Unix Engineer

Ocado Technology is the in-house technology division of over 1,200 software developers, engineers, researchers and scientists that uses the latest in AI, robotics, cloud services, big data, and mobile technologies. We brainstorm, design, architect, innovate, experiment, build and maintain the systems that power Ocado. Ocado Technology is developing a world class and highly innovative retail and fulfilment platform, called the Ocado Smart Platform (OSP). Our next generation fulfilment centres make sure that the stock we receive from our suppliers is stored in the right area of our automated warehouse, such that we can pick all the items in each of the customer orders passed to us. This task involves algorithms and business logic breaking the job down into component parts which can be passed to our numerous people, conveyor and robot control systems for execution. Efficiency and accuracy are at the centre of everything we do. Building the new technology platform to enable each of our sites, running 24/7, to reach their 200,000 orders per week capability keeps us busy and continually presents new challenges for us to solve. What does the Unix Platform team do? The Unix Platform team is responsible for building the internal Linux-based infrastructure that powers our automated warehouses. These will be built anywhere in the world; quickly, reliably and with the least amount of human intervention. In addition we are responsible for the deployment and management of hundreds of Linux-based edge devices in each warehouse. We are working towards what some call the holy grail of system administration: start from an empty server room at a remote location and automatically deploy, build and configure the platform so that it is a fully functioning system. This system has to be maintainable, upgradeable and supportable; with the aim of being fully zero-touch in both deployment and operation. What will I be doing? Identify which tools we should create and use to provide the most value to the business. We need to identify, prototype, implement and test them Root cause analysis and fix production issues as we strive to have no support requirement and want our infrastructure to self-heal Automate the configuration and setup of hardware, operating systems and services to our internal standards, as they can be deployed anywhere in the world and we can’t do it manually Management and development of our compute estate to ensure it’s always fit for purpose, working as it should and delivering service and value to the company Monitoring of systems to ensure that issues are quickly identified and resolved, for when things go wrong we know why they went wrong and how to fix them Automation of manual activities, as we don’t like to do the same thing twice Implementing, testing and rolling out new releases because we usually like to run the latest versions of the services Provision of documentation and training to peers and other stakeholders We have a very agile environment, but still need to coordinate some larger changes with other teams and the business Supporting production systems as required outside of standard working hours and participate in 24x7 on-call rota Implementation of systems to comply with Ocado Technology's security and disaster recovery strategy Generally being an awesome sysadmin, doing what you like to do as a sysadmin whilst getting paid to do it What do I need to know? Have working knowledge of system administration and Linux based systems, with an in-depth understanding of at least two of the following technologies: Linux (preferably Ubuntu) Scripting (Shell, Python) Experience of server build and configuration management system (preferably Puppet/FAI) Passion for creating products that aspire to achieve zero support Good understanding of TCP/IP and IP networking Experience/understanding of supporting a 24x7 operation Passion for open source technologies; in touch with industry/market developments and best practices Self-starter, comfortable adapting to change and learning quickly in a fast-paced environment Good written, verbal and collaboration skills Any of these are also really useful Openstack Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Maths, Physics, Engineering or related subject Gitlab and GitOps Exposure to Kubernetes and Docker Experience of remote system administration Experience of Agile and DevOps practices System security Performance monitoring and tuning Capacity planning Service Monitoring A good understanding of core network services (i.e. DNS, DHCP, BGP, etc) What we can offer you Our employee benefits are designed for you, we care about people and we’ve ensured we have a wealth of benefits that focus on your well-being. Within our flexible environment we can offer technically stretching work, a competitive salary and share schemes. Benefits include pension scheme, train season ticket loan (interest-free), free shuttle bus from Hatfield train station and of course, healthy Ocado retail staff discounts. We also have regular divisional socials, sports clubs not to mention the Ocado Technology Academy for a packed schedule of courses, conferences and events such as discussion sessions, conference briefs and external guest speakers. If you think you have what it takes to make a difference, please submit your application below. Due to the energising nature of Ocado's business, vacancy close dates, when stated, are indicative and may be subject to change so please apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Please note: If you have applied and been rejected for this role in the last 6 months, or applied and been rejected for a role with a similar skill set, we will not re-evaluate you for this position. After 6 months, we will treat your application as a new one. Be bold, be unique, be brilliant, be you. We are looking for individuality and we value diversity above gender, sexual orientation, race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, age, disability or union participation. We are an equal opportunities employer and we are committed to treating all applicants and employees fairly and equally. This job was originally posted as www.cwjobs.co.uk/job/89850018