Lead DevOps Engineer in Manchester

Define Possible at Northrop Grumman UK.

UK CITIZENSHIP REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION: Yes

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE TYPE: UK-Highest Level of Government Clearance

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time

What’s your possible? At Northrop Grumman UK, you are part of a team driving innovation where it matters most – solving tomorrow’s challenges and shaping the technology and solutions of the future. It’s what we call Defining Possible. This mind‑set goes beyond our customer solutions; it’s the foundation for your career development and the impact we have within the community.

The Opportunity: This is more than just a job; it’s a mission. As a Lead DevOps Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in designing, developing and maintaining the critical CI/CD infrastructure that powers our services. You’ll be self‑driven, organised and passionate about building elegant, stable and scalable solutions. You’ll work across a wide variety of exciting projects with complex challenges, contributing to core solutions that have meaningful, real‑world impact. You’ll also bring strong leadership, guiding your team through both technical and delivery challenges to ensure customer needs are met.

What You’ll Do:

• Own the team’s deliverables, working with the Scrum Master to define a clear delivery path aligned to customer requirements.
• Lead and contribute across the entire CI/CD lifecycle, including requirements gathering, design, implementation, testing and deployment.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams, including product, front‑end development and QA, to ensure integrated delivery.
• Mentor and guide junior developers, helping to grow capability and support career development across the team.

What We’re Looking For:

• Experience as a DevOps Engineer with strong expertise in CI/CD, containerisation, deployment technologies, and cloud platforms (Jenkins, Kubernetes, IaC, Docker, AWS).
• Proven experience in designing, developing and deploying CI/CD solutions.
• Experience in Linux system administration or similar operating systems.
• Ability to troubleshoot issues across live production environments, including high‑level networking, server and application issues.
• Understanding of database technologies such as SQL, Elasticsearch or MongoDB.
• Excellent communication, collaboration and problem‑solving skills, ideally with experience working in an agile environment.

If you don’t meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply. We value potential, curiosity and a willingness to learn.

Security Clearance: Due to the nature of our work, you must be British National for this clearance type. You must currently hold the Highest Level of UK Government security clearance.

Benefits:

• Flexible working options, including hybrid working and an optional compressed fortnight.
• Private healthcare.
• Cash health plan.
• Holiday buy/sell scheme.
• Career development programmes and specialist training opportunities.
• Performance‑based bonuses.

Why Join Us?

• A Mission to Believe In: Every day, we help build a more secure and connected world across land, sea, air, space and cyberspace.
• A Place to Belong and Thrive: Every voice matters. You’ll join an inclusive community where you can bring your authentic self to work.
• Your Career, Your Way: Shape your journey with diverse roles, mentorship and development opportunities.

Ready to Apply? Yes – Submit your application online. Possibly – Contact our team for more information. No – Explore other opportunities with us. We’re growing across the UK.

Northrop Grumman is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce, and encourages individuals from all backgrounds and all abilities to apply and consider becoming a part of our diverse and inclusive workforce.