DevOps Engineer

DevOps Engineer

Full-Time 38219 - 45000 £ / year (est.) No home office possible
Wellcome Sanger Institute

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Join our team to enhance software development efficiency and support cancer genomics.
  • Company: COSMIC, a leading resource in global cancer research.
  • Benefits: Competitive salary, fixed-term contract, and opportunities for professional growth.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact on cancer research while working with cutting-edge DevOps technologies.
  • Qualifications: Experience in CI/CD, Docker, Kubernetes, and strong problem-solving skills.
  • Other info: Collaborative environment with mentorship from senior developers and excellent career advancement opportunities.

The predicted salary is between 38219 - 45000 £ per year.

We are seeking to recruit a passionate DevOps Developer to join our team in developing the infrastructure that enhances the efficiency of our software development lifecycle. You will support the world’s key cancer genomics resource, COSMIC (Catalogue of Somatic Mutations of Cancer).

About The Role

The role contributes to the design and implementation of reliable, scalable, and infrastructure-agnostic deployment pipelines, ensuring high service availability and minimal downtime. Under the guidance of the Senior Software Developer, the postholder will support CI/CD processes, containerisation, monitoring, observability, and the ongoing operation of COSMIC products.

About You

You must be a skilled and passionate DevOps developer. You will care about writing clean, high-quality, readable and maintainable code to support our growing suite of products. You must be a good communicator and be able to understand the goals and aims of the collaborative COSMIC team and its customers of researchers, scientists, and clinicians, globally. The DevOps Developer will play an important role within COSMIC, working closely with Software Developers (web and data), Product Management, and a Senior Developer who will provide technical direction and mentorship.

You will contribute to the deployment and maintenance of COSMIC's enterprise-level infrastructure, helping to implement reliable, clean, and infrastructure-agnostic deployment pipelines with minimal service downtime. Under guidance, you will take hands-on responsibility for CI/CD, containerisation, monitoring, observability, and ongoing maintenance of COSMIC's products. You will have practical experience across core DevOps technologies including Docker, CI/CD, Kubernetes, Logging, and hybrid cloud environments spanning internal infrastructure and external cloud providers such as AWS.

Working within this stack, you will contribute to sustaining and improving architectures that support:

  • A globally resilient, scalable, and secure multi-site web presence serving tens of thousands of users worldwide
  • Hybrid deployment strategies balancing internal infrastructure with cloud-based resilience
  • Continued support for both existing and emerging COSMIC products and their dependent infrastructure

Essential Technical Skills

  • Experience with CI/CD — authoring, maintaining, and evolving pipelines for automated build, test, and deployment workflows
  • Proficiency with Docker — building images, managing containers, and maintaining compose-based or orchestrated deployments in production
  • Experience deploying and managing services on Internal/External virtual machine infrastructure
  • Experience with Kubernetes for container orchestration, including cluster management, scaling, and service configuration
  • Experience configuring load balancers and traffic management solutions (e.g. NGINX, or equivalent)
  • Knowledge of monitoring, alerting, logging and observability
  • Strong Unix/Linux systems knowledge and proficiency in Bash scripting for automation and operational tasks

Essential Competencies And Behaviours

  • Enthusiasm, commitment and attention to detail
  • Ability to prioritise activities and manage the own workload independently
  • Ability to explain technical issues effectively and understandably to non-technical users
  • Ability to work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders at all levels
  • Ability to understand scientific and technical challenges
  • Excellent, broad-based and self-reliant problem-solving skills
  • Shows curiosity and a willingness to learn new technologies, tools, and ways of working
  • Adjusts to changing requirements, priorities, or technical approaches
  • Welcomes feedback from peers and seniors
  • Collaborates effectively with team members and contributes to shared goals

About Us

COSMIC is the key information source in global human cancer research and is growing rapidly in content, scope, and value. This role is due to the evolution and expansion of our web services and products to enable this growth. We make a real difference to scientific research and to cancer patients around the world. We provide excellent opportunities to apply best practices in software development, writing clean code and taking a test-driven development approach. COSMIC data is gathered from a variety of sources, from manual curation to structured repositories into our databases. This position will help provide new websites, generate interactive visualisations of curation data.

Benefits

Salary per annum: £38,219 - £45,000
Contract Type: 3 years Fixed Term Contract
Software Developer job family: Grade 3

DevOps Engineer employer: Wellcome Sanger Institute

At COSMIC, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a collaborative work culture that fosters innovation and personal growth. As a DevOps Engineer, you will play a vital role in supporting groundbreaking cancer research while enjoying competitive salaries, a commitment to best practices in software development, and opportunities for professional development in a supportive environment. Join us in making a meaningful impact on global health and advancing your career in a dynamic and rewarding setting.
Wellcome Sanger Institute

Contact Detail:

Wellcome Sanger Institute Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫

We think this is how you could land DevOps Engineer

✨Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in the industry, attend meetups, and connect with other DevOps enthusiasts. 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 GitHub profile showcasing your projects, especially those involving CI/CD, Docker, and Kubernetes. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do and how you tackle real-world problems.

✨Tip Number 3

Prepare for interviews by brushing up on your technical knowledge and soft skills. Be ready to discuss your experience with deployment pipelines and containerisation, and don’t forget to highlight your ability to communicate complex ideas clearly.

✨Tip Number 4

Apply through our website! We love seeing passionate candidates who are eager to join our mission at COSMIC. Tailor your application to reflect your enthusiasm for cancer research and how your skills align with our goals.

We think you need these skills to ace DevOps Engineer

CI/CD
Docker
Kubernetes
Unix/Linux Systems
Bash Scripting
Monitoring and Observability
Traffic Management Solutions (e.g. NGINX)
Problem-Solving Skills
Attention to Detail
Collaboration
Communication Skills
Adaptability
Technical Direction
Infrastructure Management

Some tips for your application 🫡

Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that match the DevOps role. Highlight your experience with CI/CD, Docker, and Kubernetes, as these are key for us at COSMIC.

Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Use your cover letter to tell us why you're passionate about DevOps and how you can contribute to our mission. Share specific examples of your work that demonstrate your problem-solving skills and attention to detail.

Showcase Your Communication Skills: Since we value good communication, make sure to highlight any experience you have in explaining technical concepts to non-technical audiences. This will show us that you can collaborate effectively within our team.

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 this exciting opportunity at COSMIC!

How to prepare for a job interview at Wellcome Sanger Institute

✨Know Your Tech Stack

Make sure you’re well-versed in the core DevOps technologies mentioned in the job description, like Docker, Kubernetes, and CI/CD processes. Brush up on your practical experience with these tools, as you might be asked to discuss specific scenarios where you've used them.

✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills

Prepare to share examples of how you've tackled technical challenges in the past. Think about situations where you had to troubleshoot issues or improve deployment pipelines, and be ready to explain your thought process clearly.

✨Communicate Effectively

Since the role requires collaboration with various stakeholders, practice explaining complex technical concepts in simple terms. This will demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively with non-technical team members, which is crucial for the role.

✨Demonstrate Your Passion for Learning

Be prepared to discuss new technologies or tools you’re interested in and how you keep your skills updated. Showing enthusiasm for continuous learning will resonate well with the interviewers, especially in a rapidly evolving field like DevOps.

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