Principal DevOps Engineer

Company description:

Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action

Job description:

This position is part of the Automation and DevOps team responsible for managing the BFS software delivery and operational automation, encompassing the design, implementation, and support of continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, including extensive use of Infrastructure as Code.The Principal DevOps engineer takes a leading role in designing, implementing and supporting software delivery workflows and automation frameworks, primarily within a Microsoft Azure environment, but also including systems hosted within AWS. The responsibilities of this position include the management of CI/CD pipelines, container orchestration, application monitoring, platform and developer team tooling, and release processes, working closely with software, data, and cloud platform engineers to streamline the implementation and support of bespoke solutions built using cloud native technology. This position will use DevOps & IAC tools including Terraform/Open Tofu, Ansible and GitHub Actions to automate the software build, testing, deployment, and maintenance of application environments.

Specialist/Technical Expertise/Qualifications

Essential

• Strong development background in OpenTofu / Terraform and/or similar infrastructure as code tools.
• Strong development background in CI/CD strategies and software, particularly with GitHub Actions (or similar).
• Strong understanding of cloud platform services and significant hands-on experience in managing cloud platform infrastructure, ideally in an Azure environment.
• Strong development background with PowerShell, Bash, and/or Python and common platform automation scripting practices.
• Demonstrated experience leading technical implementations, establishing best practices, and mentoring other engineers.
• Experience with version control systems such as Git and GitHub
• Experience integrating automated security and compliance checks into CI/CD pipelines (DevSecOps).
• Strong knowledge of application monitoring, distributed tracing, and log analytics solutions (e.g., Azure Monitor, OpenTelemetry, or similar observability stacks).
• Experience with network design, configuration and management, ideally in an Azure environment.
• Familiarity with Ansible.
• A strong understanding of cloud authentication and security principles.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

Desirable

• Experience in multi-cloud environments, especially Azure and AWS.
• Experience designing cloud platform solutions.
• Experience leading technology implementation projects.
• A strong understanding of application monitoring, disaster recovery, backup and availability practices
• Experience using JIRA and Confluence.
• Experience with SQL Databases (Azure SQL, Microsoft SQL Server)
• Experience with Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) and Digital mapping technologies such as ArcGIS, Geocortex essentials / VertiGIS.
• A passion for cloud platform solutions and a code-based approach to configuration.
• Familiarity with ICT industry service management processes: Service requests, incidents, change management, problem management, and related tools.

This is an ongoing position. The work location for this position is flexible within Victoria with hybrid work arrangements available.

To be considered for this position, applicants are encouraged to submit a resume and cover letter (no longer than 2 pages) summarising their skills and relevant experience.

Please refer to the Key Selection Criteria provided in the Position Description, including the mandatory requirements.

How to Apply:

If you are a current DEECA employee, please apply via DEECA Careers.

Click the ‘Apply' button and you'll be redirected to a new platform and create an account.

Applications close 11.59pm on Wednesday, 02 September 2026.

All applications must be submitted through the online portal. We are unable to consider email or manual applications at this time.

Other relevant information:

Preferred candidates will be required to undertake pre-employment screening, including a Declaration and Consent form and a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check.

To be eligible for appointment to this role, applicants will possess corresponding work rights for the advertised employment period. Appointment to an ongoing position is only available to an Australian/New Zealand citizen or an Australian Permanent Resident.

An inclusive, culturally safe and flexible workplace

DEECA fosters an inclusive workplace culture and is committed to a fair, accessible, and equitable recruitment process.

We strongly encourage Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander people to apply. We recognise the strengths, knowledge and perspectives First Nations people bring and DEECA is committed to a culturally safe and respectful workplace. If you need support to participate, please contact ***************@deeca.vic.gov.au.

We support flexible working arrangements, including hybrid work, varied hours, part-time work and job sharing. For more information about our recruitment processes, visit applying for a role with us.