About the Role:

Are you looking to work with a dynamic & innovative team, focusing primarily on Linux & Windows server support?  Next Distribution is a fast-paced environment supporting over 5000 users in 10 warehouses and several satellite sites around the UK and beyond. The Infrastructure & Cloud Services Warehouses team supports all server and storage hardware and software systems that allow the organisation’s user base to do their jobs. These systems include Linux and Windows Servers, Citrix, VMware, Brocade, Netscaler, IBM SAN, SQL Server and many more.


We’re recruiting for an experienced Senior Linux Infrastructure Engineer to provide technical expertise (either on your own or by involving your colleagues) through excellent written and verbal communication. Each day, you will have to make judgment calls regarding incidents and projects, prioritising to maximise your effectiveness. The Infrastructure & Cloud Services Warehouses team are responsible for the support, installation and maintenance of the server computing environment within Next Distribution warehouses and satellite sites.


Working in a team of 11, you will be involved with the project delivery of the server, infrastructure & storage platforms and solutions that meet Next’s business requirements. 

 

You will use physical and virtualised server platforms, deploying services using scripted/automated builds and will also be involved in incident management and resolution, change management, problem management, request management, disaster recovery, upgrades to existing servers and systems, and maintaining environmental records of Next’s infrastructure. As part of this role, you will adhere to and promote team standards and will produce documentation to a high standard and must be proactive in knowledge transfer to other teams. You will also provide regular reporting to the senior management team whilst keeping the management team informed of major outages/issues and resolutions.

 

The position is based around rotating shifts covering 08:00 am-18:00 pm based on business requirements, and this role will also take part in a weekly callout rota. Overtime and some shift changes are expected as many systems can only be installed or changed outside of normal business hours.

The role will be predominantly based at the Dale Lane, South Elmsall warehouse campus, with travel to other sites around the surrounding area as required.

You will:

Get involved in incident, change, problem and request management and resolutionUse physical and virtualised server platforms, deploying services using scripted/automated builds and will also be involved in disaster recovery, upgrades to existing servers and systems, and maintaining environmental records of Next’s infrastructureImplement new projects for the businessProvide regular reporting to the management team, keeping them informed of major outages/issues and resolutionsSupport Red Hat Linux platforms, documenting all resolutions and improvements to these systemsLiaise with Next Technology teams to triage and resolve customer issuesThis role will take part in a weekly callout rota. Overtime and some shift changes are expected, as many systems can only be installed or changed outside of normal business hours

About you:
 

Demonstrated experience supporting Linux server operating systems in a large, enterprise-level organisationAbility to lead and project manage the delivery of medium to large platform solutionsAbility to learn quickly, thrive on change and handle the pressure of a customer and partner-facing role, meeting delivery goals and timelinesHave strong customer and social skills, good relationship building abilities, process driven, able to manage multiple work streams, good prioritisation, and independentBe flexible to overtime work that is planned/unplanned as required
 

Essential
 

Strong experience with Red Hat Linux (RHEL 7.x, 8.x, 9.x), including advanced troubleshooting and kernel-level understandingProficiency in Linux failover clustering (Pacemaker, DRBD)Solid hands-on experience with Red Hat Satellite, Red Hat Ansible (including complex playbooks, roles, and collections), and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) principlesIn-depth knowledge of TCP/IP networking, routing, firewalls, and network securityGood familiarity with VMware platforms, including vSphere, vCenter, and advanced featuresAbility to work independently, make critical decisions, and lead in a fast-paced, complex environmentExcellent problem-solving skills, root cause analysis, and attention to detailStrong communication skills, both verbal and written, capable of presenting complex technical information to diverse audiencesProven experience with IaC, management at scale, and CI/CD pipelines (ADO)In-depth knowledge and experience with AnsibleExperience with containerisation technologies (Docker, Podman, Kubernetes, OpenShift)Basic understanding and experience with SELinux policy management and enforcementGood knowledge of monitoring tools like Zabbix, Dynatrace, Prometheus, and GrafanaStrong familiarity with GFS2 and/or other distributed file systems
 

Desirable

 

Strong programming experience with YAML, Terraform, and Python (for automation and tool development)Proficiency with GFS2 and/or other distributed file systemsGood experience with capacity planning, performance tuning, and SAN technologies (preferably HP/IBM/EMC based)Good knowledge of various HP server hardware generations and blade systemsA highly self-motivated approach with a strong focus on identifying and pursuing advanced development opportunities and emerging technologies


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