Cloud Engineer - FinOps

Social Security Scotland is currently seeking a Cloud Engineer – FinOps to join our Chief Digital Office. The Chief Digital Office is responsible for delivering the infrastructure, capability and digital solutions that support Social Security Scotland. Our FinOps team ensures cloud investments deliver maximum value while promoting financial accountability. You will optimise cloud costs through automation and real-time monitoring. If you’re passionate about identifying efficiencies and influencing infrastructure decisions, this role is for you. As a Cloud Engineer in FinOps, you’ll work with engineering, finance, and architecture teams to monitor, analyse, and optimise cloud spending. You’ll use tools like AWS Cost Explorer, Cloudwatch, and Terraform to identify savings, support cost transparency, and implement cost-effective solutions. Collaboration and technical expertise are essential, along with strong analytical skills and a proactive mindset — you’ll diagnose issues, suggest improvements, and help ensure our cloud infrastructure remains secure, efficient, and aligned with business needs. Please note this post is a Fixed Term Appointment for 47 months. At This Role Level, You Will • provide specialist technical support and assistance to projects, ensuring delivery of non-functional requirements and continual service improvement, • be responsible for preparations and support of IT operations solutions and services - physical or virtual - according to industry and organisational best practices, standards, service requirements and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) throughout the product life cycle, • coach and mentor junior team members, • assist in the provision of first class services and consistent levels of capability, as required by the organisation. An infrastructure operations engineer supports, manages and maintains the core infrastructure that underpins production services. A senior infrastructure operations engineer acts as second- or third-line support for incidents, problems and changes to solutions and services. Responsibilities Cost Management and Analysis • Support ‘Show back’ and ‘Charge back’ processes using AWS Cost Explorer and Quicksight, utilising system awareness and stakeholder engagement to identify cost savings, analyse pricing and risks. • Conduct technical analysis with cloud monitoring tools (AWS Console, CloudWatch, CloudTrail, Kibana) and implement Infrastructure as Code (Terraform) updates to reduce costs. • Manage AWS assets to ensure accurate records, secure configurations, and verify their location and status. • Analyse impact of changes, develop, document, and implement change requests. Operational and Incident Management • Monitor and diagnose AWS anomalies, investigating causes and owning resolutions until issues are mitigated or transferred. • Initiate investigations into patterns and trends, driving resolution of operational problems. • Use management tools to investigate issues, collect performance data, and generate reports. System Optimisation and Stakeholder Engagement • Manage AWS hosting components to meet performance and business needs. • Identify process improvement opportunities and contribute to the development of solutions. • Optimise system performance, forecast resource needs, and implement preventative measures. • Engage with users and stakeholders to gather requirements and assess risks. Technical Skills And Compliance • Demonstrate awareness of scripting tools and software in use. • Ensure secure configuration and accurate documentation of assets. • Collaborate with AWS and Cloud Engineering specialists as needed to determine remedies and support their implementation. Success Profiles We use an assessment framework called ‘Success Profiles’ which lists the elements we test and provides detailed descriptions of each. Find out more about how we assess the Success Profile Elements. Essential Experience • Can communicate with senior, non-technical managers the benefits, risks and operational considerations of AWS hosted IT solutions and their technical design. This includes explaining the impact of any technical decisions on the sustainability of the solution. • Good analytical skills to be able to scrutinise AWS issues and draw conclusions and interpretations from the information available to plan and deliver solutions for customers. This will include being proactive in responding and anticipating sudden changes to business priorities. Behaviours Making effective decisions - Level 3 Leadership - Level 3 You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours here: Success Profiles - Civil Service Behaviours (publishing.service.gov.uk) Technical / Professional Skills This role is aligned to Senior Infrastructure Operations Engineer within the Digital, Data and Technology Profession. These skills will be tested during the Technical Assessment if you are successful at sift stage. They will be not be assessed at application stage. Please review the following to understand the skill expectations: Infrastructure operations engineer - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework. How To Apply Apply online, you must provide a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 750 words) which provides evidence of how you meet the experience and behaviours listed in the Success Profiles above. Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to support your application, but all statements and examples provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, and presented as your own) applications will be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in recruitment. Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the CV and Supporting Statement based on the first Experience criteria. Candidates who pass the initial sift will have their applications fully assessed. Candidates who pass the sift and are invited to the Interview and Technical Assessment stage will receive a Technical Assessment Candidate Pack, which will outline the skills to be assessed and the assessment methods to be used. We aim to provide feedback on request. However, if we receive a large number of applications it may not be possible for us to provide specific feedback on your application. We will provide feedback on request to candidates who attend an interview/assessment. Expected Timeline (subject to change) Sift - w/c 12th January 2026 Interviews – w/c 9th February 2026 Location - In Person in either Dundee or Glasgow Reserve List In the event that there are more successful candidates than posts available, a reserve list will be kept for up to 12 months. About Us Social Security Scotland is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government. Our benefits help people from all walks of life in Scotland. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles. We are committed to recruiting a diverse workforce that is representative of the clients we serve. Find mote about us here. We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer. As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules. DDaT Pay Supplement This post is part of the Scottish Government Digital, Data and Technology (DDAT) profession and as a member of the profession you will join the professional development system. This post currently attracts a £5,000 annual DDAT pay supplement, applicable after a 3 months competency qualifying period. The payment will be backdated to your start date in the role. Pay supplements are reviewed regularly and there is one currently underway. Changes will be communicated when the review is concluded. Working Pattern Our standard hours are 35 hours per week and we offer a range of flexible working options, depending on the needs of the role. We embrace a hybrid working style where all colleagues will spend time in either our Glasgow or Dundee offices. There is an expectation of a minimum 2 days per week in your assigned location, which will be either Glasgow or Dundee.  If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for, please contact us. Security checks Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks – Identity, Right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions). You can find out more about BPSS on the UK Government website, or read about the different levels of security checks in our Candidate Guide. Equality Statement Social Security Scotland are committed to equality and inclusion, and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation. Social Security Scotland are a Disability Confident Employer. We will consider and implement any reasonable adjustments you may require throughout the recruitment process and during the course of your employment, should you be successful in securing a post. If you feel you may require assistance with any part of our recruitment process, please contact us at Recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot. Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them. Right to Work in the UK Social Security Scotland is an approved sponsor under the UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker route. Please note that UK immigration guidance, including skill and salary thresholds and eligible occupations, is reviewed regularly and subject to change. If you require visa sponsorship, you should check the latest criteria to confirm whether this role meets current requirements before applying. You can find further advice on Gov.UK - Skilled Worker visa: Overview - GOV.UK Further Information Find out more about our organisation, what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website. Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes. The successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 3 years unless successful in gaining promotion to a higher Band or Grade. Social Security Scotland’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the recruitment principles of the Civil Service Commissioner, which outline that selection for appointment be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition - Recruitment - Civil Service Commission (independent.gov.uk) If you feel at any time your application has not been treated in accordance with the values in the Civil Service Code and/or if you feel the recruitment has been conducted in such a way that conflicts with the Civil Service Commissioner’s Recruitment Principles, you can make a complaint, by contacting Social Security Scotland at recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commissioner. If you experience any difficulties accessing our website or completing the online application form, please contact the Resourcing Team via recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot Apply before 8th January 2026 at 23:55 Contact Name - Resourcing Team Contact email - recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot