📍 Job Overview

• Job Title: Senior Site Reliability Engineer II
• Company: Remitly
• Location: London, United Kingdom
• Job Type: Full-Time
• Category: DevOps, Site Reliability Engineering
• Date Posted: 2025-07-03

🚀 Role Summary

• Design and manage cloud platforms to ensure reliability and performance of complex systems.
• Collaborate with teams to manage cloud infrastructure and streamline operational workflows.
• Mentor junior team members and promote best practices in SRE, automation, and cloud architecture.

💻 Primary Responsibilities

• Cloud Platform Management:

  • Design, deploy, and maintain highly available Kubernetes clusters on AWS EKS.
  • Manage and optimize cross-portfolio cloud infrastructure using AWS services and supported organizational tooling.
  • Develop and maintain Infrastructure as Code (IaC) solutions to automate provisioning and management of cloud and Kubernetes resources.

• Automation and Workflow Optimization:

  • Write automation processes to streamline operational workflows, incident response, and infrastructure management.
  • Implement CI/CD pipelines to facilitate deployments, testing, and validation.
  • Support multi-regional critical infrastructure, ensuring high availability and rapid incident resolution.

• Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing:

  • Collaborate with development and operations teams to optimize applications for cloud environments.
  • Maintain comprehensive documentation and best practice guides for solutions, ensuring users have clear instructions and support.
  • Monitor system health, instrument system components, troubleshoot issues, and perform root cause analysis.
  • Mentor junior team members and promote best practices in SRE, automation, and cloud architecture.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).

Experience:

• Extensive experience deploying, managing, and troubleshooting containerized applications.
• Deep understanding of Kubernetes architecture, networking, security, storage, and operational best practices.
• Proven expertise with AWS services and architectural principles.
• Strong knowledge of AWS security, compliance, and best practices.
• Advanced skills in writing modular, reusable IaC components.
• Strong Python scripting skills for automation, tooling, and data processing.
• Experience designing and maintaining CI/CD workflows using GitHub Actions.
• Familiarity with monitoring tools such as NewRelic.
• Knowledge of security best practices, network policies, and enterprise-grade RBAC policies.
• Strong problem-solving, troubleshooting, and incident management skills.
• Effective communication and collaboration skills.

Preferred Skills:

• Relevant certifications (e.g., AWS Solutions Architect, CKA, Terraform Associate) are a plus.

📊 Web Portfolio & Project Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate expertise in cloud-native architecture, Kubernetes, and AWS services through past projects.
• Showcase automation skills and the ability to streamline operational workflows.
• Highlight experience managing multi-regional critical infrastructure and ensuring high availability.

Technical Documentation:

• Provide detailed documentation for cloud infrastructure, Kubernetes clusters, and automation processes.
• Include best practice guides and step-by-step instructions for deploying and managing cloud resources.
• Demonstrate understanding of security best practices and compliance requirements.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• £80,000 - £100,000 per annum (based on experience and market research)

Benefits:

• Annual Profit Share Bonus
• Comprehensive Pension Plan
• Home, Office or Commuting Allowance
• Generous Vacation Entitlement
• Option for Sabbatical Leave
• Maternity Leave
• Paternity Leave
• Adoption Leave
• Family Care Leave
• Internal Communities and Networks
• Recruitment Introduction Reward

Working Hours:

• Full-time position with standard working hours (40 hours per week)

🎯 Team & Company Context

Company Culture:

• Elsevier is a global leader in information and analytics, helping researchers and healthcare professionals advance science and improve health outcomes.
• The company thrives on excellence, innovation, and a strong dedication to customers, employees, and communities.
• Elsevier offers a vibrant, diverse, and collaborative team environment where employees are free to grow and contribute actively.

Team Structure:

• The team combines software thinking and service operations to enable and run Elsevier’s large-scale, 24x7, distributed, and fault-tolerant systems within agreed reliability objectives.
• The team works closely with development and operations teams to optimize applications for cloud environments and ensure the fast flow of feature and service updates.

Development Methodology:

• The team follows Agile methodologies, with a focus on continuous integration, delivery, and improvement.
• They use GitHub Actions for CI/CD pipelines and NewRelic for monitoring and performance tracking.

Company Website:

• Elsevier

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Web Technology Career Level:

• Senior Site Reliability Engineer II role focuses on managing complex cloud infrastructure, mentoring junior team members, and driving best practices in SRE, automation, and cloud architecture.

Reporting Structure:

• The role reports directly to the Site Reliability Engineering Manager and works closely with development and operations teams.

Technical Impact:

• The Senior SRE II role has a significant impact on Elsevier’s large-scale, 24x7 systems, ensuring high availability, performance, and rapid incident resolution.
• The role also influences the fast flow of feature and service updates, enabling the company to innovate and adapt quickly to market demands.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type:

• Elsevier offers a flexible work environment, with the option to work from home, the office, or a combination of both.

Office Location(s):

• London, United Kingdom (with remote work flexibility)

Workspace Context:

• Elsevier provides a collaborative workspace with multiple monitors, testing devices, and development tools to support web development teams.
• The company encourages cross-functional interaction between developers, designers, and stakeholders to foster innovation and user-centered design.

Work Schedule:

• The role follows a standard full-time work schedule with flexible hours to accommodate project deadlines and maintenance windows.

📄 Application & Technical Interview Process

Interview Process:

1. Technical Assessment (1 hour): Evaluate the candidate's understanding of cloud-native architecture, Kubernetes, and AWS services through a hands-on technical assessment.
2. Behavioral Interview (45 minutes): Assess the candidate's problem-solving skills, communication, and cultural fit with Elsevier.
3. Final Interview (30 minutes): Discuss the candidate's career aspirations, motivation, and alignment with the company's mission and values.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight past projects that demonstrate expertise in cloud-native architecture, Kubernetes, and AWS services.
• Provide detailed documentation for cloud infrastructure, Kubernetes clusters, and automation processes.
• Showcase experience managing multi-regional critical infrastructure and ensuring high availability.

Technical Challenge Preparation:

• Brush up on cloud-native architecture, Kubernetes, and AWS services.
• Practice designing and deploying Kubernetes clusters on AWS EKS.
• Familiarize yourself with Elsevier's development methodologies and tools, such as GitHub Actions and NewRelic.

🛠 Technology Stack & Web Infrastructure

Cloud Platform:

• AWS EKS (Kubernetes on AWS)
• AWS Services (EC2, RDS, ELB, etc.)
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools (Terraform, CloudFormation)

Containerization & Orchestration:

• Kubernetes
• Docker

Monitoring & Logging:

• NewRelic
• ELK Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana)

CI/CD & Automation:

• GitHub Actions
• Jenkins

Programming Languages:

• Python
• Bash

Databases:

• Amazon RDS (PostgreSQL, MySQL)
• Amazon DynamoDB

Caching:

• Amazon ElastiCache
• Redis

👥 Team Culture & Values

Web Development Values:

• Elsevier values innovation, collaboration, and user-centered design in web development.
• The company emphasizes continuous learning, knowledge sharing, and promoting best practices in SRE, automation, and cloud architecture.

Collaboration Style:

• Elsevier fosters a collaborative work environment, with cross-functional teams working together to deliver high-quality web products and services.
• The company encourages code reviews, peer programming, and knowledge sharing to drive technical excellence and innovation.

🌐 Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Technical Challenges:

• Designing and managing highly available, scalable Kubernetes clusters on AWS EKS.
• Optimizing cloud infrastructure for performance, cost-effectiveness, and security.
• Automating deployment pipelines, testing, and validation processes.
• Ensuring multi-regional critical infrastructure and rapid incident resolution.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Elsevier offers opportunities for career progression, technical skill development, and leadership roles in SRE, automation, and cloud architecture.
• The company supports conference attendance, certification, and community involvement to help employees stay current with emerging technologies and best practices.

💡 Interview Preparation

Technical Questions:

1. Cloud Architecture (30 minutes): Design a highly available, scalable Kubernetes cluster on AWS EKS, considering best practices, security, and cost-effectiveness.
2. Incident Management (30 minutes): Walk through a recent incident you've handled, describing your approach, tools used, and the outcome.
3. Automation (30 minutes): Explain a complex automation task you've completed and the tools and techniques you used to streamline the process.

Company & Culture Questions:

1. Company Mission (15 minutes): Explain how your work aligns with Elsevier's mission to advance science and improve health outcomes.
2. Team Dynamics (15 minutes): Describe how you've worked effectively in a remote or hybrid team environment, and how you've contributed to a positive team culture.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Highlight past projects that demonstrate expertise in cloud-native architecture, Kubernetes, and AWS services.
• Showcase automation skills and experience managing multi-regional critical infrastructure.
• Emphasize your ability to collaborate with teams, mentor junior team members, and drive best practices in SRE, automation, and cloud architecture.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Site Reliability Engineer II position:

1. Update Your Resume (15 minutes): Tailor your resume to highlight relevant skills, experience, and achievements in cloud-native architecture, Kubernetes, and AWS services.
2. Prepare Your Portfolio (30 minutes): Curate a portfolio showcasing your expertise in cloud-native architecture, Kubernetes, and AWS services, with a focus on automation, infrastructure management, and incident response.
3. Research Elsevier (15 minutes): Familiarize yourself with Elsevier's mission, values, and company culture to ensure a strong fit and alignment with your career goals.
4. Prepare for Technical Assessment (30 minutes): Brush up on cloud-native architecture, Kubernetes, and AWS services, and practice designing and deploying Kubernetes clusters on AWS EKS.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and web development industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.