Cloud Platform Engineer

Howdens Joinery has an exciting new opportunity in the Cloud Team. We are looking for a new Cloud Platform Engineer to design, develop, test and deploy solutions to improve collaboration and productivity of the development teams by automating infrastructure, automating workflows and continuously measuring and improving application performance.

This is a full time, permanent opportunity based from either our office in Brackmills business park, Northampton or Raunds, Northamptonshire with some home working.

We welcome applications from candidates seeking either full-time or part-time hours (minimum 30 hours per week).

What you will be doing as a Cloud Platform Engineer:

• You will be responsible for creating, maintaining and deploying secure, high-available, fault-tolerant systems at scale via on-premise and cloud-native architectures for development, testing and production environments.
  
• Developing and maintain solutions for operational administration, system/data backup, disaster recovery and security/performance monitoring
  
• Deploy and maintain CI/CD pipelines across multiple environments to maximize efficiency and optimise for flow therefore allowing the delivery teams to deploy new code daily.
  
• Help to develop policies, standards, governance, and related guidance for teams in using the CI/CD pipelines.
  
• Work with architects to design scalable infrastructure and systems for complex applications.
  
• Collaborate with Release Manager in the release planning, by identifying deployment steps and other activities that must be undertaken prior and post deployment;
  
• Responsible for developing and supporting container-based solutions using Kubernetes/Docker for Azure Cloud.
  
  What we need from you:
  
  
• Broad experience within the Cloud Technologies and Platforms, including but not limited to:
  
  
• Azure Cloud
  
• Azure DevOps (or other CI/CD GIT platforms)
  
• Azure Active Directory (Identity Management, Service Principles, Security Groups, Role Management, MFA)
  
• Key Vault
  
• Cloud Security and Connectivity (vNet, DNS, Firewalls, Express Route / Direct Connect, VPN, GTM, NSG)
  
• Subscription Management (Resource Groups, cost management)
  
• Cloud Monitoring
  
• Shared Services (Kubernetes, API Management)
  
• CDN (Akamai)
  
• High Availability (Zones and Regions, Service Recovery)
  
  
• Experience with infrastructure-as-code and Configuration management tools e.g. Terraform, Chef, Puppet, Ansible, Azure.
  
• Practical experience with containerization and clustering technologies i.e., Docker/Kubernetes.
  
• Experience of building automated CI/CD pipelines with tools such as SonarQube, Fortify, Selenium, etc.
  
• Excellent communicator, able to influence decision makers and work successfully in cross-functional teams
  
  What we can offer you:
  
  
• Competitive salary and annual company bonus
  
• Excellent pension scheme (company contribution of up to 12%)
  
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays with the option to buy additional days
  
• Staff Discount.
  
• Exceptional Reward and Recognition events.
  
  About Howdens:
  
  Howdens Joinery is the UK’s number one trade kitchen supplier providing thousands of products across kitchens, joinery, and hardware.  We have over 900 depots throughout the UK and Europe – making us the first choice for more than 460,000 loyal trade professionals.  Last year our sales reached circa 2.3bn, and we have an ambitious growth agenda. 
  
  As well as the opportunity to develop within a fast paced and commercial environment, you will be part of a rewarding organisation recognised for excellence in the workplace in the Best Big Companies to Work For.
  
  How to apply
  
  We’re building a future where world-class service, innovation, and sustainability are embedded within our DNA. If Howdens sounds like the kind of place where you can build and develop your career, then we’re keen to hear from you. 
  
  Howdens is founded on the principle of being Worthwhile for ALL concerned. We’re working hard to ensure we provide an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome. We will do everything we can to support you during your application. If you need us to make any adjustments to our recruitment process, please email (url removed) with the job title and location, and we will be happy to help you. 
  
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