Senior Linux Administrator in Oxfordshire

Senior Linux Administrator

Oxford

Hybrid working - 3 days WFH

£45585 - £54395

About the University

Welcome to the University of Oxford.

We aim to lead the world in research and education for the benefit of society both in the UK and globally.

Oxford’s researchers engage with academic, commercial and cultural partners across the world to stimulate high-quality research and enable innovation through a broad range of social, policy and economic impacts.

The Information Security Operations team (OxCERT) at the University of Oxford is seeking a Linux Infrastructure engineer who has proven experience in System Administration, Configuration Management and awareness of DevOps practices to join the University’s security operations function.

This post offers an exciting opportunity to join our growing Information Security Team at the University of Oxford and help us protect ground-breaking research.

The University of Oxford ranks amongst the best in the world and this role plays a vital part in keeping it that way.

The Information Security Team ensures that the University remains secure whilst deploying leading-edge IT facilities to support the distinctive needs of those engaged in teaching, learning, research, administration, and strategic planning.

You will contribute in the effort to continuously improve our security operations with a strong focus on automation in collaboration with the Head of Information Security Operations and the rest of the team.

OxCERT runs an on-premises Elasticsearch-based SIEM solution, an Intrusion Detection System (IDS), and a vulnerability scanning service as well as other open source and commercial tools.

We are one of the first UK universities to have the capability to capture and ingest full network metadata at 100Gb/s.

It is a great time to join the Information Security Operations team as we move towards agile and DevOps practices in managing infrastructure.

You are a good fit for this role if you see Infrastructure as code, believe in automation, and have good experience in some of the following: Elasticsearch, Python, Ansible, IaaS, and Linux system administration.

We are a small team, and every member contributes to all aspects of information security operations.

You will get the opportunity to be part of incident response and help develop tools for security operations.

OxCERT can provide the required security training for strong candidates and help them achieve industry standard security certifications.

In addition to the opportunity to work for one of the world’s leading research and educational institutions, the University of Oxford offers range of excellent benefits including training and career development, a generous pension scheme, a range of travel schemes, and excellent social and sporting facilities.

We support and encourage members of teams to gain industry standard Cyber Security Certifications.

You will be based at 16, Wellington Square, Oxford but you will be able to agree a pattern of regular remote working with your line manager.

Please consider applying for this post, even if you believe that you do not fit all the aspects of the job description, as your key skills may be the ones we are looking for.

Feel free to contact if you have any further questions about the role.

We will be conducting interviews throughout this period and hold the right to close the vacancy should we find the suitable candidate for the position.

The Oxford University Information Security Operations, also known as OxCERT, is currently expanding, and looking for a Senior DevOps Engineer with proven experience in Linux System Administration and Configuration Management.

The post holder will have experience of managing on-premise Elasticsearch, cluster will be an added advantage.

The University of Oxford operates one of the largest private networks in Europe and the responsibilities of IT Services encompass not only the operation of the core network and core services, but also the security of that network and the hosts connected to it.

The OxCERT security team is responsible for identifying security incidents within the University network and taking appropriate remedial action.

The team also provides advice and assistance on all issues relating specifically to IT security and incident response.

They are an integral part of the University’s information security function and work closely with information security personnel as part of ongoing University-wide information security initiatives, and in co-ordinating response to major security threats and incidents.

OxCERT operate various systems for network monitoring, incident analysis and response, and related internal services.

The team is a strong believer in Free Software and Open Source technologies and actively supports several related project communities.

Current projects include the enhancement of the existing Elastic based security information and event management system, the deployment of a new incident response tool, and development of an IT forensics capability.

The team has achieved standing and recognition within the international community, and is a full member of FIRST ( – the world-wide body of security experts.