DevOps Engineer (with Systems Administration)

DevOps Engineer (with Systems Administration)

Full-Time 65000 - 65000 £ / year (est.) No working from home possible
Zoocha Ltd

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Shape and maintain Zoocha’s cloud infrastructure while leading DevOps initiatives.
  • Company: Join a vibrant digital agency with a collaborative culture and a focus on innovation.
  • Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, remote work options, and opportunities for professional growth.
  • Other info: Be part of a certified Great Place to Work with exciting team events and career development.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact in a fast-paced environment while working with cutting-edge technology.
  • Qualifications: Experience in DevOps and systems administration, with a passion for automation and security.

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

Salary: Up to £65,000 (depending on experience) + on call compensation

Location: Hertford

Applicants must hold a valid visa or work permit.

We are looking for a Senior DevOps Engineer / Systems Administrator to play a key role in shaping, maintaining, and evolving Zoocha’s cloud infrastructure and internal systems estate. This is a DevOps-first role with responsibility for both hands-on delivery and technical ownership across hosting platforms, CI/CD, and other internal systems. You will ensure that Zoocha’s infrastructure is secure, scalable, resilient, and aligned with best practice, while contributing to the ongoing evolution of our platform, tooling, and operational processes.

You will operate as a senior member of the DevOps team, taking ownership of critical systems, leading improvements, and supporting less experienced team members. You will also play a key role in evolving Zoocha’s use of AI-enabled tooling across DevOps and engineering workflows, ensuring that AI is used safely, effectively, and in alignment with our governance standards.

As Zoocha continues to grow, the scale and complexity of our hosting platforms, operational tooling, and engineering workflows continues to increase. We are looking to strengthen the DevOps department with a senior engineer who can take ownership of key clients, contribute to strategic initiatives, and help evolve our overall DevOps capability as the organisation grows. This role will help rebalance client and operational responsibilities across the team.

By introducing additional senior DevOps Engineer / Systems Administrator capacity, we can ensure that operational responsibilities such as infrastructure provisioning, internal systems administration, and day-to-day DevOps activities are consistently owned and delivered, while maintaining momentum on platform evolution, security improvements, automation, and broader strategic initiatives.

The role also supports the wider strategic direction of the DevOps team by enabling continued investment in automation, security, developer experience, infrastructure consistency, and operational scalability across the organisation.

About Zoocha: Founded in 2009, Zoocha is a leading Drupal specialist digital agency based in the UK, with offices in Spain and Brazil. Over 80 passionate thinkers, makers, and doers working across a range of disciplines including UX, strategy, design, development, hosting, project management, and support. We’re a friendly, lively, and fast-paced place to work, with regular team nights out and a wide range of social events on offer across our three offices – and we’re a certified Great Place to Work, too. We’re certified in ISO 27001, ISO 27701, Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus, ICO, ISO 9001, ISO 22301, FSQS, JOSCAR, ISO 14001 and are Carbon Neutral Britain certified.

Our work and clients: We build long-lasting, collaborative relationships with clients and push them, ourselves, and the world around us forward through the work we do together. With over 50 Drupal clients, our work is varied, but we have a focus on the not-for-profit, government, education, and travel sectors. Current clients include: University College London, University of Portsmouth, Oxfam, Topdeck Travel, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, United Nations, Ofsted.

Key areas of responsibility

  • DevOps and Infrastructure Operations (Primary Focus): Taking ownership of defined operational infrastructure, hosting, and CI/CD responsibilities across Zoocha’s client and internal platforms, working collaboratively as part of the wider DevOps team. Managing infrastructure provisioning, configuration, maintenance, and operational support activities across cloud-hosted environments and associated tooling. Maintaining reliable, repeatable, and secure operational processes through the use of automation, infrastructure-as-code, runbooks, and standardised workflows. Monitoring infrastructure health and alerts, responding to operational issues appropriately, and escalating or coordinating wider investigation where required. Leading or contributing to operational incident investigation, troubleshooting, and resolution activities across infrastructure and hosting platforms. Supporting operational resilience through effective documentation, knowledge sharing, process improvement, and reduction of single points of dependency. Contributing to the ongoing evolution of Zoocha’s infrastructure standards, operational tooling, and hosting platform capabilities.
  • CI/CD, Tooling and Platform Support: Managing, supporting and improving Zoocha’s CI/CD pipelines, deployment tooling, and associated operational platforms. Supporting reliable and consistent deployment workflows across development, staging, and production environments. Investigating and resolving infrastructure, deployment, and pipeline-related issues across client and internal platforms. Contributing to improvements in deployment reliability, operational efficiency, observability, and developer experience. Supporting the ongoing development and maintenance of automation, scripting, and operational tooling used across the DevOps function. Working collaboratively with development and QA teams to improve deployment consistency, release confidence, and platform usability.
  • Monitoring, Security and Operational Readiness: Maintaining and improving infrastructure monitoring, alerting, logging, and operational visibility across Zoocha platforms. Supporting operational security activities, including patching, access management, configuration review, vulnerability remediation, and security hardening. Participating in operational incident response, root cause analysis, and service recovery activities in line with established DevOps and Service Desk processes. Supporting operational alignment with Zoocha’s ISO-certified Business Management Systems, including audit readiness, evidence gathering, and compliance-related operational controls. Contributing to operational resilience, service continuity, and platform reliability through proactive maintenance and continuous improvement activities.
  • Developer Experience and Continuous Improvement: Participating in developer experience (DX) initiatives aimed at improving local development, deployment workflows, and operational tooling. Identifying opportunities to reduce manual effort through automation or improved processes. Contributing to Zoocha Continuous Improvement (ZCI) and Strategic Initiative (ZSI) workstreams where appropriate, particularly those related to DevOps tooling, platforms, or workflows.
  • Systems Administration and Internal IT (Secondary Responsibility): Supporting the provisioning and lifecycle management of team member devices using Zoocha’s device management platforms (e.g., JumpCloud, Landscape). Administering internal SaaS platforms, including user access, permissions, and policy management. Managing endpoint security tooling, such as antivirus and endpoint protection platforms. Ensuring device, access, and system changes align with Zoocha’s security, governance, and compliance requirements. Maintaining accurate records and documentation for internal systems and assets.
  • Compliance and Business Systems Support (as needed): Supporting operational aspects of Zoocha’s ISO-certified Business Management Systems, including evidence gathering and system checks. Assisting with Cyber Essentials Plus readiness from an operational and tooling perspective.

Preferred Experience: Infrastructure-as-Code tooling, particularly Terraform.

DevOps Engineer (with Systems Administration) employer: Zoocha Ltd

Zoocha is an exceptional employer, offering a vibrant and collaborative work culture in Hertford, where employees are encouraged to grow and innovate within a supportive team environment. With a focus on continuous improvement and professional development, Zoocha provides opportunities for meaningful contributions to impactful projects across various sectors, while also promoting a healthy work-life balance through regular social events and a commitment to employee well-being. As a certified Great Place to Work, Zoocha not only values its people but also invests in their future, making it an ideal choice for those seeking a rewarding career in DevOps.

Zoocha Ltd

Contact Details:

Zoocha Ltd Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land DevOps Engineer (with Systems Administration)

Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections on LinkedIn or at industry events. We all know that sometimes it’s not just what you know, but who you know that can help you land that dream job.

Tip Number 2

Prepare for the interview by researching Zoocha and its projects. Show us you’re genuinely interested in our work and how you can contribute to our DevOps team. Tailor your answers to reflect our values and mission.

Tip Number 3

Practice makes perfect! Run through common interview questions with a friend or in front of the mirror. We want to see your confidence shine when discussing your experience and skills related to DevOps and systems administration.

Tip Number 4

Don’t forget to follow up after your interview! A quick thank-you email can go a long way in showing your enthusiasm for the role. Plus, it keeps you fresh in our minds as we make our decision.

We think you need these skills to ace DevOps Engineer (with Systems Administration)

DevOps
Systems Administration
Cloud Infrastructure Management
CI/CD Pipelines
Infrastructure-as-Code
Automation
Monitoring and Alerting

Some tips for your application 🫡

Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV is tailored to the DevOps Engineer role. Highlight your experience with cloud infrastructure, CI/CD, and any relevant tools you've used. We want to see how your skills align with what we're looking for!

Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Share your passion for DevOps and how you can contribute to Zoocha’s mission. Be sure to mention any experience with AI-enabled tooling or operational improvements.

Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills:In your application, give examples of how you've tackled challenges in previous roles. We love candidates who can demonstrate their ability to lead improvements and support team members, so don’t hold back!

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 on joining our team!

How to prepare for a job interview at Zoocha Ltd

Know Your Tech Inside Out

Make sure you’re well-versed in the technologies mentioned in the job description, especially around cloud infrastructure, CI/CD, and Infrastructure-as-Code tools like Terraform. Brush up on your hands-on experience and be ready to discuss specific projects where you've implemented these technologies.

Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills

Prepare to share examples of how you've tackled operational issues or improved processes in previous roles. Think about times when you led incident investigations or enhanced deployment workflows, as these experiences will demonstrate your ability to contribute to Zoocha’s operational resilience.

Emphasise Team Collaboration

Zoocha values teamwork, so be ready to talk about how you’ve worked with cross-functional teams, particularly with development and QA. Highlight any initiatives you’ve been part of that improved developer experience or operational efficiency, as this aligns with their focus on collaboration.

Align with Their Values

Familiarise yourself with Zoocha’s mission and values, especially their commitment to security and compliance. Be prepared to discuss how you can contribute to maintaining their ISO certifications and improving operational processes, showing that you’re not just a tech whiz but also a cultural fit.