• Lead DevOps Engineer – Azure Data Platform
• 6-Month Contract
• Hybrid – Newcastle or Leeds
• £450–£500 Inside IR35

We are seeking a Lead DevOps Engineer to take ownership of our Microsoft Azure Data Platform strategy and lead a team of engineers in delivering high-quality, scalable solutions. This is a hands-on leadership role, combining technical expertise with the ability to mentor, manage, and inspire a growing DevOps capability.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and Manage a team of DevOps and Data Engineers, providing direction, mentorship, and performance support.
• Drive the development, support, and optimisation of solutions across Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse Analytics, and Azure Data Lake.
• Design and oversee Infrastructure and Configuration as Code using Terraform, ensuring best practices and governance are followed.
• Own and optimise CI/CD pipelines (preferably in GitLab CI, with Azure DevOps experience welcomed).
• Collaborate with stakeholders to define platform strategy, taking ownership of initiatives (e.g. proof-of-concepts, test-and-learn assignments) and delivering them successfully.
• Work closely with product owners and senior leadership to shape the technical roadmap for the Azure data platform.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, driving automation, reliability, and scalability across the engineering function.
• Troubleshoot and optimise workloads across Unix/Linux/Windows environments, including scripting where required.
• Champion agile DevOps principles, leading by example in a Scrum/Kanban environment.

Essential Skills & Experience:

• Proven experience leading and managing engineering teams, including mentoring and developing team members.
• Extensive hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure services (ADF, Synapse Analytics, Data Lake).
• Proficiency with Infrastructure as Code (Terraform).
• Strong background with CI/CD pipelines (GitLab CI preferred, Azure DevOps considered).
• Experience delivering cloud-based solutions in agile DevOps environments with continuous integration and deployment.
• Public sector experience (preferably central government), working to security and compliance standards.
• Eligible for SC Clearance (must have lived and worked in the UK for the past 5 years).

Desirable Skills:

• Recent hands-on experience with Kafka and Kafka Connect.
• Experience contributing to strategic planning for data and DevOps platforms.

What We’re Looking For:

You are a technical leader and team builder who thrives in complex, fast-paced environments. You enjoy solving challenging problems, guiding others to success, and shaping the direction of data and DevOps platforms. You combine hands-on expertise with the ability to communicate effectively with both engineers and stakeholders.