Location
About the job
Job summary
We have an exciting opening for a Senior Infrastructure Operations Engineer who not only possesses excellent technical expertise but has the aptitude to lead a team and effectively communicate with stakeholders and customers.
The Planning Inspectorate has a long and proud history in ensuring a fair planning system for England. The work we do has a significant impact on people’s lives, the communities where they live and the economy.
We want our colleagues to be able to work more flexibly and more collaboratively, exploring new and innovative ways to improve the way we provide services.
For further information on the Planning Inspectorate, please see the information pack attached. You can also view our careers page at Civil Service Careers
Job description
The Infrastructure and Platforms Service is responsible for delivering and maintaining the underlying structure required for the digital solutions which allow The Planning Inspectorate to achieve its objectives. Our digital platform portfolio has undergone a significant transformation, with a strong focus on cloud-based services in Azure/M365, supported by Microsoft Surface and Apple iPhone client devices. We collaborate with various partner organisations for telephony, hardware support, and help desk services.
As the leader of our dedicated team of Infrastructure Engineers, you will play a crucial role in providing a high-quality service to our users. Your primary responsibilities will include ensuring the availability, security, and optimal performance of the systems supported by the team. Additionally, you will focus on providing our users with fully functional devices, seamless access to essential applications, and the necessary tools to carry out their jobs effectively.
As a Senior Infrastructure Operations Engineer, you will be at the forefront of maintaining and enhancing the security, reliability, and performance of our systems. Your strong problem-solving skills will enable you to lead incident management, effectively prioritise and resolve issues, and collaborate with suppliers and cross-functional teams to deliver optimal solutions.
Your clear and persuasive communication style will be instrumental in coordinating responses, keeping stakeholders well-informed, and providing valuable technical support to projects, ensuring that requirements are met.
Additionally, your strong leadership capabilities will be instrumental in nurturing and developing your team, fostering a collaborative environment that promotes inclusivity and continuous improvement.
In a typical week you will plan the team’s workload, including your own, and carry out line management duties.
You will work proactively with Service Managers and Architects on the roadmap for the Service and you will be involved in cross-departmental meetings to understand workstreams and manage resources accordingly.
You may need to respond quickly to problems or incidents using both your technical and interpersonal skills to investigate, communicate, and resolve issues, delegating tasks to the team as required.
You will also be part of an on-call rota, typically being on-call for one week in four, with occasional out of hours working, usually at the weekend as part of the regular patching cycle.
We have a strong flexible working ethos with plenty of home working and flexibility around your hours, provided we cover core business hours across the team. While the minimum attendance in Temple Quay House for office staff is 12 days per year, the team is typically on-site more frequently to perform key tasks and provide on-site support to other staff. The successful candidate will need to agree appropriate attendance levels for themselves and the team with the Service Manager.
For full information on the role and assessment process please refer to the candidate pack attached.
Hybrid working
All of our office-based roles are contractually located at Temple Quay House in Bristol. Most of our roles are able to work in a hybrid manner and you will be expected to attend Temple Quay House at least 12 days a year. Depending on your role, you may be required to attend more often than 12 days a year either permanently or temporarily to ensure we deliver our services in the most efficient and effective way for our customers. If you would like to discuss our Hybrid Working Policy in more detail.
Please contact us at [email protected]
Person specification
Essential Criteria
- Problem-solving experience
- Excellent communication, customer engagement, and inter‐personal skills.
- Experience of Microsoft Azure management including but not limited to; configuring environments for additional services, building and commissioning additional services, virtual machines, maintaining a secure environment and patch management.
- Experience of managing and maintaining a Microsoft 365 environment including but not limited to: policy management and deployment, security, and application deployment.
- Experience of IT service management tools (preferably ServiceNow).
- Experience of working within Service Level Agreements and ITIL processes, and an awareness of key change management processes.
- The post holder will be expected to manage and participate in a 24/7 on-call rota for out of hours support for critical infrastructure. With a full team in place this equates to being on-call for one 7-day week in four. An on-call allowance is provided.
Desirable Criteria
- Experience of Active Directory, Windows Server 2003 – 2012, and Group Policy administration.
- Experience of implementing and managing monitoring tools.
- Relevant professional qualification (e.g., ITIL Practitioner, Microsoft Certificate).
- Knowledge of Cyber Security issues and how to reduce the risk of malicious attacks.
- Knowledge of the Government’s Digital strategies and codes of practice, including Data Protection regulations.
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Delivering at Pace
- Managing a Quality Service
- Changing and Improving
Technical skills
We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Service Monitoring
- Enhancing Technology Platforms
Benefits
- Flexible working options, including flexi-time, part-time, compressed hours and home working if suitable for the role.
- A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity.
- There is a choice of excellent pensions schemes. More information about pensions can be found at https://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk
- 25 days annual leave increasing by 1 day per year up to 30 days after 5 years, plus 1 privilege day to mark the King’s birthday. In addition to the normal bank holidays.
- Generous family friendly policies.
- Fast and modern IT kit which utilises Windows 10 and Microsoft 365, enabling seamless working from home and collaboration across teams.
For full information see our Benefits information pack.