Department for work and pensions (dwp)
Infrastructure Engineer
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Engineering
Information Technology
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About the job
Benefits
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About the job
Job summary
Please note this role requires you to pass Security Check clearance. For further information, please see ‘Selection process details’.
Are you a talented and highly skilled Infrastructure Engineer who can deliver the Cloud Infrastructure in a safe, secure and reliable manner using Infrastructure as a code? Are you passionate about delivering digital solutions at scale using cutting edge technologies and work in a supported and established team?
If so, this role could be an excellent opportunity for you.
The Garage is an established service providing DWP with a range of automation capabilities including but not limited to Robotics Process Automation, Computer Vision, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, Generative AI and Deep Learning for Digital and Operational colleagues to support, enable, enhance and accelerate digital and service transformation.
To date, The Garage has developed and deployed over 80 solutions that have processed over 57 million transactions. Recognised as a government leader in intelligent automation, The Garage is also acknowledged as leading the way across industry and it is one of the largest IT environments in the Civil Service.
The Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information (EESSI) is a central platform to which national social security institutions connect to exchange information between each other. The exchanged information covers all 8 branches of social security coordination, which are sickness benefits, accidents at work and occupational disease benefits, family benefits, old-age pensions, pre-retirement and invalidity benefits, unemployment benefits. The institutions use the system to route structured electronic documents to their counterparties following agreed business processes (also known as “Business Use Cases”).
The EESSI initiative aims to improve the cross-border communication between the national social security institutions of 32 countries by supporting an efficient transition to electronic exchange of data in order to reduce the period of co-existence of digital exchange with current paper procedures, and by increasing overall efficiency in social security coordination activity.
We currently have another vacancy within the team for a role at a higher grade – Senior Infrastructure Engineer (Grade 7).
If you feel like you meet the criteria, see the advert ref 385766.
Job description
As an experienced Infrastructure Engineer, you will be responsible for creating Infrastructure solutions using Architecture and Engineering principles with a focus on Operational stability, robustness, resilience, and availability of the services. You will be part of Live Services Infrastructure team who will be collaborating with multiple fast-paced delivery teams, test engineers, build engineers and Live Services support teams.
The Infrastructure Engineer will have a deep technical knowledge of the platform and understanding of various technologies and tools to be able to create solutions using ‘Infrastructure as a code’. You will also have strong experience in troubleshooting and resolving infrastructure issues promptly, ensuring minimal disruption to critical services and pursue perfection to eliminate the root cause where possible.
You will be adept in implementing robust monitoring with proactive alerting of the events ahead of a potential incident, that could be intervened and averted. You will demonstrate a solid knowledge of networking, server administrations and virtualization technologies as well as proficiency in supporting Windows, Linux operating systems.
To help you really make a difference, you’ll be using the best tools and equipment for the job. We plan and track work in Jira, document in SharePoint, collaborate using Teams and Slack, build and deploy code using GitLab, use best-in-class cloud services from Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure.
To support you in your role, you’ll have access to some fantastic learning and development resources; conferences with industry expert speakers, comprehensive instructor-led training, and subscriptions to digital training solutions. You will also have access to support through direct Slack channels with our partners such as AWS, Microsoft, UiPath and MongoDB for every day on the job learning.
You will
- Design and implement infrastructure services within AWS or Azure Cloud, collaborate with seniors and team leads and assist junior infrastructure engineers.
- Provide specialist technical support and assistance to projects ensuring definition and delivery of requisite non-functional requirements to architectural and roadmap developments.
- Troubleshoot and resolve incidents, problems. Assess the change impact, plan and deliver changes safely with clear backout strategy.
- Provide technical support and assistance to the delivery teams and other stakeholders.
- Manage and update risk register for the technical area, provide reports of Service performance to Senior Infrastructure Engineer against agreed KPIs.
- Emphasis on cost optimization and Fin-Ops techniques to deliver cost-effective solutions and yet maintain robust, scalable solutions.
There may be a requirement to join an “on-call” rota providing night cover 18:00-08:00 with occasional shifts 08:00-18:00 Saturday or Sunday. The cover is shared around the team and would normally equate to one shift per week.
Person specification
When giving details in your employment history and personal statement you should highlight your experience in line with essential criteria below:
- (Lead Criteria) Experience in Cloud Compute Services – Azure VM or AWS EC2, Autoscaling, AWS CloudFormation/ Azure Resource Manager/ Terraform Infrastructure as a Code, knowledge of parameters, functions
- Knowledge on Lifecycle Hooks, volumes and snapshots management, AMI creation using Image Builder or Packer, bootstrapping/user data execution
- Knowledge of GIT, branching strategies, merging, push, pull requests/ Create and manage CI/CD pipelines
- Knowledge of AWS VPC or Azure VNET – Creating and managing private networks, Subnets, Security Groups, Network ACLs, Peering
- Operating System – Knowledge of Amazon Linux/Red Hat/CentOS, Bash scripting and fundamentals, knowledge on management of Windows Server 2012R2, Windows Server 2016/2019, PowerShell Scripting – including installation of tooling and other software in a non-interactive manner
If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact richard.hanley@dwp.gov.uk.
Technical skills
We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- (Lead Criteria) Experience in Cloud Compute Services – Azure VM or AWS EC2, Autoscaling, AWS CloudFormation/ Azure Resource Manager/ Terraform Infrastructure as a Code, knowledge of parameters, functions.
Benefits
We also have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:
- Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
- Generous annual leave – at least 23 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
- Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
- Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
- Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year’s continuous service.
- Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
- An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.
This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.
Salary Information
Pay for this role is from £42,614 to £45,081.
The maximum salary for the grade is £45,081, however a Digital Allowance of up to £8,266 per annum is available for exceptional candidates. Digital Allowance is non-salary, and non-pensionable, and is classed as a temporary allowance. It is reviewed annually where it could be retained, amended, or removed.
Our offer to successful candidates will be based on an assessment of your skills and experience as demonstrated at interview.
Existing Civil Servants who secure a new role on lateral transfer should maintain their current salary.
Existing Civil Servants who gain promotion may move to the bottom of the grade pay scale or 10% increase in salary whichever would be the greater.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Stage 1: Application
Your application will consist of 4 parts:
1. A Personal Details application form.
2. Your employment history detailing your responsibilities, skills, accomplishments, plus your qualifications and relevant training. Please copy this information into the box field provided.
3. An initial 250-word technical statement on the lead criteria:
- (Lead Criteria) Experience in Cloud Compute Services – Azure VM or AWS EC2, Autoscaling, AWS CloudFormation/ Azure Resource Manager/ Terraform Infrastructure as a Code, knowledge of parameters, functions.
An initial sift will be conducted using the 250 word technical statement stated above. Candidates who pass the initial sift will progress to a full sift.
4. Personal statement up to 1000 words. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
When giving details in your employment history and personal statement you should highlight your experience in line with essential criteria listed in the Person Specification.
The sift panel will use the information in your employment history and personal statement to assess your experience, skills and knowledge against the essential criteria above.
For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital.
Applications will be sifted at regular intervals from the date the posts are advertised. Please apply as soon as you can, do not wait until the end of the campaign.
Important Information
- You will be asked to complete your employment history any information that you would customarily share on a CV should therefore be entered onto the application form.
- Personal details that could be used to identify you including your name, contact details and address must be removed for your application to be considered.
- If your employment history/personal statement contains any personal details your application will be withdrawn.
Stage 2: Interview
If you’re successful at sift stage you will be invited to a video interview via Microsoft Teams. There, you will be assessed against the experiences listed in the essential criteria.
Sift dates to be confirmed.
Interviews will take place from end of January 2025.
Further information:
Find out more about Working for DWP
For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital.
A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.
All successful candidates and those placed on reserve will be posted in merit list order by location.
Security Clearance Requirement
You must meet the security requirements before you can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check.
For meaningful checks to be carried out, you will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time, to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. Whilst a lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance, and expectation of UK residency may range from 3 to 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements needed for the role may result in the withdrawal of provisional jobs offers.
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Applications will be screened and if evidence of plagiarism or copying examples/answers from other sources is found, your application will be withdrawn. Internal DWP candidates may also face disciplinary action.
Reasonable Adjustment
At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce.
We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: Contact Government Recruitment Service via DigitalRecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
For further information on reasonable adjustments, terms and conditions and how we recruit visit the How We Recruit page.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team