Azure Lead Engineer

Full time (flexible working options available)
Fixed Term Contract – 12 months
Closing Date: 26 November 2024
Ref 6906

Save the Children UK has an exciting opportunity for an experienced Azure Lead Engineer to join our innovative and forward thinking DDaT team on a 12-month fixed term contract.

About Us

Save the Children UK believes every child deserves a future. In the UK and around the world, we work every day to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm.  When crisis strikes, and children are most vulnerable, we are always among the first to respond and the last to leave.  We ensure children's unique needs are met and their voices are heard. We deliver lasting results for millions of children, including those hardest to reach.

About Digital, Data and Technology at Save the Children UK

We have set out an ambitious vision for Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) at Save the Children.

We see Digital, Data and Technology as the catalysts that will drive our organisational transformation. We want to empower DDaT experts with the agility and customer-centricity to meet the ever-changing needs of their stakeholders, our supporters, and the external context.

We are now working to realise that vision. Our ambitious 3-year strategy sets out to shift us from a traditional IT function with scattered digital and data expertise into a more cohesive user experience-first, product-based approach. As part of a wider organisation change agenda (currently called the Organisation of the Future), we are looking to DDaT to facilitate a lighter process footprint aligned with Agile values, and a digital ready and data enabled workplace.

About the role

In this role you will work closely with the Director of Technology and Lead Architect to oversee the planning, implementation and development of our Azure architecture as we migrate away from our data centre.

Reporting directly to the Director of Technology and working alongside our senior leadership team, you will ensure continued buy in for the strategy, building confidence in the potential Technology and Architecture can deliver for our organisational goals and transformation agenda.

You will collaborate with Infrastructure, Applications, Data, the Senior Leadership Team and trusted partners to identify opportunities for technology solutions and innovation, and lead a talented team of professionals, centrally, and embedded within different areas of the organisation. Your responsibilities will include identifying opportunities, providing insights, and ideating and executing technology-driven strategies, whilst being able to make pragmatic tactical decisions as part of our migration. Being able to balance reaching our target state, alongside sensible steps to get us there is key.

In this role, you will be responsible for: 

• Azure Platform: Lead on our Azure platform(s) and services, standardising and following best practise (where possible) to best support organisational goals. Foster relationships with teams across the organisation through effective partnerships and collaboration.
• Designing and Implementing Solutions: Develop and oversee Azure-based solutions and the migration and (where possible) refactoring of existing on-premise solutions, ensuring they meet both functional and non-functional requirements. Solutions are secure and comply with relevant regulations. Designed for supportability, ensuring they can be maintained effectively.
• Resource Allocation and Optimization: Ensure appropriately designed resources are managed efficiently, ensuring optimal performance and cost-effectiveness. There needs to be a level of pragmatism and efficiency to ensure we deliver value, as well as robust, scalable and secure solutions.
• Technical Guidance and Leadership: Provide technical guidance during the development, deployment, and implementation phases, both with our internal teams and partners. Builds and cultivates strong relationships and shows technical and operational leadership. Advocates innovation within the team and organisation, leading in developing team members and promoting collaboration across teams.
• Communication: Create high quality and professional guidance, presentations and diagrams for different audiences.

About you

Essential experience, skills and qualifications:

• Recent experience in leading technical projects (Cloud Adoption, Landing Zone design and deploy, Cloud Migration, Cloud Readiness, Cloud Maturity).
• Proven experience with Azure technologies including Azure Backup & Recovery Services, Azure Governance (Blueprints, policies, tagging, cost management), Azure SQL Databases, Azure Security and Azure Serverless and integration, Azure Containers (AKS, ACI, ACR), Active Directory.
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code (ARM, Bicep, Terraform, PowerShell), CI/CD, automation and other DevOps principles.
• Experience in delivering and leading on high-quality Azure projects.
• Experience in migrating on premise infrastructure, virtualisation technologies or applications is desirable but not essential.
• An ability to react quickly, decisively, and deliberately in high-stress, high-impact situations.
• Ability to author high-quality technical documentation and designs
• A deep understanding of Azure best practice processes, standards, and architecture.
• Ability to discuss Azure technologies comfortably and on the fly during customer facing workshops.
• Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills.
• Excellent listening, communication, presentation, and inter-personal skills.
• Ability to work to customer and internal deadlines.
• Takes pride in actively developing skills.
• Having any of the following certifications would be advantageous:
  • Azure Security Engineer (AZ500
  • Azure Network Engineer (AZ700)
  • Azure DevOps Engineer (AZ400)
  • Azure Virtual Desktop (AZ140)

What we offer you:

Working for a charity provides one of the best benefits there is – a sense of purpose and reward for helping others. However, we understand the importance of giving back to our employees to ensure a happy and healthy working environment and work/life balance.

We focus on flexibility, inclusion, collaboration, health and wellbeing both in and outside of work.
We provide a wide range of benefits which will reward your hard work, motivate you, and inspire you to work to improve the lives of children every day. 

Please note: To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can manage application levels whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience. Unfortunately once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.

Ways of Working:

The majority of our roles can be performed remotely in the UK, but there are likely to be times when you will be required to come to your contracted office (up to 2-4 days per month or 6-8 days per quarter).  This will be agreed with your Line Manager and team and is intended to be time spent on collaborating with colleagues and relationship building. 

Please note: travel costs to your contracted office will be at your own expense. 

Flexible Working - We are happy to discuss flexible working options at interview.

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion: 

Save the Children UK believes in a world that is fair, inclusive and equitable where all children have the opportunity to change their world. We apply this to our workforce and we are committed to developing and supporting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organisation where all employees have a sense of belonging and feel that they can be "Free to Be Me". We are not looking for just one type of person - we want to recruit people who can add fresh perspectives, innovative ideas or challenge that disrupts the risk of group think. 

We are especially interested in people whose childhood experiences - of life on a low income, of migration, of being in a racialised community, of the care system, of being LGBT+ or in an LGBT+ family or living with (or with someone with) a disability - help us to see things we might otherwise miss. Whatever your story is we want to hear it because we know that different voices, ideas, perspectives and knowledge, working together will enable us to better the lives of children around the world. This is the reason why we are all here.