Cloud Platform Lead

Established in 1963, Fred. Olsen Ltd focuses primarily on the Renewable Energy, Forest Management, Logistics and Travel Sectors. Established and based in the UK, but operating globally, we operate with innovation, service and dependability in mind, and supply a central service function in Finance, HR, IT and Facilities services to the UK companies under our umbrella which include:

• Fred. Olsen Ltd
• Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
• Fred. Olsen Travel
• Fred. Olsen Logistics
• Fred. Olsen Renewables
• Fred. Olsen Seawind
• Forrest Estate
• The Natural Power Consultants
• KUDO
• ZX Lidars
• ZX Measurement Services

As a company we have a family culture, our success is anchored in an authentic heritage. Delivering our vision is down to the passion of our people, and we are proud to create opportunities for everyone to thrive and grow.

We are seeking a Cloud Platform Leadto play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering Fred. Olsen Digital’s cloud transformation. Operating within our Platform & Cloud Tower, you will lead, design and engineer a secure, scalable, and cost-efficient Cloud platforms that underpin all business services. This is a technical leadership role where you will define engineering standards, build cloud landing zones, and embed automation, resilience, and DevOps practices to accelerate our transition to a platform-led operating model.

Working as part of our One Service Tower model, you will collaborate across service domains to enable consistent, high-quality technology services for all group businesses. You will drive best practice in cloud security, governance, and cost optimisation, while supporting modernisation of applications and infrastructure. This is a unique opportunity to lead from the front-moving the organisation from reactive infrastructure management to a mature, engineering-led cloud platform that enables innovation, reliability, and sustainable growth. The role can be based from our Ipswich or Glasgow location.

Purpose of Role

To act as the senior technical authority for cloud engineering across FO Digital, designing, building, and evolving a secure, scalable, and cost-efficient Azure-based platform that underpins all service towers and enables business growth.

The role is central to delivering the cloud transformation and platform-first strategy, ensuring engineering standards, automation, and governance are embedded across Infrastructure & Service.

Role Context (Aligned to Tower Model)

• Sits within Platform & Cloud Tower - accountable for Azure, hosting, platform engineering, and automation
• Provides deep technical capability supporting:
• Cloud landing zones, automation, and operational readiness
• Platform modernisation and infrastructure-as-code
• FinOps and cost governance integration
• Enables delivery of:
• Secure, reliable, scalable technology services across all FO businesses

Key Accountabilities, Cloud Platform Engineering & Architecture

• Design and implement Azure cloud platforms, landing zones, and reference architectures
• Define and enforce engineering standards for:
• Resilience, scalability, security, and performance
• Lead adoption of:
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
• Platform automation and DevOps practices
• Partner with architecture/governance forums to ensure alignment to enterprise guardrails

Cloud Transformation Delivery

• Lead engineering delivery of cloud migration and modernisation initiatives
• Support transition from legacy/on-prem infrastructure to hybrid/cloud-first models
• Collaborate with:
• Applications teams (modernisation)
• Infrastructure teams (decommission / hybrid integration)

Cross-Tower Enablement

Act as the platform enabler across all service towers:

• Service Desk: Improve automation, monitoring, and resolution capability (shift-left)
• Modern Workplace: Ensure identity, endpoint, and collaboration services integrate into cloud platform
• Infrastructure & Network: Define hybrid connectivity, resilience, and DR patterns
• Applications & Data: Provide scalable hosting and data platform foundations Supports the end-to-end service model and shared accountability across towers

Security, Risk & Compliance

• Ensure cloud platforms are secure by design and aligned to ISO27001 / Cyber Essentials
• Embed:
• Identity and access controls
• Patching, vulnerability management, and monitoring
• Work with security stakeholders to enforce governance and audit readiness

FinOps & Cost Optimisation

• Work alongside FinOps capability to:
• Embed cost visibility and optimisation into platform design
• Drive:
• Cost-efficient architecture
• Consumption governance
• Business-aligned cost transparency

Service Reliability & Operational Readiness

• Ensure all cloud services are:
• Fully supportable (aligned to ITSM / Halo)
• Monitored, documented, and resilient
• Define:
• Runbooks, alerting, and operational standards
• Support major incident resolution and root cause analysis

Continuous Improvement & Innovation

• Lead adoption of:
• Automation, AI-enabled operations, and platform tooling
• Identify opportunities to:
• Improve provisioning speed
• Reduce operational toil
• Increase platform reuse and standardisation Supports continuous improvement and platform-led delivery model

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Platform availability, resilience, and performance
• Deployment frequency / provisioning speed
• % infrastructure delivered via IaC
• Cloud cost optimisation vs budget
• Security compliance / vulnerability metrics
• Reduction in incidents linked to platform issues
• Adoption of platform services across towers

Person Specification - Experience (Essential)

• Strong experience designing and engineering Azure cloud platforms
• Proven delivery of cloud transformation / migration programmes
• Experience with:
• Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Bicep, ARM, etc.)
• CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices
• Strong understanding of:
• Networking, identity (Entra ID), and security in cloud environments
• Experience working in:
• ITIL-aligned service organisations

Experience (Desirable)

• Experience with FinOps and cost optimisation practices
• Exposure to multi-entity / shared service models
• Experience supporting data platforms and analytics workloads

Qualifications

• Azure certifications (e.g. AZ-104, AZ-305 or equivalent)
• ITIL v4 Foundation (or working towards)

Behavioural Expectations (Aligned to FO Digital Values & Model)

One Service Mindset

• Think beyond tower boundaries and optimise for end-to-end service outcomes

Ownership & Accountability

• Take ownership of platform quality, standards, and outcomes

Simplicity & Standardisation

• Drive reduction in complexity through standard platforms and reusable patterns

Collaboration

• Work across towers to enable delivery and remove friction

Continuous Improvement

• Embed a culture of automation, learning, and optimisation

Success Profile (First 6-12 Months)

• Cloud platform (Azure) stabilised and baseline architecture defined
• Landing zones, governance, and security controls implemented
• Initial migrations delivered successfully
• FinOps controls established and visible
• Clear platform standards adopted across towers
• Measurable improvement in provisioning speed and reliability

Strategic Impact

This role is critical to:

• Delivering the platform-led cloud transformation
• Enabling scalable services across all FO businesses
• Driving cost control, resilience, and innovation
• Moving the organisation from reactive infrastructure to engineered platform capability

Fred. Olsen Ltd offers a wide range of exciting employee benefits including but not limited to Axa Health Private Medical, Life Assurance, Enhanced Maternity & Paternity Pay, Discounted Travel, Cruise Concessions plus retail discounts and cash back incentives through our Boost Benefits scheme.

As an equal opportunity employer, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We want to ensure that you feel supported throughout the application process and provide reasonable adjustments where necessary and requested. If you require any reasonable adjustments as part of your application and interview process, please do not hesitate to let us know.