Linux/DevOps SME

Salary: £? - ? per year

Requirements:

• Extensive commercial experience working with Linux in an enterprise environment.
• Strong hands‑on experience across DevOps / Platform Engineering.
• Excellent Linux administration and troubleshooting skills.
• Strong scripting/automation experience, ideally with Bash and/or Python.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps tooling.
• Strong understanding of Git and source control.
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code, ideally Terraform and/or Ansible.
• Experience working with containers and container orchestration technologies.
• Strong understanding of networking, systems integration and infrastructure concepts.
• Experience working in secure, highly controlled or complex technical environments.
• Ability to operate independently as a senior technical SME.
• Excellent problem‑solving and communication skills.
• Current, active MOD DV clearance.

Responsibilities:

• Act as a Linux and DevOps SME, providing technical leadership and guidance across the environment.
• Design, implement and maintain robust Linux‑based infrastructure and platforms.
• Support the development and continuous improvement of DevOps processes and tooling.
• Automate infrastructure, configuration and operational processes wherever possible.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex Linux, infrastructure and platform issues.
• Develop and maintain CI/CD pipelines and associated tooling.
• Support infrastructure‑as‑code and configuration management practices.
• Contribute to platform resilience, availability, security and performance.
• Work closely with engineering, development, security and operations teams.
• Provide technical documentation, standards and best‑practice guidance.
• Mentor and support other engineers where required.
• Investigate emerging technologies and recommend improvements to the existing platform.
• Participate in technical design, architecture and implementation activities.

Technologies:

• Ansible
• Bash
• CI/CD
• DevOps
• Git
• Support
• Linux
• Python
• Security
• Terraform
• Cloud
• Docker
• GitHub
• GitLab
• Jenkins
• Kubernetes
• OpenShift

More:

We are looking for an experienced Linux / DevOps Subject Matter Expert (SME) to join a high‑profile technical environment based onsite in Basingstoke. This is a 12‑month rolling contract, full‑time, fully onsite, and outside IR35, with a rate of £550-£650 per day. We are seeking a genuine hands‑on SME who is comfortable getting into the detail, diagnosing difficult technical problems and making pragmatic engineering decisions. You will be joining a technically demanding environment where your experience in Linux, automation and DevOps will have a direct impact on the reliability and evolution of the platform.