(IT) Infrastructure DevOps Engineer in Reading

Reading Full-Time No home office possible

Overview

Senior Telco Cloud & Load Balancing Architect (Contract) – Reading, Berkshire, UK. Rate: Negotiable.

Role Overview: We are seeking an experienced Senior Telco Cloud & Load Balancing Architect to lead the design, migration, and rollout of a Telco-grade Private Cloud platform . The role will focus on Red Hat OpenShift , cloud-native networking and load balancing, and large-scale production deployments, ensuring compliance with TSA 2026/2027/2028 regulatory requirements .

You will work closely with internal engineering teams, security, and external vendors to deliver a secure, automated, and repeatable cloud platform supporting multiple tenants and live services.

Key Responsibilities

Lead architecture and design of a Private Telco Cloud, including HLD/LLD, reference architectures, and integration blueprints
Support vendor selection and RFP processes, including technical evaluation criteria, PoCs, sizing, and TCO inputs
Design and deliver Red Hat OpenShift platforms across Production, Test, and R&D environments
Plan and execute migration from Tanzu to OpenShift, including dependency mapping, rollback strategies, and downtime planning
Lead load balancing strategy and migration from AVI to MetalLB across multiple clusters
Define network fabric and CNI designs (Arista/Cisco) for OpenShift and Wind River platforms
Ensure automation-first delivery across build, deployment, upgrades, and life cycle management
Embed TSA regulatory, security, and compliance requirements into all designs and support evidence gathering
Support first-site rollout, service transition, production deployment, and ongoing tenant onboarding
Provide operational handover including runbooks, test plans, and acceptance criteria
Support platform upgrades, tenant scaling, change management, and live service continuity

Required Skills & Experience

Strong experience designing and delivering Telco or Carrier-grade Private Cloud platforms
Hands-on architecture experience with Red Hat OpenShift (production environments)
Proven experience with cloud-native load balancing (MetalLB, AVI, or equivalent)
Deep understanding of networking and network fabric design (IP fabrics, BGP, CNI, Arista/Cisco)
Experience migrating container platforms (e.g. Tanzu OpenShift)
Strong knowledge of HA, DR, capacity planning, and performance design
Experience working in regulated environments (telecoms, critical infrastructure, security standards)
Ability to produce high-quality architecture documentation and support governance processes