Site Reliability Engineer

Site Reliability Engineer

Full-Time 65000 - 75000 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
Serco

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Ensure system stability and performance while automating operations and managing incidents.
  • Company: Join Serco, a leader in delivering essential public services globally.
  • Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, pension, discounts, and extensive career development opportunities.
  • Other info: Be part of a diverse team committed to innovation and inclusion.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact on public services while working with cutting-edge technology.
  • Qualifications: Strong programming skills and experience in cloud platforms and automation tools.

The predicted salary is between 65000 - 75000 £ per year.

Hybrid – Attached to our Solihull, London or Hook office

Full Time, Permanent - Participation in on-call rotation

Band 4 / £65,000 - £75,000 (dependent On Experience)

Here at Serco, we’re looking for a Site Reliability Engineer to ensure the stability, availability, and performance of production systems and services across UK&E Digital Services. The role combines software engineering and systems operations to improve resilience, reduce operational overhead, and enable safe, scalable service delivery.

Working within an SRE model, you will apply reliability engineering principles, implement automation, manage incident response, and define SLIs/SLOs to ensure services remain dependable, observable, and performant in production environments.

As Part Of This You’ll:

  • Build automation and tooling to eliminate manual operational tasks and improve service reliability
  • Respond to production incidents, lead root cause analysis, and implement long-term fixes to prevent recurrence
  • Design, implement, and maintain monitoring, observability, and alerting solutions across platforms and services
  • Define and manage SLIs, SLOs, and error budgets to guide reliability and operational decision-making
  • Analyse system performance and capacity trends, ensuring services remain scalable and resilient under load
  • Support safe and reliable change management, including deployments, releases, and production transitions
  • Drive continuous improvement in system reliability through automation, standardisation, and engineering best practice

What You’ll Need To Do The Role:

  • Strong programming and scripting skills (Python, Go, Java, or Ruby)
  • Solid systems engineering experience across Linux/Unix environments and networking fundamentals
  • Cloud platform experience (AWS, Azure, or GCP)
  • Infrastructure as Code tools (Terraform, Ansible) and container platforms (Kubernetes)
  • Observability and monitoring tools (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK, CloudWatch or equivalent)
  • CI/CD pipelines and automated deployment tooling
  • Background in Site Reliability Engineering, DevOps, or production operations
  • Proven experience in incident management and on-call support in live production environments
  • Strong track record of identifying operational inefficiencies and driving automation-led improvements
  • Experience working in complex, distributed systems or enterprise-scale environments
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving capability, particularly under pressure
  • Clear communication skills, able to explain technical issues to non-technical stakeholders
  • Ability to prioritise, adapt, and work effectively in fast-paced environments
  • Proactive mindset with ability to anticipate risks and system failures
  • Experience applying systems engineering principles and contributing to design decisions
  • Strong collaboration skills, building effective relationships across technical and operational teams

What We Offer:

  • Pension – 6%
  • Chance to contribute to innovation in the public services
  • A company passionate about diversity and inclusion
  • Serco discounts which include cinema, merlin entertainment and online shopping discounts, and discounts on mobile phone plans and leisure centre memberships.
  • A range of benefits to support the health and wellbeing of you and your family such as Employee Assistance Programme, Simply Health Cash Plans, and more.
  • A wealth of career development training to suit your future aspirations.
  • A safe and supportive culture.

About Serco:

At Serco, not only is the nature of the work we do important, everyone has an important role to play, from caring for vulnerable people to managing complex public services. We are a team of 50,000 people responsible for delivering essential public services around the world in areas including defence, transport, justice, immigration, healthcare and citizen services. We are innovators, committed to redesigning and improving public services for the benefit of everyone.

By joining Serco you will have unlimited access to our Global Employee Networks – SercoInspire (Gender), SercoEmbrace (Multicultural), SercoUnlimited (Disability) and In@Serco (LGBT & Networks). Serco Employee Networks, led by colleagues who are passionate about diversity, inclusion and belonging. At Serco, we see people first and foremost for their performance and potential. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all.

As such we will make reasonable adjustments at interview through to employment for our candidates and strongly encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool. We are open to discussions around flexibility and flexible working. We operate a hybrid work structure in many of our business areas. We are proudly Disability Confident Leader employers and holder of the Gold Inclusive Employer Standard. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview. At Serco we support fair access to employment for those with unspent criminal convictions through the ‘Ban the Box’ pledge (some may be exempt due to the nature of the role and the security clearance required).

Site Reliability Engineer employer: Serco

Serco is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment in Solihull, London, or Hook, where Site Reliability Engineers can thrive. With a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, employees benefit from a wealth of career development opportunities, a supportive culture, and a range of health and wellbeing benefits. Join us to contribute to meaningful public services while enjoying the flexibility of a hybrid work structure and access to global employee networks.

Serco

Contact Details:

Serco Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Site Reliability Engineer

Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Reach out to current or former employees at Serco on LinkedIn. A friendly chat can give you insider info and maybe even a referral, which can really boost your chances.

Tip Number 2

Prepare for the interview by brushing up on your technical skills. Make sure you can talk confidently about your experience with Python, AWS, and incident management. Practice common SRE scenarios to show you're ready for anything!

Tip Number 3

Show off your problem-solving skills! Be ready to discuss past incidents you've managed and how you improved system reliability. Use specific examples to demonstrate your analytical thinking and proactive mindset.

Tip Number 4

Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining the Serco team.

We think you need these skills to ace Site Reliability Engineer

Programming Skills (Python, Go, Java, Ruby)
Systems Engineering Experience
Linux/Unix Environments
Networking Fundamentals
Cloud Platform Experience (AWS, Azure, GCP)
Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Ansible)
Container Platforms (Kubernetes)

Some tips for your application 🫡

Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Site Reliability Engineer role. Highlight your programming skills, experience with cloud platforms, and any relevant projects that showcase your ability to improve system reliability.

Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills:In your application, don’t just list your technical skills; share specific examples of how you've tackled challenges in production environments. This will help us see your analytical mindset and how you handle pressure.

Be Clear and Concise:When writing your application, keep it straightforward. Use clear language to explain your experience and avoid jargon unless necessary. We want to understand your background without getting lost in technical terms!

Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to submit your application through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it’s super easy to do!

How to prepare for a job interview at Serco

Know Your Tech Stack

Make sure you’re well-versed in the programming languages and tools mentioned in the job description, like Python, Go, or Terraform. Brush up on your knowledge of cloud platforms such as AWS or Azure, and be ready to discuss how you've used these technologies in past projects.

Demonstrate Problem-Solving Skills

Prepare to share specific examples of how you've tackled incidents in production environments. Think about a time when you led a root cause analysis or implemented a long-term fix. This will show your analytical skills and ability to work under pressure.

Showcase Your Automation Experience

Since the role focuses on improving service reliability through automation, come prepared with examples of how you've built automation tools or eliminated manual tasks in previous roles. Highlight any experience with CI/CD pipelines and how they’ve improved efficiency.

Communicate Clearly

You’ll need to explain technical issues to non-technical stakeholders, so practice articulating complex concepts in simple terms. Consider doing mock interviews with friends or colleagues to refine your communication style and ensure clarity.