DevOps Engineer (National Security) Location: Opportunities available across all compass points Hybrid: Secure-site working patterns vary by programme Salary: £60,000 – £90,000 depending on experience and SFIA grading Clearance: Active DV / eDV clearance preferred The Opportunity We’re supporting a number of highly regarded SME and engineering-led consultancies operating across the UK National Security ecosystem, helping them grow their DevOps and platform engineering capability.These organisations sit in an interesting space between the large primes and smaller niche operators. They combine modern engineering practices, collaborative culture and broad technical exposure with the opportunity to work on genuinely complex secure programmes.Many of the engineers we place into these environments are coming from larger organisations where delivery has become overly process-heavy or where technical ownership is limited. In contrast, the teams we support tend to offer flatter structures, closer collaboration with engineering leadership and far greater visibility across the full delivery lifecycle.The work typically spans cloud transformation, secure platform engineering and modern software delivery across a range of National Security and secure Government programmes.For engineers looking for broader project exposure, stronger progression opportunities and the chance to have more influence over how platforms are built and evolved, these environments can offer a very different experience to more traditional consultancy structures. The Role As a DevOps Engineer you will help design, build and evolve secure cloud platforms and delivery environments supporting complex engineering programmes.You will work closely with software engineers, architects and stakeholders to improve automation, scalability, reliability and secure delivery practices across a variety of systems and environments.Typical responsibilities include:• Designing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines using GitLab, Jenkins or similar tooling • Automating infrastructure provisioning using Terraform and Infrastructure as Code approaches • Deploying and managing containerised workloads using Docker and Kubernetes • Supporting secure cloud platform delivery across AWS-based environments • Developing automation and operational tooling using Python or Bash scripting • Applying monitoring and observability practices using tools such as Prometheus and Grafana • Supporting secure software delivery practices across cloud transformation and platform modernisation programmes • Collaborating with multidisciplinary engineering teams to improve reliability, scalability and operational performanceThe exact environment varies across programmes, but the common thread is modern engineering culture and exposure to a broad range of technologies and delivery challenges.These roles are particularly well suited to engineers who enjoy operating across cloud infrastructure, automation and software delivery, rather than specialising in a single narrow platform or technology area.The organisations we support place far more emphasis on adaptability, engineering mindset and collaborative behaviours than on matching every technology exactly. Security Requirements Due to the nature of the work, active DV / eDV clearance is preferred. Candidates should typically be sole UK nationals and eligible to work within secure National Security environments.As an industry leading, nationwide Marketing, Digital, Analytics, IT and Design recruitment agency, we are continually receiving new assignments to work on, so keep a close eye on our website, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter pages for a full list of current permanent and interim opportunities as well as marketplace news and fun stuff. Forward Role is operating as an employment agency.

Data Engineer (National Security) Location: Hybrid working across West and Manchester National Security hubs Hybrid: Secure-site working required (hybrid pattern) Salary: £70,000 – £120,000 plus bonus and benefits, depending on experience and SFIA grading Clearance: Active DV / eDV clearance preferred The Opportunity You will be joining a long-established technology business with deep roots in geospatial and data capability, now rapidly expanding its National Security footprint across cloud, analytics and modern data platforms.Over the last few years the organisation has grown significantly through investment, programme wins and increasing demand across secure Government and National Security environments. Their National Security capability is now scaling quickly, with major long-term programmes already secured and further growth planned across both the West and Manchester regions.What makes the environment particularly interesting is the combination of heritage and modernisation. The business has decades of expertise in geospatial and operational data, but is now evolving heavily into cloud-native data engineering, analytics and AI-enabled capability.This creates an environment where engineers can work across a broad range of modern data challenges while still operating inside a specialist engineering culture rather than a large, process-heavy prime.For engineers currently looking for stronger technical exposure, greater influence or the opportunity to help shape a growing capability, this is an opportunity to join at a genuinely exciting stage of growth. The Role As a Data Engineer you will help design, build and evolve secure data platforms and pipelines supporting complex National Security programmes.You will work across cloud-native environments, helping customers modernise how they ingest, process and exploit operational data at scale.Typical responsibilities include:• Designing and developing scalable data pipelines and ETL frameworks using Python-based processing • Building cloud-native data platforms using AWS services and modern distributed architectures • Supporting streaming and real-time data environments using technologies such as Kafka and modern event-driven systems • Working across structured and unstructured datasets to support analytics and operational decision-making • Designing and maintaining data models, schemas and storage architectures across relational and NoSQL environments • Supporting integration and transformation of geospatial, operational and analytics data sources • Collaborating with engineers, architects and stakeholders to shape secure data platform evolution • Contributing to modern engineering practices across automation, testing and platform reliabilityThe environment combines elements of cloud engineering, analytics, geospatial capability and AI-enabled systems, giving engineers broad exposure across multiple disciplines rather than confining them to a narrow platform or product area.The organisation values engineers who are adaptable, collaborative and comfortable engaging with both technical teams and stakeholders. Strong engineering fundamentals and curiosity are considered more important than matching every technology exactly.This role is particularly well suited to engineers who want to combine modern cloud and data engineering practices with meaningful real-world application inside secure environments. Security Requirements Due to the nature of the work, active DV / eDV clearance is preferred. Candidates should typically be sole UK nationals and eligible to work within secure National Security environments.As an industry leading, nationwide Marketing, Digital, Analytics, IT and Design recruitment agency, we are continually receiving new assignments to work on, so keep a close eye on our website, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter pages for a full list of current permanent and interim opportunities as well as marketplace news and fun stuff. Forward Role is operating as an employment agency.

Data Engineers & Architects (DV / eDV Cleared) Location: Opportunities available across all compass points Hybrid: Secure-site working patterns vary by programme Salary: Competitive depending on experience, clearance and SFIA grading Clearance: Active DV / eDV clearance preferred The Opportunity We work with a carefully selected group of engineering-led organisations operating across the UK National Security ecosystem, ranging from specialist SMEs through to R&D-focused technology businesses delivering complex cloud, AI and data capability into secure environments.The common thread across all of them is strong engineering culture, modern technology environments and a focus on building teams where people are trusted to do meaningful work.Many of the engineers we speak to are not actively applying for jobs, but are curious about what else exists outside of the more traditional prime or consultancy environments...This open application is designed for Data Engineers and Data Architects who want a discreet conversation about the market, the types of organisations currently hiring and the environments where engineering quality is genuinely prioritised.The work across our network typically spans areas such as:• Cloud-native data platforms • Distributed and streaming data systems • AI / ML-enabled capability • Geospatial and operational data platforms • Secure analytics environments • High-assurance systems and modern digital transformation programmesThe organisations we support range from long-standing National Security engineering businesses through to fast-growing specialist SMEs with strong reputations across the ecosystem.Many offer environments that feel very different to the larger consultancies or primes, with flatter structures, closer-knit engineering teams and greater technical ownership. Typical Technology Environments The exact stack varies across clients and programmes, but we regularly work with teams using technologies such as:• Python and modern data processing frameworks • Apache Spark, Kafka and streaming architectures • AWS cloud and cloud-native data services • Kubernetes and containerised platforms • ETL and orchestration tooling such as NiFi • Relational and NoSQL database technologies • AI / ML engineering tooling and modern analytics platforms • Geospatial and operational data systemsSome opportunities are heavily engineering-focused, others lean more towards architecture, technical leadership or customer-facing design work.What matters most across the market is usually not a perfect stack match, but strong engineering fundamentals, adaptability and the ability to work effectively with both technical teams and stakeholders. Who This Is For We’re interested in speaking with:• Data Engineers working across pipelines, platforms or analytics systems • Data Architects designing scalable cloud and data platforms • Engineers working within AI / ML, geospatial or operational data environments • People operating in secure environments who want visibility into broader market opportunities • Engineers and architects who value strong culture, technical autonomy and modern engineering practicesYou do not need to be actively looking to have a conversation.In many cases, the most valuable discussions simply help engineers benchmark their current environment, understand where the market is moving and gain access to opportunities that are rarely advertised publicly. Security Requirements Due to the nature of the environments we support, most opportunities require active DV or eDV clearance, or eligibility to progress through higher levels of UK vetting.As an industry leading, nationwide Marketing, Digital, Analytics, IT and Design recruitment agency, we are continually receiving new assignments to work on, so keep a close eye on our website, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter pages for a full list of current permanent and interim opportunities as well as marketplace news and fun stuff. Forward Role is operating as an employment agency.