Job Description

Description

Are you ready to elevate your cloud engineering career in a dynamic and close-knit organisation? Join us here at SFC and become part of a small, driven team where every voice is heard and innovation thrives! Our young and vibrant culture fosters creativity and collaboration, ensuring that no two days are the same. With a huge appetite for change and a variety of exciting projects to get your teeth into, you'll have the opportunity to make a real impact on post-16 education in Scotland. We'd like you to grow alongside us. If you're eager to embrace new challenges and drive transformative cloud solutions, we want to hear from you!

Key Responsibilities

Provide technical leadership in the planning, design, and implementation of cloud-based applications. Manage and optimize IaaS and PaaS elements to deliver robust, cost-efficient solutions in Azure. Ensure the architecture of cloud solutions align with business requirements and application development strategy. Perform system troubleshooting and problem-solving across platform and application domains. Lead efforts to identify and evaluate emerging cloud technologies and methods to ensure SFC remains a current and modern Cloud based organisation. Develop and organize cloud systems to ensure data security, cloud backup, disaster recovery, and compliance with internal and external regulations. Implement and manage cloud environment using Infrastructure as Code (IaC). Troubleshoot Microsoft Azure and On-Prem infrastructure, including network performance and security, and make recommendations for future proofing and performance improvement. Ensure robust documentation is delivered and kept up-to-date, including processes, controls and developments. Ensure existing IT policies and procedures are adhered to and enforced appropriately across the organisation. Proactively identify process improvement opportunities and support continuous improvement initiatives under your own initiative and direction of the Head of Cloud Infrastructure.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

It is important that throughout your CV / Cover Letter, you evidence your experience of each of the following essential criteria (where possible with worked examples):

Comprehensive knowledge of Intune {Windows 10/11, Autopilot, Android/iOS, MAM/MDM}. Extensive knowledge of Azure Security Operations {Security Centre, Defender, Sentinel, NSGs, MFA}. In-depth knowledge of Azure components {IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, Compute, Storage, Networking}. Skilled in Hybrid Identity and Access Management {AAD, On-Prem AD, SSO}. Proficient in Azure Monitor, Log Analytics and Application Insights. Experience administering Azure Services including Backup & Recovery. Familiarity in supporting the Microsoft 365 Ecosystem {Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams, M365 Suite}. Proficient in PowerShell, Bash or Python. Azure Cloud Certification: At least one of the following {AZ-400, AZ-305 or AZ-104}.
Effective interpersonal and communication skills.

Desirable:

Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines and Infrastructure as Code {ARM, Bicep}. Understanding of Network and VPN administration. Knowledge of Microsoft Fabric {OneLake, Data Factory, Synapse, Power BI}. Understanding of Azure Governance {Blueprints, Policies, Tagging, Cost Management}. Microsoft Certifications: Any of the following {MS-102, MD-102, AZ-140, SC-400, PL-900}.

Benefits

Normal full-time hours of work are 35 per week. We will consider flexible working arrangements. A flexi-time system is in operation.


Annual leave entitlement of 26.5 days pro-rata, rising to 30 days pro-rata after 2 years' continuous service. Public and privilege holiday entitlement of 13 days pro-rata.


A flexible approach to hybrid working, giving you flexibility to work from home anywhere in the UK for some of the time while also maintaining regular in-person contact with colleagues.


Annual pay review: approved within the framework of the Scottish Government's Public Sector Pay Policy and negotiated with our recognised trade union, Unite. Salaries are reviewed annually in April for employees who commence employment prior to 1 October in the preceding year.


Eligibility to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme. With its low member contribution rates and generous employer contributions, this gives you a secure, inflation-proof pension for life with no investment uncertainty. Details of contribution rates together with further details of the pension benefits are available on the Civil Service Pensions website. There is also the option of a Partnership pension account.


Support for continuous professional development: as a part of SFC, we are dedicated to providing comprehensive support for continuous learning and professional development. Civil Service-Learning curriculum has thoughtfully designed to cater to various learning preferences, allowing employees to engage in a manner that best suits their needs. All our educational resources are conveniently accessible through the CSL website.


Support for health and wellbeing, including generous occupational sick pay, free access to confidential advice and support through our 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme, Special Leave (paid and unpaid), a contribution to learning outside work through our Lifelong Learning Fund, free winter flu vaccination, and access to occupational health support.


We provide support to SFC employees with Volunteering Days.


Support for travel to and from work, including a salary sacrifice cycle loan scheme, cycle storage and shower facilities, an interest-free loan for bus or rail season tickets and free office car parking for employees on a first-come basis.


Although most salaried roles are advertised as full time positions (35 hours a week), we are happy to discuss part-time or compressed hours to suit a candidates circumstances. We also operate a flexible working scheme to work around a candidate's other commitments such as caring responsibilities.



We will consider secondment applications for most salaried fixed-term or temporary positions and in many cases also for salaried permanent positions. If you are interested in applying on a secondment basis and this option is not explicitly mentioned in the job advert, please contact recruitment@sfc.ac.uk for further information.

About Scottish Funding Council

We are the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council, more commonly known as the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).



We are Scotland's tertiary education and research authority and our purpose is to sustain a world-leading system of tertiary education, research and innovation that enables students to flourish, changes lives for the better, and supports social, economic and environmental wellbeing and prosperity.

We do this by investing around 2 billion of public money to deliver:Tertiary learning and teaching. Skills and apprenticeships. Student support and participation. Research, innovation and knowledge exchange. Data collection and dissemination. National quality assurance and enhancement processes. Capital and digital infrastructure for the sector. Strategic change, responsive provision and research priorities.
As a non-departmental public body established by the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005, we are directly accountable to Scottish Government Ministers and the Scottish Parliament. We work across many government portfolios and are sponsored by the Lifelong Learning Directorate.

We hold colleges, universities and other funded bodies to account for their delivery of required outcomes. We are also the statistical authority for colleges, and work closely with the UK-wide Higher Education Statistical Authority (HESA), to provide data and statistics for government, decision-makers, and the wider public.

We work in partnership with a wide range of partners and bodies, including those we fund, across all aspects of our remit.

General information for applicants for SFC roles

You must already be eligible to work in the UK to apply for these roles.

SFC do not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skills Worker License and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.



We are pleased to support applications from everyone regardless of age, disability, race and ethnicity, socio-economic background, gender, sexual orientation, sex, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief, as well as those who have skills in Scottish Gaelic or British Sign Language, who have the right skills for the job.


We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and actively encourage interviews through the scheme.


Further information about SFC is available on our website Scottish Funding Council home page (sfc.ac.uk). Additional information about our recruitment process can be found at Recruitment FAQs | Scottish Funding Council Careers (sfc.ac.uk).