The Opportunity
As an Operational Technology Engineer based at our UK Foundry, you will help operate and evolve the Foundry’s operational technology environment that powers our industrial-scale integration engine. You will support and maintain operational networks, security platforms, and automation systems that enable high throughput, high reliability manufacturing and integration workflows.
AHEAD Foundry operates like a continuously changing data centre, with thousands of devices, ports, and systems in motion. This is the first OT Engineer hire in the UK which is growing fast, so you’d need to be comfortable operating in a high-impact role where you will operate with significant autonomy while working closely with peers in Foundry, Operations, Product, Software, and Corporate IT to ensure the environment remains secure, observable, and scalable as the business grows.
To be considered for this role, you must have the right to work in the UK. Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.
Key Responsibilities
- Operate and maintain the Foundry operational networks and supporting platforms.
- Support the automation tooling and systems used for imaging, testing, and validation.
- Assist with Linux-based system builds, OS imaging, and test tooling (Python-based).
- Participate in maintaining cross-site file synchronisation and golden image governance.
- Support a network environment with hundreds of switches and thousands of ports.
- Assist with VPN's, remote access platforms, and secure client connectivity for staging and testing.
- Operate and maintain on-prem Nutanix clusters hosting production tooling and remote access services.
- Administer Jira and Confluence environments used by the Foundry team.
- Support network and platform hardening using segmentation, firewalls, and access controls.
- Assist with Palo Alto firewall operations, Panorama management, licensing and updates.
- Support GitLab operations for CI and source control availability.
- Participate in backup operations and disaster recovery testing to meet RPO/RTO objectives.
- Operate within ISO certified environments (ISO 9001).
- Monitor and respond to alerts across network, compute, backup, UPS, and facility systems.
- Participate in change control processes, patching windows, and configuration management.
- Assist with diagnosing and resolving complex, multi-layer operational issues.
- Partner with Foundry Operations on capacity planning and facility optimisation.
- Collaborate with Product and Software teams to extend automation and integrate new technologies.
- Coordinate with telecoms providers, vendors, and internal teams for connectivity and infrastructure delivery.
- Support testing standards and new hardware introduction with engineering and verification teams.
- Work in accordance with the company health and safety policies.
- Reporting of hazards, incidents, or unsafe working conditions.
- Using equipment and tools in accordance with safety guidance and training.
- Comply with all company information security, confidentiality, and data protection policies when handling company systems, customer data, or proprietary information.
Operational Technology Platforms
Network, Compute, and Access
Security, Compliance, Backup, and DR
Reliability and Observability
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Health, Safety and Environment
Data Protection and Confidentiality
Technology Environment
Networking and security (Palo Alto, Panorama, EVPN/BGP), Linux, Nutanix, GitLab, Puppet/Ansible, automation tooling, telemetry and alerting platforms.
This job description is intended to outline the general nature and level of work expected in the role. It is not an exhaustive list of responsibilities. Duties and responsibilities may change from time to time in line with business needs.
Skills and Experience
- Strong networking fundamentals: routing, switching, VPN's, segmentation, and firewall concepts.
- Solid Linux experience and familiarity with virtualisation (KVM, Nutanix).
- Experience supporting automation or imaging platforms in production environments.
- Familiarity with configuration management or automation tools (Ansible, Puppet, CI/CD).
- Strong troubleshooting skills across hardware, network, and software layers.
- Clear written and verbal communication skills.
- Exposure to ISO 9001 and/or ISO 13485 environments.
- Experience with Palo Alto firewalls, Panorama, or Cisco DNA.
- Familiarity with AI/HPC hardware, or high-density rack environments.
- GitLab administration experience.
Essential
Desirable
Qualifications
Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical discipline
Or
Equivalent professional experience in operational infrastructure, network engineering, or systems engineering.
Additional Information
Line Management
This role has no line management responsibilities.
Work Environment
This role operates in a professional office environment, a computer integration facility, and server rooms. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, and conferencing equipment.
Physical demands
The role may require periods of standing, walking, and working with computer hardware. Occasional lifting and handling of equipment may be required. Where required, appropriate training and equipment will be provided.
AHEAD is committed to supporting employees through reasonable adjustments where in line with the Equality Act 2010.
Work Hours
Standard hours of work are typically 8 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday. Occasional evening and weekend work may be necessary.
Travel
This role may require up to 10% travel, which may include international.
AHEAD Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about AHEAD and has not been reviewed or approved by AHEAD.
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Retirement Support — 401(k) contributions are matched dollar-for-dollar on the first $5,000 each year, with matching made each pay period and immediate 100% vesting. This structure signals above-standard employer support for retirement savings.
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Affordable Benefits — Medical options include low employee premiums for PPO and HDHP plans, and the HDHP adds employer HSA funding plus a dollar-for-dollar HSA match up to stated amounts. Dental and vision plans list very low per-paycheck costs, helping keep overall healthcare spend manageable.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — No-cost telemedicine (including virtual mental health when enrolled), free Calm access for the employee and dependents, and an EAP with counseling are included. Company-paid life and disability plus voluntary protections (legal/ID, pet insurance) and other extras round out a comprehensive set of supports.
AHEAD Insights
What We Do
AHEAD builds platforms for digital business. By weaving together cloud infrastructure, intelligent operations, and modern applications, we help enterprises deliver on the promise of digital transformation.
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