Senior Cloud Engineer (Logging and Monitoring)

Are you an experienced Cloud Engineer with the ability to adapt and thrive in a continually evolving cloud platform environment Do you have a strong aptitude for problem-solving and service optimisation Are your strengths rooted in leadership shared ownership collaboration and a commitment to achieving and maintaining high-quality standards

Social Security Scotland are looking to recruit a Senior Cloud Engineer to help develop and maintain our Elasticsearch logging monitoring and alerting platform which is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS).

The Chief Digital Officer (CDO) division is responsible for delivering the infrastructure capability and digital solutions that will support Social Security Scotland.

The Senior Cloud Engineer role will be within the Engineering and Cloud service branch - focussed on delivering a roadmap of observability requirements in our Elasticsearch and AWS estate. There will be regular interaction with colleagues in the CDO Architecture team Cyber Security Team Applications Development teams and a number of suppliers involved in the provision of the Divisions software and infrastructure.

The ideal candidate will have a strong track record in leading a multi-disciplinary team that have responsibility for delivery and support of enterprise level services. You will be proactive in responding and anticipating sudden changes to business priorities and addressing wider strategic priorities.

Social Security Scotland an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government is undertaking the largest and most complex IT and digital change programme since devolution. With a lifetime budget of over 300m Social Security Scotland is delivering a social security system that will support the people of Scotland for decades to come.

We aim to develop within Social Security Scotland a positive and inclusive culture which supports our people to flourish by embedding a working environment where we all treat each other with dignity and respect and recognise each others contributions.

A lead infrastructure operations engineer (Senior Cloud Engineer) supports manages and maintains the core infrastructure that underpins production services.

At this role level you will:

• manage operational support of IT solutions and services
• manage workload performance and development of a team of IT operations specialists by building capability to deliver services as required
• manage third party provision of IT operations services
• manage provision of expertise to programmes and projects
• manage the development of architectural solutions for IT operations solutions throughout the service life cycle

Responsibilities

• Deal with high impact complex change requests.
• Ensure that release policies procedures and processes are applied.
• Interact with and read code.
• Carry out baseline repair activities.
• Identify process optimisation opportunities with guidance and contribute to the implementation of proposed solutions.
• Lead the investigation and resolution of incidents.
• Take accountability for issues that occur and be proactive in searching for potential problems.
• Initiate and monitor actions to investigate patterns and trends to resolve problems.
• Effectively consult specialists where required.
• Determine the appropriate remedy and assist with its implementation.
• Determine preventative measures.
• Draft and maintain procedures and documentation.
• Identify process improvements and contribute to the definition of best practice.
• Offer recommendations on the best tools and methods to use.

Success Profiles
We use an assessment framework called Success Profiles which lists the elements we test and provides detailed descriptions of each. Find out more about how we assess the Success Profile elements.

Essential Experience

1. Able to provide business and technical leadership to a team of experienced technologists evidencing a deep understanding of Cloud and DevOps platforms such as AWS Jenkins Terraform and Elasticsearch to define and deliver a roadmap of observability requirements.
2. Evidence of delivering continual service improvement; willing to challenge established practices using evidence to deliver a better service to the business as a whole. This will include a vision for streamlining processes and reducing costs to ensure focus on delivering support for new business critical technologies.

Behaviours

• Making Effective Decisions (Level 4)
• Leadership (Level 4)
  

You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours here.

Technical / Professional Skills:
This role is aligned to Lead infrastructure operations engineerwithin the Digital Data and Technology Profession.

These skills will be tested during the Technical Assessment if you are successful at sift stage. They will be not be assessed at application stage.

Please review the following to understand the skill expectations: Infrastructure operations engineer - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework

How to Apply
Apply online you must provide a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 750 words) which provides evidence of how you meet the experience and behaviours listed in the Success Profiles above. Be sure to provide specific examples of work that youve done that showcase your relevant experience.

Should a large number of applications be received an initial sift may be conducted using the CV and Supporting Statement on the first Experience criteria.

Candidates who pass the initial sift will have their applications fully assessed.

Candidates who are successful at sift stage will be invited to attend an Interview and Technical Assessment. The interview will further assess the Experience and Behaviours listed in the job advert and the Technical Assessment will evaluate the Technical Skills relevant to the role.

Candidates who pass the sift and are invited to the Interview and Technical Assessment stage will receive a Technical Assessment Candidate Pack which will outline the skills to be assessed and the assessment methods to be used.

Following the application sift there may be a telephone interview as part of the assessment process before the main interview.

We aim to provide feedback on request. However if we receive a large number of applications it may not be possible for us to provide specific feedback on your application. We will provide feedback on request to candidates who attend an interview/assessment.

Expected Timeline (subject to change)
Sift w/c 6th October 2025
Interview w/c 27th October 2025
Location In Person in either Dundee or Glasgow

Reserve List
In the event that there are more successful candidates than posts available a reserve list will be kept for up to 12 months.

About Us
Social Security Scotland is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government. Our benefits help people from all walks of life in Scotland. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles. We are committed to recruiting a diverse workforce that is representative of the clients we serve. Find more about us here.

We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer.

As part of the UK Civil Service we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules.

DDaT Pay Supplement
This post is part of the Scottish Government Digital Data and Technology (DDAT) profession and as a member of the profession you will join the professional development system. This post currently attracts a 5000 annual DDAT pay supplement applicable after a 3 months competency qualifying period. The payment will be backdated to your start date in the role. Pay supplements are reviewed regularly and there is one currently underway. Changes will be communicated when the review is concluded.

Working Pattern
Our standard hours are 35 hours per week and we offer a range of flexible working options depending on the needs of the role. We embrace a hybrid working style where all colleagues will spend time in either our Glasgow or Dundee offices. There is an expectation of a minimum 2 days per week in your assigned location which will be either Glasgow or Dundee. If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for please contact us.

Equality Statement
Social Security Scotland are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation.

Social Security Scotland are a Disability Confident Employer. We will consider and implement any reasonable adjustments you may require throughout the recruitment process and during the course of your employment should you be successful in securing a post. If you feel you may require assistance with any part of our recruitment process please contact us at

Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.

Further Information
Find out more about our organisation what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website.

Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes.

The successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 3 years unless successful in gaining promotion to a higher Band or Grade.

Social Security Scotlands recruitment processes are underpinned by the recruitment principles of the Civil Service Commissioner which outline that selection for appointment be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition - Recruitment - Civil Service Commission ()

If you feel at any time your application has not been treated in accordance with the values in the Civil Service Code and/or if you feel the recruitment has been conducted in such a way that conflicts with the Civil Service Commissioners Recruitment Principles you can make a complaint by contacting Social Security Scotland at in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commissioner.

If you experience any difficulties accessing our website or completing the online application form please contact the Resourcing Team via

Apply before 23:55 Tuesday 7th October 2025.

Contact Name - Resourcing Team
Contact email