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- Tasks: Lead the reliability and performance of our cloud platforms while enabling rapid feature delivery.
- Company: Join The National College, transforming education with innovative software solutions.
- Benefits: Enjoy life assurance, enhanced parental pay, 24/7 online GP, and a focus on personal development.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with opportunities for growth in a fast-paced environment.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in education by ensuring uptime and efficiency for critical systems.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in DevOps or cloud engineering with strong automation and troubleshooting skills.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 ÂŁ per year.
At The National College, we empower the education workforce to transform children’s lives. Our all-in-one platform helps schools, trusts and nurseries stay compliant, raise standards, and reduce staff workload — all through intuitive, powerful software. If educators need it, we build it. We’ve created a unique platform combining the world’s largest CPD and policy library with custom-built tools — developed in collaboration with thousands of schools and over 1,000 education experts.
The Role
We are looking for a Lead DevOps Engineer to take ownership of the uptime, scalability, security, and efficiency of our customer‑facing platforms, while enabling fast, safe delivery of new features. This is a hands‑on individual contributor role, working closely with the CTO, internal engineering teams, and external technical partners. You will be responsible for the reliability and performance of our cloud infrastructure—primarily in AWS, with some services in Azure. This includes infrastructure as code, CI/CD pipelines, observability, system security, and overall operational excellence. Our platforms support education institutions across the UK and internationally, where uptime, performance, and reliability are critical. This role sits at the heart of maintaining and improving that stability.
We’re looking for someone who thrives in high‑availability environments and takes real ownership of production systems—balancing reliability with the need for rapid, continuous delivery. You will be comfortable:
- Taking end‑to‑end ownership of infrastructure reliability and operational performance
- Balancing production stability with fast, iterative delivery
- Diagnosing and resolving live issues quickly and with precision
- Operating with a high level of independence and sound technical judgement
- Collaborating closely with developers, leadership, and external partners
- Continuously improving automation, systems, and operational practices
This role is well suited to engineers who enjoy solving complex problems, building resilient systems, and working close to real‑world production environments.
Job Requirements
- 5+ years’ experience in DevOps, SRE, or cloud infrastructure engineering
- Proven experience operating and supporting live, business‑critical production systems
- Strong track record of automating infrastructure and deployment processes
- Experience managing high‑availability, scalable cloud environments
- Experience working closely with development teams to enable modern software delivery practices
- Demonstrated ability to diagnose and resolve complex production issues under pressure
Skills and Competencies
- Strong understanding of modern software delivery, infrastructure, and operational practices
- Excellent troubleshooting skills across systems, services, and infrastructure layers
- Deep experience designing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines
- Hands‑on experience with AWS in live production environments (Azure experience beneficial)
- Experience with Infrastructure as Code (e.g. Terraform) and automation practices
- Familiarity with monitoring, logging, and alerting systems to support reliability and incident response
- Experience configuring and running containerised environments (e.g. Docker)
- Experience working with relational databases (ideally MySQL or Aurora)
- Development experience beneficial (e.g. PHP, Laravel, Ruby on Rails, Vue)
- Experience with automated testing frameworks (e.g. PHPUnit, PHPStan, Selenium) is a plus
- Experience with video delivery platforms or learning management systems is advantageous
- Strong attention to detail, particularly in production environments
- Excellent communication, collaboration, and problem‑solving skills
- Ability to work independently and make sound technical decisions
- Comfortable operating in a fast‑paced, high‑availability environment
- Structured and organised approach to incident management and issue resolution
Qualifications
- Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent practical experience
- AWS, Azure, or cloud certifications are desirable but not essential
- DevOps, Kubernetes, or infrastructure‑related certifications are advantageous
Job Benefits
At The National College, we’re passionate about helping organisations grow and thrive through knowledge and connection. You’ll be part of a company that values people, encourages personal development, and celebrates success. You’ll work with people who value collaboration, innovation, and high standards. You’ll also be able to benefit from:
- Life Assurance
- Enhanced Maternity, Paternity, Shared Parental and Adoption Pay
- 24/7 Online GP
- Mental Health
Lead DevOps Engineer employer: The National College
Contact Detail:
The National College Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead DevOps Engineer
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the industry, attend meetups, and engage with online communities. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can refer you directly.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or GitHub repository showcasing your projects and contributions. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do and sets you apart from the crowd.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by practising common DevOps scenarios and technical questions. We recommend doing mock interviews with friends or using online platforms to get comfortable with the format.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining our team at The National College.
We think you need these skills to ace Lead DevOps Engineer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to the Lead DevOps Engineer role. Highlight your experience with AWS, CI/CD pipelines, and any relevant automation practices. We want to see how your skills align with our needs!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Share your passion for education technology and how your background makes you the perfect fit for our team. Let us know why you want to work with us at The National College.
Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills: In your application, don’t forget to mention specific examples of how you've diagnosed and resolved complex production issues. We love seeing candidates who thrive under pressure and can think on their feet!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows you’re keen to join our mission!
How to prepare for a job interview at The National College
✨Know Your Tech Stack
Make sure you’re well-versed in the technologies mentioned in the job description, especially AWS and Azure. Brush up on your experience with CI/CD pipelines and Infrastructure as Code tools like Terraform. Being able to discuss specific projects where you've implemented these technologies will show your hands-on expertise.
✨Demonstrate Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to share examples of complex production issues you've diagnosed and resolved under pressure. Think of a few scenarios where you balanced production stability with rapid delivery. This will highlight your ability to think critically and act decisively in high-stakes situations.
✨Showcase Collaboration Experience
Since this role involves working closely with developers and leadership, be ready to discuss how you've collaborated in past roles. Share specific instances where your teamwork led to successful project outcomes, particularly in high-availability environments. This will demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively and work well with others.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
Prepare thoughtful questions about the company’s approach to DevOps and their current challenges. Inquire about their cloud infrastructure strategies or how they handle incident management. This shows your genuine interest in the role and helps you assess if the company aligns with your career goals.