At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a team of TechOps engineers and manage operational workflows.
- Company: Join CreateFuture, an AI-native consulting partner with a people-first approach.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible working, professional growth, and a supportive culture.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team that values inclusion and creativity.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by modernising tech operations and driving innovation.
- Qualifications: 10+ years in TechOps with strong Azure and Java experience.
The predicted salary is between 59400 - 72600 £ per year.
Working at CreateFuture is an AI-native consulting partner where people do work that matters and are supported to do it well. We work alongside organisations such as PayPal, adidas, NatWest, FanDuel and Money Saving Expert, building digital products and services that make a difference while always putting people first. We’re a team of creators. We write code, shape delivery, build go-to-market strategies, develop AI solutions and create the practices that support our people. Our commitment to craft, quality, and culture has helped us scale to over 600 people in just a few years. CreateFuture is a Great Place to Work-Certified™ company and has won Best Workplaces UK multiple years in a row. Join us on our journey. Let’s create tomorrow, together, today.
About the role and team: We are looking for an experienced TechOps Lead to join us on a contract basis and lead a team of 5+ TechOps engineers on a client engagement. You will own the inflow of work to the team and put standard operational and managed service patterns in place around it, working alongside the client's dedicated incident response and change management teams. Our client operates a regulated, Azure-hosted platform (Java/Spring Boot microservices on RHEL) with 24/7 coverage. The estate has been inherited and is only partly documented. You will bring structure to how work arrives, is triaged and is closed, so that engineers spend their time on root causes and a codified platform instead of firefighting. This is a hands‑on leadership role. You set the operating model, coach the team, and stay technically credible enough to step into an escalation when needed. A key focus is enabling the team to onboard properly and work efficiently: auditing existing challenges, defining practical short‑and long-term roadmaps, driving pragmatic change, and forward thinking on AI and service desk automation.
Key responsibilities
- Work Intake & Triage: Be the single point of accountability for all work entering the team (incidents, requests, changes and alerts). Put standard operational and managed service patterns in place, including intake, categorisation, prioritisation and SLAs in JIRA Service Management, and protect engineering capacity by balancing reactive work against planned improvements.
- Incident, Problem & Change: Contribute technical expertise and solutions to incidents and root cause analysis, drive permanent fixes, and ensure TechOps changes follow standard change management.
- Team Leadership & Enablement: Lead, coach and develop 5+ TechOps engineers. Onboard them properly, empower them to work efficiently, define L2/L3 roles and escalation paths, and keep a sustainable 24/7 on‑call rota.
- Roadmap & Pragmatic Automation: Audit existing challenges and define practical short- and long-term roadmaps. Align senior stakeholders on priorities and dependencies, and work with Dev, CI/CD and Platform teams to drive pragmatic automation, balancing it with operational complexity, team dependencies and regulatory (CMP) constraints.
- Platform Reliability: Act as a senior technical escalation point, and make sure the team delivers the fundamentals: backup, restore testing and DR readiness, centralised ELK observability, current runbooks, and the OS, middleware and cloud fixes arising from vulnerabilities owned by DevSecOps and infosec.
- Service Desk Automation & AI: Be forward thinking on AI and service desk automation, such as triage, routing and knowledge, and bring practical improvements to the team.
- Modernisation: Work with development and platform team to take ownership of an inherited Azure estate, stabilise it then modernise it with AI‑assisted & reviewed tooling.
What we’re looking for
- 10+ years in TechOps, infrastructure, SRE or production operations, including leading or running an operations team.
- Experience owning intake, triage and prioritisation for a managed service or production operations team, and working within incident, problem and change processes (ITIL familiarity).
- Strong hands‑on Azure and RHEL experience in production.
- Proven support of Java microservices and middleware in production.
- Strong debugging, incident handling and RCA skills, comfortable taking an unfamiliar problem from symptoms to root cause.
- Working knowledge of Terraform, GitHub Actions and Ansible.
- Experience in gaming or another regulated, high-availability digital sector.
- Experience leading and enabling engineers in a 24/7 operations team.
- Consulting mindset and strong communication skills, including with senior stakeholders.
- Forward-thinking approach to AI and service desk automation.
- Experience designing Service Management workflows (e.g. JIRA).
- Experience taking over an inherited or poorly documented estate and stabilising it.
- Working knowledge of JVM observability.
Tech Stack: Azure | RHEL | Terraform | GitHub Actions | Ansible | Jira Service Management | Confluence | Java | Spring Boot | Elastic Stack | Prometheus | Grafana | PagerDuty.
What we’ll offer you: We trust people to do their best work. That means flexibility over rigid rules, impact over activity, and real investment in your growth both professionally and personally. You’ll be part of a supportive, and friendly culture, surrounded by smart, curious people who care deeply about what they do. We offer flexible working, including hybrid and remote options. Our office hubs are located in Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, London and Bulgaria, with occasional travel to client sites or CreateFuture offices when needed. We trust you to manage your time balancing collaboration with client time and focused work. What matters is the impact you have, not how busy you look.
Our hiring process: We try to keep our hiring process clear, fair and respectful of your time. We aim to get back to everyone who applies and we will be upfront about where you are in the process. It usually looks like this: Call with our Talent Acquisition Team, Role specific capability interview. Depending on the role, we might also ask you to do a short presentation, a practical or technical task or have a values focused conversation. We will explain what is involved before anything happens.
Inclusion at CreateFuture: We believe diverse teams build better workplaces and better products. We want CreateFuture to be a place where people feel able to be themselves and do your best work. If you need any adjustments or support during the application process, just let us know. We will do what we can to help. We look forward to your application!
TechOps Lead Contract in London employer: CreateFuture
At CreateFuture, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters innovation and collaboration in the rapidly evolving field of AI. Our vibrant work culture encourages continuous learning and professional growth, offering employees the chance to work on cutting-edge projects while enjoying a supportive environment. Located in a dynamic tech hub, we provide unique opportunities for networking and career advancement, making us an ideal choice for those seeking meaningful and rewarding employment.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land TechOps Lead Contract in London
✨Join the IT Consultancy Buzz
Get involved in local or virtual IT consultancy meetups and forums. This is where we can rub shoulders with industry professionals, get insights into what CreateFuture values, and even spot unadvertised opportunities. Don't miss out on these chances to make a name for ourselves in the IT world!
✨Show Off Your Skills
Create a personal project or case study relevant to the challenges CreateFuture might face. Use platforms like GitHub or Medium to share your findings. This not only demonstrates our consulting skills but shows a proactive attitude, making us stand out from the crowd when applying for that full-time gig.
✨Leverage LinkedIn for Connections
Follow and engage with the relevant thought leaders and influencers in IT consultancy on LinkedIn. Share insightful content and join discussions to gain visibility. A well-placed comment or shared article could catch the attention of someone at CreateFuture!
✨Direct Apply to CreateFuture
Let's not forget to apply directly through the CreateFuture website! Tailor your application to showcase our understanding of their consulting style and how we can contribute to their projects. A personalised approach can make a huge difference in landing that full-time position!
We think you need these skills to ace TechOps Lead Contract in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills:In IT consulting, it's all about problem-solving, so make sure your CV highlights your analytical skills and any relevant projects you've tackled. Mention specific technologies or methodologies you've used to resolve issues or improve processes; this shows you can think critically and deliver results, which is vital for us at CreateFuture.
Highlight Relevant Certifications:Certifications like ITIL, PMP, or even specific tech stack qualifications can really make you stand out. Make sure to include these in your CV, as they not only demonstrate your expertise but also your commitment to staying current in the field. We love seeing candidates who are proactive about their professional development!
Tailor Your Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to connect personally with us at CreateFuture. Share stories about your experiences in IT consulting, and how they shaped your desire to join our team. Mention why you’re excited about this particular role, and how you see yourself contributing to our projects.
Keep It Clear and Concise:We're all busy, so make sure your application is easy to read. Use bullet points for key achievements, and don’t overload us with jargon. A clean, professional layout goes a long way. Remember, the clearer your application, the more likely we are to invite you in for an interview!
How to prepare for a job interview at CreateFuture
✨Brush Up on Your Technical Skills
For an IT consulting role, be ready to demonstrate your technical prowess. You might face questions on systems integration, cloud technologies, or even troubleshooting specific software. If you have experience with tools like AWS, Azure, or even specific programming languages, make sure you can talk about them fluently.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Approach
IT consulting is all about solving problems for clients. Think about how you can illustrate your approach to a past challenge using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). It's a great way to show how you tackle complex issues and come up with effective solutions.
✨Know the Business Impact of IT Solutions
When discussing your experiences, focus not just on the tech solutions you implemented, but also on their business impact. Employers want to see that you can connect IT with organisational goals. Prep examples that highlight how your tech contributions improved efficiency or reduced costs for past clients or projects.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
Since IT consulting often involves teamwork and client interactions, expect behavioural questions that assess your interpersonal skills. Be prepared with examples that demonstrate your adaptability, communication skills, and how you handle client feedback. Before the interview, think of situations where you worked closely with clients to create effective IT strategies or changes.
