Lead DevOps Engineer

We're MI6, also known as the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). Our mission is to protect the security and economic wellbeing of the UK from overseas threats such as regional instability, terrorism, and cyber attacks. Working across the globe and in close partnership with MI5 and GCHQ, we help the Government to counter these threats through the provision of secret intelligence.

A role in MI6 will see you providing vital support to this work, within a supportive and encouraging environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.

The role Enhancing how we operate today will better prepare us for the challenges of tomorrow. That’s why we’re creating dedicated teams focused on bringing Artificial Intelligence (AI) into some of our most mission‑critical areas. As a Lead DevOps Engineer, you’ll shape and influence the strategic technical direction of a bespoke Cloud platform, ensuring development and operations teams are aligned through strong DevOps practices.

You’ll take a lead role in defining how infrastructure and services are built, deployed, monitored and operated across MI6. With your considerable experience, you’ll ensure platforms and services are scalable, reliable and secure, and that DevOps principles such as continuous integration, continuous delivery, automation and observability are consistently applied. Although the role includes hands‑on engineering, your primary focus will be setting direction, defining standards and enabling teams.

You’ll oversee the design and operation of CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code and container platforms, and ensure services are well monitored, resilient and easy to operate at scale. By working closely with software engineers, ML Ops, product managers and stakeholders, you’ll help reduce friction between development and operations, improve system reliability and lead the adoption of modern DevOps tools and processes.

Through mentoring and leadership, you’ll promote a strong DevOps culture focused on continuous improvement, operational excellence and shared ownership.

Salary £74,624 and a recruitment and retention allowance of £6,251, with an opportunity to qualify for additional allowances and a skills‑related payment under the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability (GDDPC) Framework – formerly known as DDaT.

Flexible working We support full time (36 hours per week) and part‑time (minimum three days a week) working patterns. Due to the sensitive nature of our work, this role is fully office‑based with no option for remote or home working.

About you You’ll bring significant experience leading DevOps or platform engineering in an enterprise environment, with a strong track record of delivering Cloud‑based infrastructure and services. Your expertise will include infrastructure as code, CI/CD tooling, containerisation, configuration management and monitoring, alongside deep experience of Cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure or Google Cloud. You will specialise in enabling teams through robust infrastructure, automation and operational practices. You’ll be a trusted technical leader, comfortable setting direction, mentoring engineers and solving complex, cross‑cutting problems that span development and operations.

Please note, you don’t need any existing AI expertise beyond a foundational understanding. Instead, you’ll bring a genuine passion and some evidence of self‑study that supports your interest.

Training and development We take professional development seriously, and you’ll be joining a community that invests in helping people grow their skills. You’ll have access to a broad mix of learning opportunities, including in‑house and online training, technical deep dives and development pathways shaped around your interests and the needs of the organisation. This includes support to strengthen your capability across modern AI techniques, Cloud technologies and wider analytical or engineering practices.

You’ll also have opportunities to work with external professional bodies and training providers who offer routes to specialist accreditation, advanced AI training or broader professional recognition. Whether you choose to deepen your expertise in a specific technical area or broaden your capability across new domains, you’ll have the guidance and support you need to progress.

Alongside formal training, you’ll benefit from mentoring, peer support and a collaborative community that shares knowledge openly. You’ll have opportunities to rotate across different teams, explore emerging technologies and contribute to shaping how MI6 evolves its AI and data‑science capability. As you develop, you’ll have the space to experiment, expand your expertise and play an active role in strengthening our AI practice across the organisation.

Rewards and benefits You’ll receive a starting salary of £74,624 and a recruitment and retention allowance of £6,251, plus other benefits including:

• 25 Days Annual Leave automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years' service, and an additional 10.5 days public and privilege holidays
• Opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
• Interest‑free season ticket loan
• Cycle to work scheme
• Facilities such as a gym, restaurant, and on‑site coffee bars (at some locations)
• Paid parental and adoption leave

Equal opportunities At MI6 diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are under‑represented in our workforce such as women, those from an ethnic minority background, people with disabilities and those from low socio‑economic backgrounds.