Platform Engineer (Cloud Network Lead)

Job Description

About Allica Bank

Allica is the UK’s fastest growing company - and the fastest-growing financial technology (fintech) firm ever. Our purpose is to help established SMEs, one of the last major underserved opportunities in fintech. Established SMEs are the backbone of local communities - representing over a third of our economy - yet have been largely neglected both by traditional high street banks and modern fintech providers.

Department Description

The Allica IT platforms team play a key role in the operation of the Bank and are responsible for all Cloud, on premise, and desktop services. Our mission is to provide the best-in-class infrastructure services to support Allica. We live and breathe the Allica values and deliver services intelligently using automation, intelligence, and innovation.

Role Description

Elevate your career with Allica Bank, where we're driving innovation in the fintech industry. We're seeking a passionate Cloud Network Lead to join our dynamic Platform team—your chance to make a real impact at the forefront of financial technology.

As our Cloud Network Lead, you'll design, build, and maintain stable, secure, and high-performance network infrastructures across our organisation. Leading a talented team, you'll provide technical leadership and mentorship, setting new standards in network excellence.

With a focus on continuous improvement, you'll shape the future of Allica Bank's IT platforms. Collaborate cross-functionally with software developers, security experts, and system administrators to seamlessly integrate network solutions with our cutting-edge services.

Embracing an Infrastructure as Code philosophy, you'll work with the latest technologies like Terraform and Azure DevOps to automate and enhance our network infrastructure.

Your role involves innovative network design and delivery, enabling exceptional service across multiple teams while upholding the highest standards of secure networking practices.

While predominantly home-based, you'll occasionally collaborate in person at our Milton Keynes or London offices.

Principal Accountabilities

• Design, plan, manage, support, and oversee the cloud networking environment, including all technological duties associated with cloud compute.
• Lead the design, implementation, and maintenance of network infrastructure within Allica’s Cloud environments, primarily Azure; GCP experience is desirable.
• Oversee the deployment and management of network resources using Terraform.
• Manage and optimise Azure DevOps pipelines for network infrastructure deployments.
• Ensure network security and compliance utilizing Palo Alto firewalls and Netskope security solutions.
• Configure and manage BGP routing protocols within the network infrastructure; exposure to Azure Route Server is beneficial.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with software developers, security teams, and system administrators to integrate network solutions seamlessly with other platform services.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to the network engineering team.
• Develop and enforce best practices and standards for network infrastructure and operations.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex network issues promptly.
• Stay updated with emerging technologies and industry trends related to network engineering and cloud platforms.

Personal Attributes & Experience

• Extensive experience in network engineering and design within Azure Cloud environments.
• Proficiency with Azure Cloud services and networking features.
• Hands-on experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools, particularly Terraform.
• Strong knowledge of Azure DevOps for CI/CD pipeline management.
• Expertise in configuring and managing Palo Alto firewalls.
• In-depth understanding and experience with BGP routing protocols.
• Experience with Netskope or similar cloud security solutions.
• Proven leadership experience in leading teams and managing projects.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams and environments.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to troubleshoot complex network issues.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal.

Flexible working

We know the ‘9-to-5’ isn’t right for everyone. That’s why Allica Bank is fully committed to flexible and hybrid working. Please let us know what is best for you and, if we can, we will do our best to accommodate.

We’re a diverse bunch here at Allica, with all kinds of experiences, backgrounds and lifestyles. Our openness makes us stronger, and we want everybody to feel comfortable bringing as much of themselves to work with them as they like.

Working at Allica Bank

At Allica Bank we want to ensure our employees have the right tools and environment in which to succeed in their role and in support of our customers.

Our employees are at the heart of everything we do, so our benefits are designed with you in mind:

• Full onboarding support and continued development opportunities
• Options for flexible working
• Regular social activities
• 25 days holiday – with the option to Buy/Sell
• Pension contributions
• Discretionary bonus scheme
• Private health cover (with the option to add family members)
• Life assurance
• Income Protection
• Family friendly policies including enhanced Maternity & Paternity leave
• Season ticket loans