At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead technical delivery for public-facing digital services and drive continuous improvement.
- Company: Join the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, a key player in digital transformation.
- Benefits: Enjoy a generous pension, 25 days leave, flexible working, and a great work-life balance.
- Other info: Opportunity for career growth and professional development in a dynamic government setting.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on digital services while developing your skills in a supportive environment.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in cloud delivery and leadership within mixed maturity teams.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
Location: Bristol, Swansea, Leeds, Nottingham, Newcastle, Oldham, Birmingham or Yeading.
About the Job
We are seeking a Senior Platform Engineer to take a pivotal role in the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). You will drive technical delivery for large-scale, public-facing digital services, ensuring they are resilient, secure and cost-effective, with a mandate for continuous improvement. This senior role focuses on delivering digital change and embedding a code-first approach to infrastructure. You will contribute to and support the implementation of enterprise technical strategy and standards across a mixed-discipline team operating key digital services. Your expertise in Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) is essential for establishing consistent standards and an efficient path-to-live. You will ensure alignment with the Principal Cloud Engineer’s strategy while also helping shape delivery. Our core platform relies on AWS, though knowledge across multiple cloud providers (Azure) and integrations (GitHub Actions etc.) is advantageous. We require an engineer with the leadership skills to guide teams with mixed maturity, elevating performance and embedding high engineering standards.
Can you …
- Champion and enforce DevOps principles and a code-first approach to infrastructure design and automation.
- Provide technical direction and hands-on implementation to the wider scrum team, ensuring alignment with the Principal Cloud Engineer’s strategy.
- Engage effectively with engineers, developers and testers across the delivery lifecycle, including those with varying technical maturity, to improve engineering practices.
Do you …
- Possess deep expertise in AWS and strong knowledge of wider technology stacks and practices, including Linux, CICD, Docker, GitHub Actions, AWS Landing Zone, Puppet (optional) and Jenkins (optional).
- Demonstrate exceptional leadership, pragmatism, analytical and influencing skills, with a track record of high-performance Agile delivery in mixed-maturity teams.
Have you …
- A proven background in driving excellence in digital delivery, standardisation and technical governance within a scrum team, explicitly leveraging IaC for infrastructure implementation and automation.
- Experience designing, implementing and maintaining cost-effective, resilient cloud-based digital infrastructure.
Joining Our Department Comes With Many Benefits, Including:
- Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary.
- 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays and a privilege day for the King’s birthday.
- Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.
Job Description
Your responsibilities will include, but aren’t limited to:
- Hands-On Technical Delivery & Strategic Alignment: Provide hands-on technical direction and influence in project teams, ensuring their work is consistently aligned with the Principal Cloud Engineer's technical strategy and Civil Service values.
- Standardisation & Governance: Adhere and continue to mature the definition, and enforcement of DevOps standards and procedures across the delivery lifecycle (IaC, CI/CD). Continuously review and provide hands-on assurance of the designs of others to embed security controls and high standards.
- Team Specialism Contribution: Act as a cloud and DevOps Subject Matter Expert to proactively collaborate and mentor other team members. This will include those with varying maturity levels, fostering a continuous learning environment and providing practical, technical support.
- Hands-On Cloud & Security Design: Contribute proactively to the design and architecture of highly available, cost-effective and secure services on major cloud platforms (specifically AWS, with Azure awareness), ensuring solutions meet performance targets and business needs.
- Infrastructure Automation (IaC) Implementation: Drive the code-first implementation and hands-on automation of infrastructure using configuration management tools like Terraform and Puppet, prioritising and executing automation opportunities to improve delivery efficiency.
- End-To-End Delivery and Environment Ownership: Take hands-on technical ownership of the service journey from concept to live deployment, including the management, maintenance, and patching of pre-production environments to ensure a smooth, secure, and effective path-to-live. This should follow robust Agile and Scrum principles.
- Live Service Resolution & Support: Act as a recognised Subject Matter Expert to provide technical guidance and work hands-on with Service Management functions, leading the resolution of complex live technical issues and managing maintenance programmes.
- Process Optimisation & Stakeholder Engagement: Actively participate in Agile ceremonies and delivery processes, collaborating with senior stakeholders, Product Owners, and cross-functional stakeholders to align technical solutions with business goals and drive continuous process optimisation.
Person specification
Required Experience:
- Experience showing leadership qualities within a scrum team to deliver technical excellence meeting the business requirements.
- Experience of cloud delivery and contributing to wider cloud maturity with mixed maturity teams.
- Experience delivering large scale, complex cloud deliverables in a highly regulated environment.
Additional Information
If successful you will be required to undergo BPSS, and may also be required to gain SC clearance once in post.
Government Digital and Data Allowance: The role is part of the Government Digital and Data (or Government Security Profession Career Framework) profession and utilises an enhanced Capability-Based Pay Framework which provides access to a Digital and Data allowance. The base pay is £44,241. In addition to this the role includes a Digital and Data allowance of up to £14,756.
Senior Platform Engineer - Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency - SEO in Manchester employer: Manchester Digital
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment across various locations including Bristol, Swansea, and Leeds. With a strong commitment to employee growth, the DVSA provides extensive benefits such as a generous pension contribution, flexible working options, and increasing annual leave, fostering a culture of work-life balance and continuous learning. As a Senior Platform Engineer, you will play a crucial role in shaping digital services while enjoying the support of a collaborative team dedicated to high engineering standards and innovation.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Platform Engineer - Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency - SEO in Manchester
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We think you need these skills to ace Senior Platform Engineer - Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency - SEO in Manchester
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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 Manchester Digital.
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 Manchester Digital. 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 Manchester Digital
✨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.
