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.