Infrastructure & Automation Manager

What will you be doing? The Infrastructure and Automation Manager is a critical role responsible for driving the evolution of the organisation’s infrastructure during a pivotal period of modernisation and cloud transformation. This role manages a team of infrastructure engineers while championing automation as a core operational principle — ensuring scalability, resilience, and efficiency across all IT services. Working closely with the Architecture team, this role will play a key part in translating the organisation’s reference architectures into real, production-ready solutions. With a major migration underway from on-premises environments to cloud platforms, this is an exciting opportunity to shape the future-state infrastructure landscape and accelerate automation across the estate. While primarily a managerial and strategic position, the role requires hands-on involvement in complex or high-impact technical initiatives The role is Hybrid with a requirement to be onsite 2-3 times a week in Welwyn Garden City or Liverpool offices. Occasional travel will also be required between both sites. Key responsibilities Infrastructure & Cloud Leadership Oversee the delivery, performance, and lifecycle of the organisation’s infrastructure across on-prem, cloud, and hybrid environments. Lead the execution of the ongoing cloud migration programme, ensuring seamless transition from legacy infrastructure to modern cloud-native platforms. Partner with the Architecture team to implement and operationalise approved reference architectures, ensuring consistency, scalability, and adherence to standards. Automation Strategy & Delivery Own and drive the automation roadmap, embedding automation across provisioning, configuration, monitoring, and operational workflows. Set standards for automation tooling and practices (e.g., IaC, CI/CD, scripting frameworks) and ensure adoption across the infrastructure team. Identify opportunities to eliminate manual processes, increase reliability, and reduce operational overhead. Team Leadership & Development Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing infrastructure and automation team. Set clear objectives, build capability, and foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation. Prioritise work through effective planning, delegation, and alignment with broader technology strategy. Project & Stakeholder Management Own end-to-end delivery of infrastructure and automation initiatives, ensuring they meet timelines, quality standards, and business needs. Act as a key point of contact for stakeholders across IT and the wider business, providing clear updates and expert guidance. Vendor & Budget Responsibility Manage vendor relationships, ensuring high-quality service delivery and commercial value. Own and manage the infrastructure and automation budget, including forecasting, procurement, and cost optimisation. Governance, Risk & Policy Develop, maintain, and enforce IT policies, standards, and best practices, including disaster recovery, security, and compliance. Ensure infrastructure services meet operational, security, and regulatory requirements. What we would like from you Proven experience (5+ years) in IT infrastructure management and automation, with a strong background in system administration and cloud technologies. Demonstrated leadership experience with the ability to manage and motivate a technical team. Proficiency in automation and scripting languages (e.g., Python, PowerShell, Bash) and automation tools (e.g., Ansible, Terraform, Jenkins). Solid understanding of IT security principles, data protection regulations, and disaster recovery strategies. Excellent project management skills, with experience in Agile methodologies being highly desirable. Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities. Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interact effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Our benefits if you decide to join us: Holiday purchase scheme, with 25 days holiday plus bank holidays as standard. On-site gym at our office (Free), and nationwide corporate rate gym membership Online benefits portal where you can access lots of deals, discounts - for example of shopping or holidays Contributory company pension scheme Progression and Development Private medical insurance Electric Car Scheme Life assurance of 3 x annual gross salary, with the option to purchase additional cover You’re also able to purchase a range of benefits at a discounted rate including, critical illness cover, bicycles via our Cycle2Work scheme, dental insurance and TasteCard dining discount card As a disability-confident committed company, we have a passion for championing equality. We welcome all colleagues into a work environment where success is attainable for everyone, regardless of disability, age, race, religion, gender identity, or sexual orientation. We are committed to ensuring that everyone has equal access to growth and opportunities in our workplace.