DevOps Engineer Liverpool, England
Job description
DevOps Engineer
DevOps Engineer
National Oceanography Centre, Southampton or Liverpool
Permanent
Full time (37 hours per week)
£39,868 - £43,735
Who are we?
We are the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) - the UK's centre of excellence for oceanographic sciences. We are a national research organisation, delivering integrated marine science and technology from the coast to the deep ocean.
We are made up of a dynamic and vibrant community whose focus is on improving the world in which we live. Our work is balanced by our strong sense of purpose, values and behaviours and an unwavering commitment to a ‘one NOC’ approach.
We have a rich history dating back to 1949, and our future has never looked more exciting as we aim to be the world’s most innovative oceanographic institution.
About the role
We are recruiting a DevOps Engineer to join our Command and Control (C2) team within the Marine and Autonomous Robotics Systems group (MARS). The team is currently made up of 7 people including software engineers and researchers. Our expertise ranges from the latest front-end technologies to AI algorithms, and we really value a diverse range of backgrounds and experience. The range of expertise within the team allows us to be involved in a very broad portfolio of activities, from developing user-friendly UIs to designing abstract frameworks to enable the deployment of innovative AI systems to control un-crewed robots for oceanographic research.
The C2 team develops web-based systems to remotely control and interact with autonomous underwater and surface robots. Our systems control our robots whilst deployed anywhere in the world and facilitate the transfer and processing of scientific and engineering data in near real time. This data then contributes to different leading scientific programmes and international data centres, informing scientific endeavours from climate change studies to under ice exploration.
We develop our systems using microservices and the single-page application, containerizing and deploying them in an internal Kubernetes cluster. We use Gitlab CI and Ansible to help us manage our code deployments. The ideal candidate will have previous DevOps experience. Some knowledge of the technologies we already use is desirable but not a must as we are looking for someone that will help the team to improve processes and practices; you will work with the team to streamline our testing and deployment pipelines, write good documentation around the processes, and help us to support other groups to use our developed infrastructure. Ideally you will have some knowledge and passion about Open Source, as we aspire to open a significant part of our code and infrastructure, and we would like you to be a significant contributor to that. Above all, we’re most interested in a curiosity and ability to learn about new software technology, and an aptitude for collaborating with others in a diverse multi-disciplinary environment.
This role will be mainly “desk-based”, but there will be occasional opportunities to attend field operations or support other teams within the MARS group onboard our research ships. These operations inherently involve multidisciplinary work, collaborating with engineers from other disciplines to test new technology, from new robots and sensors to trialling innovative AI control systems.
We envision this role to be based in Southampton, but depending on the candidate the Liverpool site will be considered.
About you
You will enjoy working within a team, sharing, and debating ideas and best practice. We develop our systems as a team, and we value all team members equally. Your ideas will help to shape our systems from day 1. The C2 team culture promotes respect and inclusivity among its members.
You will be familiar with our stack of software technologies or have relevant experience as a DevOps engineer using modern automation techniques to streamline processes, and you will be able to apply your current knowledge, adapting to the technologies we use.
You will be an engineer that enjoys designing processes and is comfortable working with other engineers in friendly environment, helping to find issues and collaborating with your colleagues to produce high quality solutions. We have a no-blame culture, and we believe sharing and collaborating is the only way to create truly great software.
You will be ready to learn and share your knowledge, helping the team to continuously develop and improve our internal working practices, workflows, and culture.
Why the NOC?
We offer a generous set of benefits including 28 days annual leave, plus 3.5 local closure days and 8 public bank holidays, and a contributory Group Personal Pension Plan.
We promote an inclusive and supportive environment where our people can meet their full potential.
The NOC is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. There is a guaranteed interview scheme for suitable candidates with a disability and we welcome applications from ethnic minorities currently under-represented. The NOC is an Investors in People organisation.
Location
This position can be based in Southampton or Liverpool. Our Southampton site is well connected by public transport and has ample cycle parking in addition to free onsite car-parking. The Liverpool centre is part of the University campus and is only a short walk from the city centre and Lime Street station.
The NOC has a hybrid working approach where for most positions staff can work from home up to 2 days per week. If you are interested in this position, but require a more flexible working arrangement, please contact the recruitment team using the contact details below.
We can support visa applications where required. For overseas applicants who are willing to move to the UK we may be able to offer financial support with relocation.
How to apply:
Please click ‘Apply for this job’ and submit an up-to-date CV and cover letter. If you are unable to apply online, please contact the NOC recruitment team at [email protected] / 07355 676794
Before submitting your application please ensure you have reviewed the attached job description and person specification.
Date advert posted: 12/06/2023
Closing date: 14/07/2023. Please note this vacancy may close earlier depending on the number of applicants.
Please note we are not accepting applications via recruitment agencies for this position.
Assessing applications
All applications to the NOC are reviewed by a real-life person, not a computer programme. Attached to our adverts you will find a ‘Job Description and Person Specification’ document which clearly sets out the criteria against which applications are assessed. Once assessed the most suitable candidates will be invited to interview.
If you have been selected for interview we will be in touch to arrange a time and date. If you haven’t been selected for interview we will let you know, although we may not be able to give detailed feedback to every applicant.
