Principal Platform Engineer

About us

Every day, we deliver safe and secure energy to homes, communities, and businesses, connecting people to the energy they need for their lives. Our expertise and track record position us uniquely to shape the sustainable future of our industry as the pace of change accelerates.To succeed, we must anticipate customer needs, reduce energy delivery costs, and pioneer flexible energy systems. This requires delivering on our promises and seeking opportunities for growth.

In IT and Digital, we collaborate closely with the diverse energy businesses within the National Grid group, revolutionizing operations through technology. Embracing Agile methodologies and Digital mindsets, we drive efficiency and bring new capabilities to internal and external customers as we lead the charge towards a carbon-free future.

Our work is critical, as National Grid powers millions of homes and businesses in the UK and US, and the technology we employ is vital to this task. The successful applicant for this position will play a crucial role in our mission, supported by our multicultural, customer-centric global team, with opportunities for professional development.

National Grid is hiring a Principal Cloud Platform Engineer.  This position can be located in Warwick or London - We offer hybrid/flexible working opportunities.

Job Purpose

Our vision is to be recognised as a world leading Information Technology and Digital function in the energy sector and a trusted partner across National Grid businesses. As a Principal Cloud Platform Engineer, you are a key member of our global cloud Infrastructure and operations team. You will be tasked with driving innovation and modernization within National Grid’s cloud environment(s). You will need to have a deep understanding of public and private cloud infrastructure and be comfortable collaborating with our internal development teams to help deliver their solutions.

As a Principal Cloud Platform Engineer, you will be responsible for managing, monitoring, and optimizing the performance, availability, security, and scalability of National Grid’s global cloud platform and other PaaS and IaaS infrastructure and services, including but not limited to Azure IaaS, PaaS and other operational services. You will work alongside a team of cloud engineers / consultants and collaborate with other teams to ensure the delivery of high-quality cloud solutions that meet the business needs and objectives of our internal clients.
 

What you'll do

•    Design, create, and maintain Azure cloud infrastructure and services, including virtual machines, storage accounts, networking, security, backup, and disaster recovery at a global level. 
•    Monitor, troubleshoot, and resolve cloud issues, incidents, and alerts, conducting root cause analysis for effective resolution. 
•    Enhance cloud performance, availability, security, and cost-effectiveness by implementing best practices and standards. 
•    Provide leadership, guidance, and technical support to ensure successful cloud implementation and operation. 
•    Collaborate with internal teams (e.g. development, testing, FinOps, product management) to align and integrate cloud solutions with business requirements. 
•    Stay current on the latest Azure cloud trends and technologies, evaluating and recommending new tools and services. 
•    Responsible for cloud architecture and design, ensuring optimal system integration and performance. 
•    Integrate Azure services effectively to meet business needs and improve overall functionality. 
•    Implement and maintain security measures and compliance standards within Azure environments. 
•    Automate testing processes to ensure efficient and reliable cloud operations. 
•    Utilize automation and scripting languages (PowerShell, Shell, Python, Terraform) for provisioning and managing cloud resources. 
•    Apply Infrastructure as Code (IaC) principles to maintain consistency and reproducibility in cloud infrastructure. 
•    Deploy monitoring tools and alerts to proactively detect and address potential issues, resolve bottlenecks, and optimize resource utilization. 
 

About you

• At least 7 years of experience (Azure preferred, AWS or GCP acceptable) in cloud engineering, operations, or administration.
• Strong knowledge and skills in cloud infrastructure and services, such as virtual machines, storage accounts, networking, security, backup, disaster recovery, etc.
• Experience in cloud monitoring, troubleshooting, and optimization tools and techniques.
• Experience in working with agile methodologies such as Scrum.
• Experience in working with DevOps practices, such as CI/CD (e.g. GitHub/GitActions, Azure Pipelines, Jenkins), automation, configuration management, infrastructure test automation and release automation.
• Proficiency in scripting languages, such as PowerShell, Bash, Python, etc.
• Knowledge of cloud governance and compliance frameworks, such as Azure Policy, Azure Blueprints, etc.
• Understanding of networking concepts (OSI Model, Designing Topologies, Routing Protocols)
• Familiarity with cloud architecture patterns and principles, such as microservices, serverless, container orchestration (Kubernetes), etc.
• Ability to design and implement cloud solutions that are secure, scalable, resilient, and cost-effective.
• Familiarity with cloud security practices and compliance requirements.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Azure services (e.g. Azure SQL Database, Azure VMs, Azure Functions).
• Experience with Palo Alto firewalls is a plus.
• Azure certifications are preferred.
• Experience with Active Directory, DNS, IPAM, and Certificate Management
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience in presenting technical ideas to stakeholders including executives.
• On Call experience is a plus.
   

What you'll get

A competitive salary between £57,000 – £71,000 – dependent on capability

As well as your base salary, you will receive a bonus of up to 15% of your salary for stretch performance and a competitive contributory pension scheme where we will double match your contribution to a maximum company contribution of 12%. You will also have access to a number of flexible benefits such as a share incentive plan, salary sacrifice car and technology schemes, support via employee assistance lines and matched charity giving to name a few.

More Information

The closing date for this vacancy is 29th November. However, we encourage candidates to submit their applications as early as possible and not to wait until the published closing date. National Grid’s recruitment periods can and may vary. We reserve the right to remove this advert or close it to further applications at any point during the recruitment process.

 

DE & I statement 

At National Grid, we work towards the highest standards in everything we do, including how we support, value and develop our people. Our aim is to encourage and support employees to thrive and be the best they can be. We celebrate the difference people can bring into our organisation, and welcome and encourage applicants with diverse experiences and backgrounds, and offer flexible and tailored support, at home and in the office.
Our goal is to drive, develop and operate our business in a way that results in a more inclusive culture. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, the innovation from diverse teams & perspectives and business need. We are committed to building a workforce so we can represent the communities we serve and have a working environment in which each individual feels valued, respected, fairly treated, and able to reach their full potential.

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