Principal Infrastructure Operations Engineer

The HFEA is currently undergoing a significant period of change to our core legacy systems and moving to modern cloud-based native environments. The systems are a mix of Azure Virtual Machine workloads, native Azure Cloud Services and enterprise systems, such as Microsoft Dynamics and Power Platform. This role provides strategic and operational leadership for the HFEAs cloud environments, infrastructure, networks, and cyber security functions, ensuring best practices are followed so the HFEAs systems are secure and effective as possible. This role manages the workload, performance and development of a team of two direct reports (IT Service & Systems Manager and IT Support Engineer) and will develop the strategic and tactical roadmaps for technologies and services, ensuring they are future-proofed and the organisation derives maximum value from investment in technologies. The HFEA has dedicated software development, information and data analysis teams and this role will work closely with these teams to ensure their infrastructure needs and DevOps are well supported. This role will be involved in regular audits, including the Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF-aligned) NHSs Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT), an enhancement of the NCSCs existing cyber framework with a health and care overlay which covers data protection, confidentiality, and other information governance disciplines. They will work with strategic external partners and suppliers, such as information security specialists and the NHS Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC). Key responsibilities 1. Develop and deliver the cloud, infrastructure, and security strategy, ensuring alignment to the wider organisations strategy. 2. Own and lead the design, engineering, and lifecycle management of Azure, M365, identity management, networking and monitoring platforms. 3. Work towards embedding secure-by-design, privacy-by-design and resilience principles across all platforms. 4. Lead a team of two direct reports; IT Service & Systems Manager and IT Support Engineer and manage the workload, performance and development of the team. 5. Lead on cybersecurity operations, incident response, vulnerability management, threat management, and compliance activities with support from external partners, such as the NHS CSOC and other security partners. 6. Lead on technical operations, ensuring stability, capacity and performance across infrastructure and cloud services. 7. Lead and manage on key IT infrastructure programmes and projects and participate in business planning activities so that projects are well planned and funded in advance of their requirement. 8. Contribute to ongoing risk management effort and escalate risks when identified and provide appropriate mitigation pathways when possible. 9. Lead on the management and improvement of HFEAs IT Service Management (ITSM) tool to ensure service operations are managed well e.g. CMDB, Asset Management, Change Management and Joiners/Leavers. 10. Contribute to the development of business continuity and disaster recovery plans for IT service operations, ensuring HFEA can navigate and respond to business continuity events. 11. Coordinate with external auditors periodically and evaluate and commit to audit recommendations where appropriate and feasible. 12. Contribute towards the development of HFEAs IT policies so they are kept relevant and fit for purpose.