Role Purpose:

Due to significant growth, we have several newly created opportunities for experienced Systems Engineering Leads (DevOps) to join us in our Philadelphia development hub. As an organization Elsevier is a fast adopter of cloud technologies driving automation and you will work with a motivated, collaborative group of technologists at the forefront of technological development and will have the opportunity to contribute to significant change.

The Systems Engineering Lead will lead a team (4-8 people) of Systems Engineers focused on a key product area directed towards automating the infrastructure and release process in an AWS environment. The successful candidate will take a ‘hands on approach to leadership (40% development & 60% management) and in addition to developing optimum system configurations and plans for installations and upgrade of hardware devices for complex systems and applications, the individual will provide direction on project plans, schedules, and methodologies and may also include activities aligned to sizing/budget recommendations. The position also provides prompt recovery and problem escalation for the exceptions, extrapolating and integrating information within defined boundaries, using multiple system management and problem management tools.

Desired Skills and Experience

  • Have experience in the design, architecture, and management of end to end cloud infrastructure within a public cloud (AWS / Azure) environment managing multiple products at scale
  • Carry out management responsibilities including interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; and addressing complaints and resolving problems.
  • Have a demonstrably strong DevOps background improving quality and automated delivery, for example introducing auto scaling/self-healing/one click release and rollback
  • Have experience of automated infrastructure provisioning tools (e.g. Chef and Puppet) and automation tools (e.g. continuous integration using Jenkins), as well as creating developer work environments to mirror production environments.
  • Advanced knowledge and troubleshooting skills of storage systems, Linux and Windows infrastructure, and the installation of middleware programs.
  • Work closely with support groups to refine system monitoring and reporting, and to assist them in their analysis and problem recovery.
  • Provide prompt recovery and problem escalation for the exceptions, extrapolating and integrating information within defined boundaries, using multiple system management and problem management tools.
  • Partner closely with development groups, support groups, and vendors to coordinate special operations, and communicate/escalate problems as appropriate to meet assigned deadlines.
  • Strong skills in change management, and in setting, communicating, implementing, and achieving business objectives and goals through the direct management of others.
  • Strong problem-solving experience involving leading teams in identifying, researching, and coordinating the resources necessary to effectively troubleshoot/diagnose complex project issues; prior success extracting/translating findings into alternatives/solutions; and identifying risks/impacts and schedule adjustments to facilitate management decision-making.