At a Glance
- Tasks: Join a dynamic team to enhance and automate a large-scale hybrid server estate.
- Company: Innovative tech company in Sheffield with a collaborative culture.
- Benefits: Competitive daily rate, hybrid work model, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by working with cutting-edge Kubernetes technology.
- Qualifications: Hands-on experience with Kubernetes, automation skills, and a proactive mindset.
- Other info: Flexible working environment with shared responsibilities and excellent career advancement potential.
The predicted salary is between 40000 - 60000 £ per year.
Duration: contract to run until 30/11/2026
Location: Sheffield, Hybrid 3 days per week onsite
Rate: up to £552 p/d Umbrella inside IR35
Role purpose / summary
The IKP Engineering Team is responsible for the end to end operation, automation and enhancement of a large scale hybrid server estate supporting business critical workloads. This is a mixed engineering role, where team members contribute across fulfilment, implementation, platform maintenance, automation, and continuous improvement activities. The engineer will work across a broad technical landscape including 9,000+ virtual machines, 3,000+ physical servers, and large Kubernetes based environments requiring strong hands on skills and the ability to operate cloud native platforms at scale.
Key Responsibilities:
- Deliver engineering, fulfilment and operational tasks across the IKP platform - no dedicated silos; all engineers support the full lifecycle.
- Operate and maintain large scale Kubernetes (K8s) environments, ensuring reliability, performance and proactive platform hygiene.
- Perform hands on implementation and configuration changes, including production changes during weekends when required.
- Automate operational and fulfilment tasks to drive efficiency and reduce manual effort using: Python, Ansible, GitHub, Jira, Jenkins, supporting DevOps / CI CD tooling.
- Contribute to troubleshooting, incident resolution, root cause analysis and continuous improvement of platform stability.
- Drive adoption of automation-first practices across engineering activities, ensuring consistent and repeatable deployments.
- Work collaboratively with cross functional teams (cloud, network, OS, DevOps, SRE, and application teams) to support end-to-end delivery.
- Ensure all changes and deployments follow governance, standards and compliance processes.
Required Skills & Experience
Core Technical Skills:
- Strong, real hands-on Kubernetes skills (not managed/cloud K8s services).
- Ability to operate, configure, maintain and troubleshoot clusters deployed on physical/VM infrastructure.
- Solid experience supporting cloud-native environments using on-prem or hybrid deployment models.
- Strong automation experience using: Ansible, Python, GitHub / Git CI/CD tools (Jenkins or similar).
- Good understanding of Linux system engineering, networking fundamentals and container ecosystem tools.
Engineering & Operational Skills:
- Ability to work across fulfilment and engineering tasks - flexible to take on any required technical activity.
- Experience implementing production changes, ideally in large enterprise environments.
- Strong troubleshooting and debugging skills across infrastructure, platform and automation layers.
- Ability to document, improve and standardise engineering procedures and automated workflows.
Preferred / Good-to-Have:
- Experience operating large, mixed server estates (e.g., 9K VM + 3K physical).
- Exposure to hybrid cloud, infrastructure migration or modernisation programmes.
- Familiarity with enterprise change management and regulated environment delivery.
Ways of Working
Everyone does everything culture - shared responsibility across fulfilment, automation, engineering and operations. Flexible to support weekend changes and critical production deployments. Proactive mindset, strong ownership and readiness to uplift automation maturity.
All profiles will be reviewed against the required skills and experience. Due to the high number of applications we will only be able to respond to successful applicants in the first instance. We thank you for your interest and the time taken to apply!
IKP Platform Engineer in Sheffield employer: Experis - ManpowerGroup
Contact Detail:
Experis - ManpowerGroup Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land IKP Platform Engineer in Sheffield
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with folks in the industry. Attend meetups, webinars, or even just grab a coffee with someone who’s already in the role you want. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings!
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or GitHub repository showcasing your projects, especially those involving Kubernetes, automation, and cloud-native environments. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do beyond your CV.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by brushing up on your technical skills and problem-solving abilities. Be ready to discuss your hands-on experience with Kubernetes and automation tools like Ansible and Jenkins. Practice common interview questions to boost your confidence!
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! We’re always on the lookout for talented individuals like you. Plus, it’s a great way to ensure your application gets the attention it deserves. Let’s get you that IKP Platform Engineer role!
We think you need these skills to ace IKP Platform Engineer in Sheffield
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that match the IKP Platform Engineer role. Highlight your hands-on Kubernetes experience and any automation projects you've worked on. We want to see how you can contribute to our team!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're passionate about this role and how your background fits with our needs. Be sure to mention your experience with cloud-native environments and automation tools like Ansible and Python.
Show Off Your Technical Skills: In your application, don't shy away from showcasing your technical prowess. Mention specific projects where you've implemented production changes or automated tasks. We love seeing real-world examples of your problem-solving skills!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website for the best chance of getting noticed. It helps us keep track of applications and ensures you’re considered for the IKP Platform Engineer position. Good luck!
How to prepare for a job interview at Experis - ManpowerGroup
✨Know Your Kubernetes Inside Out
Make sure you brush up on your hands-on Kubernetes skills. Be ready to discuss your experience with operating, configuring, and troubleshooting clusters, especially in a physical or VM infrastructure. Prepare examples of how you've maintained large-scale K8s environments and any challenges you've faced.
✨Show Off Your Automation Skills
Since automation is key for this role, be prepared to talk about your experience with tools like Ansible, Python, and CI/CD pipelines. Have specific examples ready where you've automated operational tasks or improved efficiency. This will show that you can drive the automation-first practices they’re looking for.
✨Demonstrate Your Troubleshooting Prowess
Be ready to share instances where you've successfully resolved incidents or performed root cause analysis. Highlight your strong debugging skills across infrastructure and platform layers. This will help illustrate your ability to maintain platform stability and contribute to continuous improvement.
✨Emphasise Collaboration and Flexibility
This role requires working closely with cross-functional teams, so be prepared to discuss your collaborative experiences. Share examples of how you've worked with cloud, network, OS, DevOps, and application teams. Also, mention your willingness to support weekend changes and critical deployments to show your commitment.