up.
• Enhanced women’s health support: including help with menopause symptoms, cancer screenings, period care and more.
• 25 days annual leave (not including bank holidays), increasing with service.
• 24/7 private virtual GP appointments for UK colleagues.
• 2 weeks carer’s leave.
• World-class training and development opportunities.
• Option to join BT Shares Saving schemes.