Cloud Engineer

Are you a motivated and skilled Cloud Engineer looking to make an impact in a collaborative environment? We are currently offering an exciting opportunity within our Chief Digital Office (CDO) to join our growing teams. We are seeking Cloud Engineers in both our Cloud & Engineering and Digital Risk & Security branches — both committed to delivering innovative digital solutions and ensuring the security and resilience of our AWS hosting platform.

As a Cloud Engineer, you will play a vital role supporting, managing, and maintaining the core infrastructure that underpins our production services. You'll be responsible for incident resolution, problem management, and delivering operational support and improvements. Collaborating closely with teams across Architecture, Security, Applications Development, and external suppliers, you will help optimise our cloud environment, ensuring high availability, security, and cost efficiency. This role offers a fantastic opportunity to develop your skills, take ownership of diverse tasks, and contribute to the digital transformation of Social Security Scotland.

Whether supporting infrastructure operations or working on security enhancements within our Digital Risk and Security team, you'll be part of a forward-thinking organisation dedicated to making a difference. If you thrive in problem-solving, service optimisation, and collaborative environments, we want to hear from you. Apply now and take your career to the next level within a diverse, people-focused organisation committed to excellence.

This role, aligned to Senior Infrastructure Operations Engineer, supports, manages and maintains the core infrastructure that underpins production services. A Senior Infrastructure Operations Engineer acts as second- or third-line support for incidents, problems and changes to solutions and services.

At this role level, you will:

• provide specialist technical support and assistance to projects, ensuring delivery of non-functional requirements and continual service improvement.
• be responsible for preparations and support of IT operations solutions and services - physical or virtual - according to industry and organisational best practices, standards, service requirements and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) throughout the product life cycle.
• coach and mentor junior team members.
• assist in the provision of first class services and consistent levels of capability, as required by the organisation.

Social Security Scotland, an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government, delivers 17 major benefits to around 2 million people across Scotland. The organisation plays a vital role in supporting low-income and disabled individuals, carers, and families, while helping to achieve the Scottish Government's statutory child poverty targets. Our Charter reflects our core values and commitments, ensuring clients are treated with dignity, fairness, and respect, and that their feedback helps shape service improvements.

We aim to foster a positive and inclusive organisational culture, emphasising employee wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, professional development, and performance enhancement. Recognising that its workforce is essential to providing high-quality public services, Social Security Scotland is dedicated to creating an environment where staff are empowered to grow and contribute meaningfully.

Responsibilities

• Manage service components to meet business needs and performance targets.
• Analyse impact, develop, document, and implement change requests.
• Utilise scripting tools and software to support automation and process improvement.
• Identify process optimisation opportunities and contribute to implementing solutions.
• Diagnose, prioritise, and resolve incidents, owning issues until resolved or escalated.
• Investigate patterns and trends to proactively resolve problems, consulting specialists as needed.
• Determine appropriate remedies, assist with their implementation, and establish preventative measures.
• Use management systems and tools to support service delivery and reporting.
• Conduct routine configuration, installation, and reconfiguration of databases and related products.
• Optimise system performance and forecast resource requirements.

Success Profiles
We use an assessment framework called 'Success Profiles' which lists the elements we test and provides detailed descriptions of each. Find out more about how we assess the Success Profile elements.

Essential Experience:
1. Can demonstrate experience of supporting, monitoring and maintaining cloud platforms (AWS preferred) and DevOps tooling such as Jenkins, Terraform and Git. Ability to work in a team to provide business critical support while delivering continuous service improvements. 

2. Ability to assess and interpret technical and/or security information to prioritise workload, identify vulnerabilities, threats and potential impacts, and make sound risk-based decisions. Demonstrates strong problem-solving capability with a high level of accuracy and efficiency when addressing security issues in cloud environments.

Behaviours:
● Changing and Improving (Level 3)
● Leadership (Level 3)

You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours here.

Technical skills:
This role is aligned to Senior infrastructure operations engineer within the Digital, Data and Technology Profession. 

These skills will be tested during the Technical Assessment if you are successful at sift stage. They will be not be assessed at application stage.  Please review the following to understand the skill expectations: Infrastructure operations engineer - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework

How to apply
Apply online, you must provide a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 750 words) which clearly demonstrate how you meet the Experience and Behaviours required for the role as outlined in the Success Profiles above. Be sure to provide specific examples of work that you've done that showcase your relevant experience. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to support your application, but all statements and examples provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, and presented as your own) applications will be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. 

Please see our candidate guidance for more information on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in recruitment 

In the event that we receive a high volume of applications, we may conduct an initial sift using the CV and Supporting Statement based on the first Experience criteria. Candidates who successfully pass this initial sift will have their applications fully assessed. 

Candidates who are successful at sift stage will be invited to attend an Interview and Technical Assessment. The interview will further assess the Experience and Behaviours listed in the job advert and the Technical Assessment will evaluate the technical skills relevant to the role. 

Candidates who pass the sift and are invited to the Interview and Technical Assessment stage will receive a Technical Assessment Candidate Pack, which will outline the skills to be assessed and the assessment methods to be used.

Following the application sift, there may be a telephone interview as part of the assessment process before the main interview.

We aim to provide feedback on request. However, if we receive a large number of applications it may not be possible for us to provide specific feedback on your application. We will provide feedback on request to candidates who attend an interview/assessment.

Expected Timeline (subject to change) 
Sift - w/c 12th January
Interview – w/c 26th January 2026 
Location - In Person in either Dundee or Glasgow

Reserve List   
In the event that there are more successful candidates than posts available, a reserve list will be kept for up to 12 months.  

About Us  
Social Security Scotland is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government. Our benefits help people from all walks of life in Scotland. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles. We are committed to recruiting a diverse workforce that is representative of the clients we serve. Find more about us here.   
  
We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer.  

As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules.    

DDaT Pay Supplement 
This post is part of the Scottish Government Digital, Data and Technology (DDAT) profession and as a member of the profession you will join the professional development system. This post currently attracts a £5,000 annual DDAT pay supplement, applicable after a 3 months competency qualifying period. The payment will be backdated to your start date in the role. Pay supplements are reviewed regularly and there is one currently underway. Changes will be communicated when the review is concluded.

Working Pattern 
Our standard hours are 35 hours per week and we offer a range of flexible working options, depending on the needs of the role. We embrace a hybrid working style where all colleagues will spend time in either our Glasgow or Dundee offices. There is an expectation of a minimum 2 days per week in your assigned location, which will be either Glasgow or Dundee.  If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for, please contact us.  

Security Checks 
Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks – Identity, Right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions). 

You can find out more about BPSS on the UK Government website, or read about the different levels of security checks in our Candidate Guide.  

Equality Statement  
Social Security Scotland are committed to equality and inclusion, and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation.    

Social Security Scotland are a Disability Confident Employer. We will consider and implement any reasonable adjustments you may require throughout the recruitment process and during the course of your employment, should you be successful in securing a post. If you feel you may require assistance with any part of our recruitment process, please contact us at  

Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.

Right to Work in the UK  
Social Security Scotland is an approved sponsor under the UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker route. Please note that UK immigration guidance, including skill and salary thresholds and eligible occupations, is reviewed regularly and subject to change. If you require visa sponsorship, you should check the latest criteria to confirm whether this role meets current requirements before applying. You can find further advice on Gov.UK - Skilled Worker visa: Overview - GOV.UK

Further Information 
If successful for this post you may be required to clear additional National Security Vetting clearance (Security Check) before a start date can be offered. Further information regarding National Security Vetting clearance can be found here -  National security vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK 

Find out more about our organisation, what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website.  
 
Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes.  
 
The successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 3 years unless successful in gaining promotion to a higher Band or Grade.  

Social Security Scotland's recruitment processes are underpinned by the recruitment principles of the Civil Service Commissioner, which outline that selection for appointment be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition - Recruitment - Civil Service Commission )  

If you feel at any time your application has not been treated in accordance with the values in the Civil Service Code and/or if you feel the recruitment has been conducted in such a way that conflicts with the Civil Service Commissioner's Recruitment Principles, you can make a complaint, by contacting Social Security Scotland at in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commissioner.

If you experience any difficulties accessing our website or completing the online application form, please contact the Resourcing Team via

Apply before 23:55 on 7th January 2026. 
 
Contact Name - Resourcing Team
Contact email –