Cloud Platform Engineer - Azure

Job Description

Please note - this role will be Hybrid or Remote, subject to your locality to one of our offices. There is an expectation in this role to attend the Hartlepool Office a minimum of once a month. 

We are seeking a Cloud Platform Engineer to build and operate the core public cloud platform foundations that underpin all application workloads. This role will focus on implementing landing zones, identity integration, networking, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) frameworks, working closely with senior platform engineers and platform services teams.

The role sits within the Cloud Platform Engineering team and reports to the Cloud Platform & Services Operations Manager. It is a hands-on engineering role with strong automation and DevOps practices at its core.

Key Responsibilities

Cloud Platform Foundations

• Implement and maintain cloud landing zones, account/subscription structures, and baseline configurations.
• Provision and manage shared platform services (network hubs, identity integrations, management groups, etc.).

Identity & Access

• Implement cloud IAM policies, role-based access control, and federated identity integration.
• Automate identity provisioning and access workflows where possible.

Cloud Networking

• Build and maintain cloud networking components (VNets/VPCs, routing, DNS, gateways, private endpoints).
• Support connectivity patterns such as hub-and-spoke and private connectivity to on-premises.

Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

• Develop and maintain Terraform templates and modules.
• Support CI/CD pipelines for platform provisioning and automation.
• Ensure environments are built consistently using code-driven approaches.

Platform Automation & Tooling

• Contribute to automation tooling, scripts, and internal platform tooling.
• Support self-service capabilities for application and product teams.

Operational Support (BAU)

• Support day-to-day platform operations and incident response.
• Apply patches, upgrades, and maintenance to platform components.
• Assist with onboarding new cloud environments and subscriptions/accounts.

Documentation & Collaboration

• Maintain engineering documentation, runbooks, and platform patterns.
• Collaborate with Security, FinOps, and Platform Services teams to embed operational and governance controls.

BAU vs Project Responsibilities

BAU

• Maintain landing zones, IAM integrations, networking, and IaC pipelines.
• Respond to platform incidents and support requests.
• Perform routine maintenance, upgrades, and configuration management.

Project / Change

• Implement new platform capabilities and architectural enhancements.
• Improve automation, self-service, and developer experience.
• Refactor platform components to improve security, scalability, and reliability.

Qualifications

• Intermediate or advanced cloud certifications in AWS, Azure, or OCI (above Fundamentals level).
• Eligible for UK Security Clearance

Required Skills & Experience

Technical

• Experience with Azure
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code tools (Terraform).
• Understanding of cloud networking and identity fundamentals.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and automation tools.

Engineering Practices

• Experience working in DevOps, SRE, or platform engineering environments.
• Working within ITIL frameworks.
• Ability to automate repetitive tasks using scripting (Bash, Python, PowerShell).
• Understanding of cloud governance basics (tagging, policies, cost controls).

Soft Skills

• Collaborative and team-oriented approach.
• Ability to follow architectural standards and engineering guidance.
• Clear communication with engineering and operations teams.

Desirable Experience

• Experience designing or supporting enterprise network environments, including routing, firewalls, DNS, and private connectivity (VPN/ExpressRoute/Direct Connect).
• Experience administering and supporting Windows Server environments, including Active Directory integration, patching, and hardening.
• Experience administering and supporting Unix/Linux systems (RHEL, Ubuntu, SUSE), including configuration management and security hardening.
• Exposure to container platforms and Kubernetes (AKS/EKS/GKE/OKE or on-prem Kubernetes).
• Experience integrating monitoring and observability tooling (Azure Monitor, CloudWatch, Prometheus, Grafana, Manage Engine, SolarWinds.).

Additional Information

We pride ourselves in offering an excellent benefits package, including an above average pension scheme. When you join the team at NEC Software Solutions, you are provided with the following:

• Private Medical Cover funded by NEC for Employees (with the option to add family members at an additional cost)
• 25 days paid holiday with the option to buy/sell (FTE)
• 4 x basic salary life assurance cover funded by NEC (with the option to increase cover at an additional cost)
• A Group Pension Plan with fantastic employer contributions up to a maximum of 8.5%
• A selection of flexible benefits to suit your individual needs
• All colleagues get free access to LinkedIn Learning. Over 15000 courses covering a huge breadth of subjects. Learn about what you like, when you like, how you like.

OTHER INFORMATION

• Candidates must be able to demonstrate a pre-existing right to work and travel within the UK. Documentary evidence will be required.
• All offers are subject to satisfactory vetting, references and occupational health checks. 
• Depending on the nature of the role a Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check may also be required.

This position requires you to either currently have national security vetting clearance at the Security Check (SC) level or higher, Non-Police Personnel Vetting (NPPV) Level 3, or the ability to gain Enhanced Security Clearance

NEC Software Solutions is an equal opportunities employer, welcoming applications from all communities. If you require any reasonable adjustments or have specific accessibility needs during the recruitment or interview process, please feel free to share these with us. We are committed to ensuring an inclusive and accommodating experience for all candidates.

Who We Are:

We’re NEC Software Solutions (part of global tech giant NEC Corporation). While you read this ad, our software is helping to dispatch ambulances, support families, keep trains on the move, locate missing people and even test the hearing of newborn babies.

Working with us, you’ll be helping our 3,000+ employees push the boundaries of what’s possible and support amazing public services.

We work with governments, hospitals, police forces, housing providers, local authorities and more. We help them pay financial support faster, speed up treatments for patients and respond to emergencies in the right way. The more we do, the more our customers can do for others. And together, we make a world of difference.

We’d love your help. And we’ll support you all the way.