Northwind
Northwind builds payment infrastructure for regulated financial services. We help banks, insurers, and fintechs move money safely, at scale, under the watch of UK and EU regulators.
Lead DevOps Engineer
Hi Alex, here's everything you need to know about the role at Northwind.
- 3
- 4
- 5
Step 3 of 5 · Tech interview
Welcome back
Hi Alex. You were last here 54 mins ago.
Pick up
You're in Tech interview.
Your prep
60% ready
across all stages
About Northwind
Northwind is the platform that quietly powers payments inside some of the UK's most familiar financial brands. We were founded by infrastructure engineers who got tired of watching deployment freezes block customer outcomes, and we are now a team of around 220 people across Edinburgh, London, and Liverpool.
Our work is regulated, technical, and high-trust. We move billions of pounds for our customers every month and we are proud of how often you have probably already used us without knowing.
The Role
As Lead DevOps Engineer, you will lead a high-performing team of DevOps engineers responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining automated deployment pipelines, monitoring solutions, and infrastructure as code practices across Azure and AWS environments. You will drive the technical vision, manage team roadmaps and ad-hoc priorities, and ensure rapid, reliable software delivery while maintaining regulatory compliance and fostering a culture of continuous improvement through coaching and mentoring.
This is a hybrid role with occasional onsite collaboration — typically once every 2–3 months, but you are able to attend our offices as much as you like, — at either our Welwyn Garden City or Liverpool offices. From time to time, you may also travel between sites.
Key responsibilities
• Design, build, and maintain CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps and GitHub Actions
• Implement and manage Infrastructure as Code using Terraform and ARM templates
• Configure and maintain monitoring, logging, and alerting solutions for applications and infrastructure
• Automate deployment processes across development, staging, and production environments
• Manage containerized applications using Docker and Kubernetes orchestration
• Implement security scanning and compliance checks within deployment pipelines
• Collaborate with development teams to optimize application performance and reliability
• Maintain and improve backup, recovery, and disaster recovery procedures
• Support incident response and root cause analysis for production issues
• Manage configuration management and secrets management solutions
• Optimize cloud resource utilization and cost management
• Lead, mentor, and coach a team of 6 DevOps engineers, fostering professional growth and development
• Conduct regular 1-on-1 meetings, performance reviews, and career development planning
• Define team goals aligned with organizational objectives and roadmap priorities
• Distribute workload effectively, balancing roadmap initiatives with ad-hoc operational needs
• Identify skill gaps and develop training plans to upskill team members
• Promote knowledge sharing and establish communities of practice within the team
• Drive a culture of collaboration, continuous learning, and operational excellence
• Cover on-call rotation for production support (1 week out of 6)
What we would like from you
• Strong experience with CI/CD pipeline design and implementation (Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions)
• Proficiency in Infrastructure as Code tools, particularly Terraform
• Experience with containerization technologies (Docker) and orchestration platforms (Kubernetes)
• Strong knowledge of Azure cloud services and deployment models
• Experience with monitoring and logging tools (Azure Monitor, Prometheus, Grafana stack)
• Proficiency in scripting languages (PowerShell, Bash, Python)
• Understanding of GitOps principles and version control best practices
• Knowledge of security best practices in DevOps and SecDevOps principles
• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills with development teams
• Experience with agile development methodologies
It would be great if you have the following
• Experience with Azure DevOps administration
• Knowledge of database deployment automation and migration strategies
• Familiarity with microservices architecture and deployment patterns
• Experience with API management and gateway solutions
• Knowledge of network security and firewall management
• Certification in Azure, AWS, or DevOps methodologies
• Experience with chaos engineering and resilience testing
• Familiarity with service mesh technologies (Istio, Linkerd, cilium)
Even better if you have:
• PCI-DSS compliance experience
• Experience in financial services or regulated industries
• Knowledge of ITIL or similar service management frameworks
• Experience with automated testing frameworks and test automation
• Understanding of site reliability engineering (SRE) principles
Our benefits if you decide to join us:
• Holiday purchase scheme, with 25 days holiday plus bank holidays as standard.
• On-site gym at our office (Free), and nationwide corporate rate gym membership
• Online benefits portal where you can access lots of deals, discounts - for example of shopping or holidays
• Contributory company pension scheme
• Progression and Development
• Private medical insurance
• Electric Car Scheme
• Life assurance of 3 x annual gross salary, with the option to purchase additional cover
• You’re also able to purchase a range of benefits at a discounted rate including, critical illness cover, bicycles via our Cycle2Work scheme, dental insurance and TasteCard dining discount card
• Love2shop Everyday Benefits Card
As a disability-confident committed company, we have a passion for championing equality. We welcome all colleagues into a work environment where success is attainable for everyone, regardless of disability, age, race, religion, gender identity, or sexual orientation. We are committed to ensuring that everyone has equal access to growth and opportunities in our workplace.
Context
Why this role exists
The Platform Engineering function is scaling, and your leadership comes at a critical moment. Your team is recovering from extended vacancy, so you'll build trust and stability while driving three strategic infrastructure projects: a GitHub Actions migration (40% complete and executive-sponsored), a greenfield Terraform module library rebuild for regulated compliance, and PCI-DSS v4.0 readiness for Q1 2027 audit. This role sits at the intersection of technical delivery and organizational trust—essential to Northwind's ability to scale infrastructure for our global builder community.
You'll report to the Head of Infrastructure and collaborate with peer leaders in SRE and Cloud Security, giving you visibility into platform-wide decisions and a seat at planning discussions that shape how we operate.
What success looks like
- GitHub Actions migration completed and transitioned to production use, with adoption metrics and team confidence established
- Terraform module library built and adopted across the team, reducing deployment friction and standardizing infrastructure patterns
- PCI-DSS v4.0 compliance framework documented and initial controls validated ahead of Q1 2027 audit
- Team stability restored: full headcount hired, onboarded, and operating independently on roadmap delivery within 6 months
- Cloud cost optimization initiatives implemented with measurable savings and improved resource utilization tracking
Team structure
You'll lead 6 DevOps engineers across hybrid locations—Welwyn Garden City, Liverpool, and remote—with genuine flexibility to visit offices roughly once every 2–3 months (or more if you prefer). You'll report to the Head of Infrastructure and work alongside peer leaders in Site Reliability Engineering and Cloud Security, collaborating on cross-functional platform initiatives.
Growth path
This role is a career-defining opportunity to develop expertise in regulated industry compliance and infrastructure leadership. Success here positions you for progression into Head of Platform or equivalent senior leadership roles, where you'll shape platform strategy across the organization.
The Process
Recruiter Screen
30 min
30-minute call with our recruiting team to explore your background and interest in the Lead DevOps Engineer role.
Code Test
120 min
Build and optimize cloud infrastructure code in a hands-on environment mirroring production workflows.
- 3
Tech interview
60 min
You are hereDeep dive into your DevOps architecture decisions, infrastructure design, and how you'd lead your team through real technical challenges.
Preparation guideWho you'll meetFormat60-min video call with hiring manager and senior DevOps engineer
60 min
How to prepareWalk through a recent infrastructure or CI/CD project you led—be ready to explain your design choices, trade-offs, and what you'd do differently. Prepare 2-3 examples of how you've mentored engineers or solved a production incident under pressure.
Topics likely to come up- Designing CI/CD pipelines for multi-environment deployment
- Infrastructure as Code best practices and Terraform patterns
- Kubernetes scaling, networking, and troubleshooting
- Leading teams: delegation, feedback, and skill development
- Production incident response and root cause analysis
- Security and compliance in deployment pipelines
Preparation checklist5 of 5 readyYou're fully prepped for this one.
- 4
Team Interview
60 min
Meet the DevOps team you'd lead and discuss collaboration, team dynamics, and how you approach mentorship.
- 5
Offer
30 min min
Review your offer, ask final questions, and negotiate terms with our hiring team.
Case study
Designing a multi-environment deployment pipeline
⏱ 60 to 90 minutesQuestions? Luke Eaton
This is the kind of design exercise you would take on in your first quarter at Northwind. We share it now so you can see how we think and how we expect to collaborate. It is not graded; it is a starting point for a conversation in the technical stages.
The scenario
Northwind is migrating our consumer payments service from a single monolithic Jenkins pipeline to modular GitHub Actions workflows. The service runs across dev, staging, and production in Azure, with PCI-DSS controls required on the production path. Today, full deployments take around 45 minutes and developers regularly wait in a queue for staging access. Our goal is to halve deployment time, eliminate the staging queue, and pass our Q1 2027 PCI-DSS v4.0 audit on the new pipeline.
What we would like to see
Walk us through how you would shape the new pipeline. We are particularly interested in your thinking on parallelism, environment promotion, secrets management, rollback strategy, and which controls you would put in front of the production gate. Feel free to make assumptions, just state them clearly so we can react to your reasoning.
How we evaluate
We care more about how you reason about constraints than the specific tools you pick. Strong responses surface trade-offs explicitly, name the conversations you would have with security, product, and developer experience, and describe how you would validate the design with the team before building anything.
What happens next
Send your notes to Luke at least 48 hours before your Tech Interview. The first 15 minutes of that session will use your design as the discussion prompt. You do not need to defend it; you just need to walk us through it.
Deliverables
A short written design document or annotated diagram describing your approach. No working code required. Two pages is plenty.
Stuck or have questions? Email luke@northwind.example.
The Team
Luke EatonRecruiterRecruiter ScreenI will be your point of contact through the whole process. I have spent 10+ years in talent for high-growth tech and my job is to make sure you have the information you need to make a good decision, fast. Outside work I host a community for recruiting leaders called Data Driven Recruiter and I will always say yes to a long walk and a podcast.
I default to async written updates. If you want me on a call, just ask and we will book one.
Santa ClausHiring ManagerTeam InterviewOfferI lead the Platform and Infrastructure org at Northwind. I joined in 2024 from a regulated payments background and I am the hiring manager for this role. I am training for my third marathon this autumn and I take dog walks more seriously than most people take their gym membership.
I block out two hours every morning for deep work. The rest of the day is for the team.
Regina PhalangeInterviewerTech interviewI lead our Terraform and Kubernetes practice. I have been at Northwind for three years and I would be your peer on the technical leadership team. Outside work I bake sourdough on the weekends and captain a Sunday-league five-a-side team that loses more often than it wins.
I work best when I can prototype in a branch first. I am happy to pair on hard problems.
Jason MamoaInterviewerTeam InterviewI run product for the payments platform. I will be the cross-functional voice in your Team Interview and a regular collaborator if you join. I am a Beatles obsessive, a surprisingly poor surfer despite fifteen years of trying, and I once made it to the regional final of University Challenge.
I prefer written context before any meeting. I will ask for it if it is not there.
Benefits
Core benefits: 25 days holiday plus bank holidays, contributory pension, private medical insurance, and life assurance at 3× annual salary with optional additional cover.
Health and wellness: Free on-site gym at our office, nationwide corporate gym rates, and online benefits portal with shopping and holiday discounts.
Additional options: Electric Car Scheme, Cycle2Work bicycles, critical illness cover, dental insurance, and TasteCard dining discounts—all available at discounted rates. We also offer a Love2shop Everyday Benefits Card.
As a disability-confident committed employer, we champion equality and ensure equal access to growth and opportunities for all colleagues, regardless of disability, age, race, religion, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
Salary
Move the sliders to share where your salary thinking is right now. This is a heads-up for your recruiter so you stay aligned through the process. It isn't a final number. Your actual package gets agreed with your recruiter directly. Update any time your thinking shifts.
Role range
$90k – $130k
Your expectation
$109,000 – $115,000
$90k$110k$130k
How firm is this?
The more we understand about your needs, the better aligned we can stay through the process.
Resources
benefits
Next Steps
Right now
You're in Tech interview. Well done getting through Code Test!
Coming up
Next is Team Interview.
Meet the DevOps team you'd lead and discuss collaboration, team dynamics, and how you approach mentorship.
Open the stage in The Process section above to see preparation tips.