Working With People

Communication is just as important as technical ability.

You'll be expected to:

• Speak to colleagues to understand problems and gather information.
• Ask questions rather than make assumptions.
• Learn from people around you and quickly turn that knowledge into action.
• Explain technical concepts clearly to technical and non-technical colleagues.
• Build strong relationships with the people who rely on our infrastructure.
• Share knowledge and help others understand the systems you work with.
• Challenge ideas constructively and contribute your own suggestions.
• Be comfortable saying "I don't know, but I'll find out."

What We're Looking For

We're looking for someone with a good technical foundation who combines it with initiative, curiosity, and excellent communication skills.

Technical Experience

You'll ideally have experience with several of the following:

• Microsoft Azure
• Kubernetes
• Terraform or another Infrastructure as Code technology
• Helm
• CI/CD and Git-based workflows
• Cloud networking and security
• Monitoring and observability
• Windows and/or Linux administration
• PowerShell, Python, or another scripting language
• Infrastructure automation
• Production systems and operational support

Experience with some of the following would also be useful:

• Azure Entra ID
• Azure Monitor & Log Analytics
• Azure Backup & Disaster Recovery
• GitOps
• VMware
• SQL / PostgreSQL
• ClickHouse
• Kafka
• Networking, firewalls, VPNs, DNS, and certificates

You don't need to be an expert in all of these. A willingness and ability to learn new technologies is more important.

The Person We're Looking For

Autonomous

• You are comfortable being given an outcome rather than a step-by-step set of instructions.
• You can take a problem, break it down, work out what you need to understand, speak to the right people, research possible solutions, and move things forward.
• You don't wait for someone else to solve the problem for you.

A Brilliant Communicator

• You naturally talk to people and understand that some of the best technical knowledge in a business isn't written down — it's in the heads of the people who built and operate the systems.
• You're comfortable approaching colleagues, asking questions, listening carefully, and joining the dots between different pieces of information.
• You can explain what you've discovered clearly and keep people informed when something isn't going to plan.

A Fast Learner

• You enjoy learning how things work.
• When you encounter something unfamiliar, you're interested rather than frustrated. You can absorb a lot of information quickly, retain it, and apply it to new situations.
• You don't need to have worked with every technology we use — you need to be able to learn what you need to know.

A Problem Solver

• You enjoy getting to the bottom of things.
• When something doesn't work, you're naturally inclined to investigate why, rather than simply look for a quick fix.
• You're persistent when problems are difficult and comfortable working through uncertainty.

Proactive & Curious

• You don't just maintain systems because that's how they've always been done.
• You look for opportunities to make things better, faster, safer, and more reliable.
• If you spot something that could be improved, you raise it and, where possible, take ownership of making the improvement.

Collaborative & Accountable

• Although you'll have significant autonomy, you won't work in isolation.
• You're someone who is happy to ask for help, offer help, and share knowledge.
• When you take ownership of something, you see it through, keep people informed, and follow up until it's resolved.

How We Expect You to Work

A typical problem might be: "We've noticed an issue with X. Can you investigate it and work out what we need to do?"

We don't necessarily expect you to already know the answer. We expect you to:

• Understand the problem.
• Speak to the right people.
• Investigate the available information.
• Research and learn where necessary.
• Develop potential solutions.
• Discuss your thinking with the relevant people.
• Implement the solution.
• Learn from the experience and improve the process.

The ability to take something away and figure it out is one of the most important attributes we're looking for.

What Success Looks Like

You'll be successful when:

• You can take ownership of infrastructure problems without constant direction.
• Colleagues trust you to investigate and resolve technical issues.
• You quickly develop an understanding of our systems and how they fit together.
• You build strong relationships across the technical teams.
• Infrastructure becomes increasingly automated, reliable, and maintainable.
• You identify and implement improvements rather than simply maintaining the status quo.
• You become a trusted technical point of contact for Cloud and DevOps.
• You increasingly take ownership of areas of our infrastructure.
• You continue developing your technical knowledge and progress towards a senior/lead position.

Why This Role Is Exciting

• Real ownership — take responsibility for significant parts of our cloud infrastructure.
• Autonomy — take problems away and solve them rather than wait for instructions.
• Learn from experienced people — work alongside knowledgeable Engineering, Data, and Technology teams.
• Variety — work across cloud infrastructure, Kubernetes, automation, networking, security, and reliability.
• Growth — develop towards a senior/lead infrastructure position.
• Influence — help shape how XCM's cloud platform evolves.
• Modern technology — Azure, Kubernetes, Infrastructure as Code, automation, and cloud-native platforms.
• Collaboration — work in an environment where communication, knowledge sharing, and problem-solving are valued.