At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a 40-strong DevOps team, driving innovation and modernisation in a UK insurer.
- Company: Established UK insurer investing in DevOps and automation.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, annual bonus, hybrid work, and strong corporate benefits.
- Other info: Opportunity to influence strategy and budget in a large-scale transformation.
- Why this job: Shape the future of technology delivery in a dynamic, regulated environment.
- Qualifications: 10+ years in DevOps leadership with enterprise experience and strong team management skills.
The predicted salary is between 120000 - 135000 £ per year.
Salary: £120,000 to £135,000, plus up to 20% annual bonus and a strong corporate benefits package
Location: London, hybrid (2 to 3 days in the office), plus roughly a day a fortnight at their IT hub in Sussex
You’ll run the DevOps and automation function that keeps a UK insurer’s technology delivery moving, a team of around 40 people the business treats as its engine room. Three team leads report to you across the UK and India, looking after the DevOps engineers embedded in the development squads, while four automation product owners cover areas like observability and platform engineering. This is a leadership seat, focused on how the team is structured, deployed and grown as the business changes, so your time goes on people, delivery and direction rather than the pipelines themselves.
The company is a long-established UK insurer with thousands of staff, a few years into a serious push on DevOps and automation. Around 70% of the estate is still legacy technology, so there’s plenty to modernise. The function supports roughly 300 developers and a test team of about 70, with DevOps engineers currently deployed out to each development team to run their pipelines. It’s a regulated environment (FCA), so governance and release reliability count for as much as speed.
They want someone who has led DevOps inside an end-user organisation rather than a career built inside an offshore outsourcer, and who understands DevOps delivered alongside developers, not pure cloud or infrastructure work. If that’s you, this is a broad, senior remit at a business that’s investing properly in the area.
What They’re Looking For:
- Leadership of a sizeable DevOps function spread across the UK and offshore India
- DevOps engineering delivered inside development teams, rather than pure cloud or infrastructure DevOps
- An enterprise or in-house background, not a career built inside an offshore outsourcer
- Infrastructure as Code (Terraform)
- Third-party and vendor management
- 10+ years across DevOps and tooling or automation
What You’ll Work With:
- Ansible
- Self-service environment provisioning
- PaaS and IaaS platforms
- CI/CD governance and release management
- A large legacy estate part-way through modernisation
- UK and India engineering teams plus offshore delivery partners
Nice to Haves:
- Insurance, banking or other regulated-sector experience
- ITIL or Agile certifications
- Experience in large, matrix-managed global organisations
Why Join?
You’ll own a 40-person function end to end, with a budget of around £1 to £1.5m and real say over how the operating model develops as the business modernises. The brief is wide: strategy and roadmap, day-to-day delivery, major programme work, vendor management and budget.
Head of DevOps in London employer: Prism Digital
Prism Digital is an exceptional employer that values innovation and collaboration, offering a dynamic remote work environment where you can thrive as a WordPress Developer. With a strong focus on employee growth, we provide opportunities for skill enhancement and career advancement while working on a high-traffic platform that reaches millions. Join us to be part of a supportive team that encourages creativity and values your contributions to our success.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of DevOps in London
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Prism Digital or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Prism Digital.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Prism Digital.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Prism Digital that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Head of DevOps in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Prism Digital.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Prism Digital and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Prism Digital
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Prism Digital uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
