Platform Infrastructure Lead

Platform Infrastructure LeadContract position Inside IR35Bracknell - Hybrid working

Our client, one of the UKs top retailers, are looking for a Platform Infrastructure Lead to join them on an initial 6 month contract basis. If you're enthusiastic about data centre infrastructure, and cloud technologies, if you thrive and perform in a time sensitive, high-demand environment, and if you take satisfaction in delivering results through others, then we want to hear from you!

What you'll be doing

As a Senior member, you will be working as part of a large team covering a spectrum of technologies in a modern hybrid enterprise environment where interdependencies make up a proficient infrastructure capability.

You will drive and be accountable for the outcomes the business requires in relation to your services. This means that you will be working effectively with Partners, vendors, and strategic third party service providers to ensure effective delivery of the service, and strategy, whilst managing operational risks throughout.

Your wealth of expertise will be instrumental in running agile product teams and driving forward the technology roadmap. Additionally, you will be expected to manage and support business-critical or escalated issues, providing effective solutions.

In the event of a major incident, you will act as the technical authority, communicating effectively with all stakeholders, coordinating the technical response, and ensuring clear and concise updates are provided throughout the resolution process. You will participate in post incident reviews, owning actions within your tower.

This role demands effective communication and coordination abilities. You will need to build positive working relationships within cross-functional teams, ensuring everyone is aligned and informed, whilst also maintaining clear and productive communication with external vendors.

As the Platform Infrastructure Lead you will:

• Develop working relationships with key business stakeholders and build understanding of the commercial, technical, and operational landscape and business strategy
• As a Platform Infrastructure Lead you will have responsibility for technology towers and will strongly influence how the platform evolves to meet business needs. You will work with a diverse range of technical and non-technical stakeholders which will require comprehensive communication skills.
• Work collaboratively with with internal agile engineering teams
• Deliver value by ensuring quality, efficiency and cost effectiveness from all infrastructure management contracts.
• Manage suppliers and vendors to ensure Infrastructure Platforms remain secure, stable, robust and performant by delivering and maintaining end to end Operational Excellence
• Ensure that the services provided by vendors and managed service suppliers deliver against agreed SLAs, key metrics, and statements of work.
• Use your knowledge and experience of infrastructure platform services and an understanding of its consumption by the business, to develop a forecast of demand for the service and (by extension) the vendor's services.
• Manage third party provision of infrastructure services and maintain operational integrity.
• Work with Architecture to ensure deliverables are aligned with the business and technical strategy, producing business cases to deliver change and innovation, and translate architectural designs into operations.
• Ensure full life cycle management is planned, managed and delivered across the infrastructure estate; with published and managed roadmaps, aligned to strategy.
• Be the technical SME and authoritative point of escalation for your technology towers.
• Manage utilisation against entitlement of commercial products, ensure robust Capacity Management process and reporting are in place.
• You will shape and implement policy alongside Security Operations.
• You will work closely with the other Infrastructure areas and interface with the established Product & Platform teams to embed capability within areas.

Essential Skills you'll need

• Deep technical expertise and experience in key technologies as defined below including experience of Data Centre, Storage and Hosting services.
• Proven history of IT Delivery in both traditional and agile environments through supporting and motivating technical teams to deliver growth.
• Demonstrable experience in leading managed services / high-value third-party contracts in a complex enterprise IT environment.
• Effective communication skills that go beyond "tech talk" - the ability to translate complex IT matters to those without an IT background.
• A credible and established expert with good commercial and operational acumen, who is able to demonstrate extensive knowledge and hands-on experience in building positive relationships, including third parties.
• A comprehensive knowledge of modern Hosted Service principles, along with proven experience of how these technologies support an enterprise business.
• Proven experience of managing high value third party contracts delivered predominantly offshore, and having budgetary management skills, understanding of contract penalties and experience with service renewals and supporting processes
• The ability to work in a time-sensitive situation in a busy environment, with effective problem-solving skills, an analytical mind and demonstrate a high attention to detail

We are looking for candidates with the following skills and experience:

• Data Centre Hosting - Virtualisation (VMware | GCVE)
• Data Centre Storage - SDS, and NAS, and SAN
• Operating Systems - Wintel, Linux
• Active Directory | Identity and Access Management | PAM
• Sever Configuration and Patch Management (SCCM)

If this role is of interest to you and you meet the criteria's, please apply with an up to date CV now!

Carbon60, Lorien & SRG - The Impellam Group STEM Portfolio are acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.