Cloud Platform Engineering Manager in Reading

Ciphr has a new exciting opportunity for a Cloud Platform Engineering Manager, with in-depth experience of Azure, to join the team as we continue to grow and develop. At Ciphr our priority is ensuring that the work we do is adding value to our customers whilst also working in a way that allows the Ciphr team to feel valued in their roles. We want to give you the opportunity to embrace your role with Ciphr and, in return, we can offer you an open and friendly work environment where your input and ideas are welcomed.

Location
This is a remote first role, you will average 2 days a month with the team in our Reading office.

In a nutshell
As a Cloud Platform Engineering Manager, you will lead and mentor a small team of cloud engineers, providing strategic direction and hands-on support to ensure the reliability, scalability, and performance of our cloud-based services. You will play a key role in shaping and executing our cloud operations strategy, working closely with cross-functional teams to proactively identify and resolve issues, implement automation and monitoring solutions, and drive continuous improvement across our infrastructure. Your leadership will be instrumental in fostering a high-performing, innovative engineering culture, optimising system performance, and minimising downtime. You will also be responsible for managing cloud costs effectively, ensuring spend remains within agreed budgets while maintaining service excellence. Acting as a trusted deputy to the Head of DevOps, you will also contribute to broader strategic initiatives and help steer the future of our platform engineering capabilities.

What you'll be doing
You'll:

• Lead and mentor a small team of cloud engineers, providing strategic direction and coordinating task assignments to ensure the reliability, scalability, and performance of our cloud services.
• Actively contribute to the design, implementation, and maintenance of cloud infrastructure, setting a strong technical example through hands-on engineering work.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to proactively identify, troubleshoot, and resolve issues within the cloud environment.
• Drive the implementation and management of advanced monitoring tools, automation frameworks, and best practices to enhance system resilience and operational efficiency.
• Monitor and optimise cloud infrastructure usage to ensure cost efficiency, maintaining spend within agreed budgets.
• Ensure the optimal performance of cloud services, delivering a seamless and high quality experience for end users.
• Take accountability of the on-call rota, ensuring appropriate coverage, managing participation, and leading rapid incident response to maintain service availability.
• Continuously assess and improve team processes and procedures, fostering a culture of innovation and engineering excellence to optimise performance and minimise downtime.
• Act as a deputy to the Head of DevOps when required, supporting strategic initiatives and team leadership.

What you'll need to succeed
Experience in a leadership role, including mentoring, developing team members and promoting good governance practices. Strong technical expertise in cloud infrastructure design, deployment (Cl/CD), automation, and cloud-native technologies. In-depth experience with Microsoft Azure, including architecture, services, and operational best practices. Proven experience in a management role, with the ability to lead and develop high performing efficient teams. Fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement. Extensive experience in complex problem-solving and the use of advanced automation tools. Exceptional analytical and troubleshooting skills, with the ability to swiftly resolve intricate technical issues. Excellent communication and collaboration skills, enabling effective teamwork across cross-functional teams. Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and perform effectively under pressure, with a strong focus on delivering results.

A commitment to Ciphr's DNA, by:

• Building Trust through transparency, fairness, and respectful communication.
• Demonstrating Accountability by taking initiative, sharing lessons learned, and upholding high standards.
• Striving for Service Excellence by proactively adding value, sharing customer insights, and seeking innovative ways to enhance the customer experience.
• Embracing Authenticity by valuing diverse perspectives, communicating openly-even in challenging situations-and fostering a culture of constructive feedback and inclusion.

Experience with additional cloud platforms such as AWS. Familiarity with Azure DevOps (ADO) and GitHub Actions. Certifications in relevant technologies or methodologies (e.g., Microsoft Azure or AWS certifications).

What we offer you:
Ciphr has a benefits package which has you and your family in mind. As well as offering you the opportunity to work with a great team, be part of a growing company and have the chance to learn and enhance your knowledge and qualifications, we offer:

• 30 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Family National Trust Membership
• Birthday day off
• Family forming support - e.g., time off for family forming appointments or to support your partner
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
• Work from Anywhere for 4 weeks per year
• Volunteering days for 2 days per year
• Cycle to work scheme
• Pension
• Health cash plan
• Life assurance
• Technology/home improvements Loans
• Perks at Work – access to exclusive discounts, cinema tickets, etc.
• Regular training
• £1,500 employee referral scheme
• Medical Cover and Dental cover (after 6 months’ service)
• Income Protection insurance (after 12 months’ service)

About Ciphr:
Ciphr is a leading UK-based provider of integrated HR, payroll, learning and recruitment solutions. Ciphr’s integrated HCM platform helps organisations manage their end-to-end employee lifecycle so they can deliver an amazing employee experience. With Ciphr, organisations can be confident they can access all their people data in one place, thanks to secure, time-saving integrations between our own solutions and API connections to specialist, third-party tools. We are all about people at Ciphr. Our values are trust, service excellence, authenticity, and accountability. We want you to bring your authentic self to work giving you the space to be yourself whether that is creative, outgoing, quiet, courageous, observant or any other attributes you may have. Ciphr welcomes all kinds of people to the team and would love you to come and join us!