Software Factory Development and Administration:
• Lead the creation and maturation of the Software Factory and its supporting toolchain, including GitLab and associated CI/CD environments.
• Undertake associated management activities, including user training, administration, onboarding, and ongoing operational support.
• Manage and maintain Software Factory environments, ensuring security, performance, and availability across multiple projects.
• Oversee configuration, access control, and repository management across GitLab, Nexus, Jenkins, or similar systems.
• Monitor systems, manage infrastructure, automate routine tasks, and collaborate with software teams to ensure the smooth operation of software development and deployment pipelines.
• Maintain integration with monitoring and logging tools (e.g. Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack) and ensure end-to-end visibility of software pipelines.
• Administer and monitor containerised environments using Kubernetes (e.g. Red Hat OpenShift).

Innovation and Continuous Development:
• Lead and manage innovation work packages within the Software Factory, outside of the prototype bridging contract, supporting exploration of emerging technologies and approaches.
• Support the identification and evaluation of innovative tools, automation methods, and frameworks that enhance efficiency and capability delivery.
• Contribute to the creation of a Software Factory roadmap, ensuring alignment with wider Defence Digital transformation goals.
• Promote best practice and continuous improvement across software engineering and DevSecOps disciplines.

Technical Support and Assurance:
• Act as the primary point of contact for Software Factory–related technical and access issues.
• Support development teams with environment setup, build and deployment troubleshooting, and configuration guidance.
• Maintain up-to-date documentation of configuration, system changes, and operational processes for governance and audit.
• Ensure alignment with Defence Digital and Army engineering, security, and accreditation standards.

Governance and Compliance:
• Maintain governance documentation, access logs, and audit trails in line with programme standards.
• Ensure adherence to Defence Digital security, accreditation, and data management requirements.
• Implement configuration management, patching, and vulnerability remediation processes for all factory systems.
• Support compliance activities associated with DevSecOps and secure software delivery principles.

Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement:
• Work collaboratively with software developers, project managers, architects, cyber security specialists, and wider Defence stakeholders.
• Provide technical advice and administrative guidance to ensure efficient and compliant use of the Software Factory.
• Coordinate with Defence Digital technical authorities to align capability development, standards, and interoperability.

Experience

Essential:
• Proven experience administering CI/CD platforms such as GitLab, Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or Nexus.
• Strong understanding of DevOps and infrastructure automation principles (e.g. Ansible, Terraform, scripting).
• Experience managing secure, containerised environments (Kubernetes, Red Hat OpenShift).
• Working knowledge of monitoring, logging, and vulnerability scanning tools (e.g. Prometheus, Grafana, SonarQube, ELK Stack).
• Experience establishing and maturing technical environments or development platforms from inception.
• Strong system administration background with knowledge of networking, access management, and system security.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and lead small-scale innovation or capability development activities.

Desirable:
• Experience within the UK Defence or other secure government digital programmes.
• Understanding of Defence Digital governance frameworks, accreditation, and assurance processes.
• Familiarity with secure software development practices, code quality monitoring, and vulnerability management.
• Awareness of Defence capability integration and ISTAR-related systems.