Application Operations Engineer – SC Eligible – Government Projects at ByDesign Secure, London, £550 a day

This role is delivered within secure environments. Candidates must be eligible for UK SC and DV clearance and hold UK citizenship.

Opening: Join the Mission

At ByDesign Secure, we believe that world-class security shouldn't be an afterthought—it should be the foundation. We are an independent, outputs-based consultancy dedicated to solving the most complex data assurance challenges in the UK public sector. Currently, we working on a landmark transformation of a cross-government secure IT system. This is an exciting opportunity to help architect a private cloud environment from the ground up and modernize the end-user services that power national decision-making. We don't believe in "billing by the hour" or rigid hierarchies; we are a lean, expert team focused on delivering high-impact technical outcomes. If you are a self-starter who thrives on autonomy and wants to see your engineering or architectural decisions shape the future of sovereign security, we want to talk to you.

About the Opportunity

Are you a Google Cloud expert with a passion for engineering secure, mission-critical systems?

We're looking for an experienced Application Operations Engineer with strong Google Cloud expertise to join our team.You’ll be part of a multi-year transformation programme, shaping and implementing some of the most strategically significant government systems in operation today.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Engineering secure, scalable, and resilient applications in Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Google Distributed Cloud (GDC) environments.
• Working within disconnected environments on data-severing solutions. 
• Collaborating closely with architecture, engineering and security teams to ensure seamless integration from design through delivery.
• Deploy, monitor and support applications on Google, including Cloud Functions, GKE, Compute Engine, and App Engine.
• Use Google Cloud Operations Suite (Cloud Monitoring, Logging, Trace) to maintain service health and identify potential issues.
• Execute routine operational tasks such as configuration updates, performance checks, restarts, permissions reviews, and patching activities.
• Support deployments and releases through controlled CI/CD pipelines.
• Assist with maintaining service accounts, IAM roles, and organisational policies following least-privilege principles.
• Support with application migration activities including the technical analysis, deployment and testing alongside the architecture teams.
• Develop and maintain documentation including Low Level Designs, runbooks and guidance.

What You’ll Bring

• Proven hands-on experience as a Google Application Operator specialising in Google Cloud.
• Practical hands-on knowledge of Google Distributed Cloud (GDC), 
• Experience working in environments without direct internet connectivity.
• Strong engineering background with deep understanding of IaC (Terraform, Deployment Manager), automation, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Expertise in networking, IAM, containerisation (GKE/Kubernetes), and secure systems design.
• Confident working within highly regulated or classified environments where reliability and compliance are paramount.
• Strong communicator — able to bridge technical and non-technical stakeholders effectively.

Bonus Points For

• Prior experience working on government classified systems or within secure data centre environments.
• Experience of configuring and using AI technologies within cloud environments, including GCP AI technologies.
• Familiarity with NCSC guidance, UK Government cloud policies, or cross-domain architectures.
• Knowledge of multi-cloud integrations, edge computing, and data sovereignty requirements.
• Google Certifications.
• Existing UK Government Security Clearance (SC or above)

Why This Role?

• Work on high-impact, nationally significant projects that make a real difference.
• Join a trusted specialist integrator with a proven record of secure delivery into UK Government.

Clearance Requirements:

• This role requires either an existing Security Clearance (SC level) or for one to be passed before commencement. There must be a willingness to undergo Developed Vetting (DV).

Work Location : Hybrid remote in London

Job Types : Temporary, Fixed term contract (Outside of IR35)

Job Types: Fixed term contract, Temporary

Pay: £550.00 per day

Application question(s):

• Do you currently hold active UK SC clearance?
• Do you hold UK nationality? (Required due to client security restrictions)
• Are you eligible and willing to undergo UK SC/DV clearance for this role? (Applications without this cannot be considered)
• Does your delivery approach allow for on-site presence in London when required (typically around 3 days per week)?

Work Location: Hybrid remote in London