Senior Software Engineer – CI/CD & Kubernetes
Location: Bristol
Clearance Level: DV Cleared
Contract Type: Contract- Outside IR35
Start Date ASAP
Duration: 6 Months / rolling
Overview:
We are supporting a key defence client in their search for a highly skilled Dev ops /Senior Software Engineer with hands-on experience across modern DevOps, platform engineering, and application delivery tooling. This role will involve designing, deploying, and maintaining secure and scalable infrastructure environments using CI/CD pipelines, Kubernetes, and IaC frameworks within a classified or secure environment.
The ideal candidate will be comfortable working across both Linux (RedHat) and Windows operating systems, and will bring deep technical knowledge across CI/CD tooling, Kubernetes cluster build, and secure application deployment practices.
Key Responsibilities:
* Design, implement, and maintain CI/CD pipelines using tools such as GitLab CI, Terraform, Ansible, PowerShell, and Python.
* Build, configure, and maintain Kubernetes clusters, ensuring high availability, scalability, and security.
* Deploy and support key applications such as Apache NiFi, Elastic ECK, and JFrog Artifactory.
* Develop and manage Helm Charts to standardise application deployment.
* Integrate with and manage HashiCorp Vault for secure secrets management and token-based authentication within pipeline workflows.
* Build and consume REST APIs to support automation and platform integration.
* Apply Infrastructure as Code (IaC) principles to enforce repeatability, consistency, and scalability across environments.
* Ensure platform and infrastructure solutions adhere to security and compliance standards relevant to a defence environment.
* Collaborate closely with software developers, platform engineers, security teams, and DevOps specialists in a multidisciplinary team.
Key Skills and Experience:
CI/CD & Automation:
* Proven experience with GitLab CI, Terraform, Ansible, Python, PowerShell, and REST API development/integration.
* Experience creating reusable automation scripts and maintaining configuration management best practices.
Platform & Containerisation:
* Strong understanding of Kubernetes design, configuration, and operations in production environments.
* Experience managing applications with Helm Charts and supporting microservices-based architecture.
Applications & Services:
* Direct experience deploying and supporting Apache NiFi, Elastic ECK (ElasticSearch on Kubernetes), and Artifactory.
* Familiarity with container image management and application lifecycle support.
Security & Infrastructure:
* Use of HashiCorp Vault for managing secrets, certificates, and access tokens.
* Solid working knowledge of Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Windows Server environments.
* Understanding of operating within secure, high-assurance environments.
Desirable Qualifications:
* Active SC or DV clearance highly desirable.
* Experience working on defence or national security programmes.
* Certifications such as CKA, CKAD, Terraform Associate, or HashiCorp Vault certification.
Additional Information:
* Due to the nature of the work, candidates must be UK nationals and eligible for security clearance.
* Out-of-hours availability may occasionally be required to support deployment windows.