Operations Engineer FTC

RealityMine has been a pioneer in delivering data-driven insights to the media and market research industries for over a decade. Our data capture systems give our customers insight into the online behaviour of opted-in market research participants, collected in a privacy-safe way, enabling them to make strategic, informed decisions. We are seeking an Operations Engineer FTC (Fixed Term Contract, 12 months) to support the operation, maintenance and controlled evolution of our legacy server-based VPN data capture systems. This role is focused on Linux-based server operations, deployment, scaling, monitoring and proactive maintenance of customer-facing capture infrastructure. The Role RealityMine is looking for an Operations Engineer FTC (Fixed Term Contract, 12 months) to help maintain and operate the VPN server data capture systems that underpin customer research projects. The work is operational and hands-on, with a strong emphasis on Linux administration, traditional hosted servers, deployment, capacity management, monitoring and issue resolution. The primary focus is the legacy SVPN platform and its supporting services. These systems provide hosted VPN-based capture capability for opted-in market research participants and are built from a combination of open-source and bespoke software running on Linux. The candidate will focus on keeping the server estate reliable, secure and appropriately scaled, including reviewing operational metrics, investigating performance trends, responding to monitoring alerts and addressing security notifications or findings proactively. The environment is Linux-heavy and includes traditional dedicated and virtual servers hosted with third-party providers. Some work will involve capacity reduction as legacy usage declines, while other areas may require short-term scaling, tuning or operational improvement to maintain service quality. The role will involve working with existing tooling and processes, including exposure to Puppet and supporting applications or scripts written in PHP and Python. Deep development experience is not essential, but the ability to understand, troubleshoot and make safe operational changes in these technologies would be valuable. You will work closely with the Operations Team Lead, Server Capture technical colleagues and wider engineering stakeholders to plan and carry out maintenance, deployments, capacity changes and incident follow-up in a controlled and well-communicated way. Our offices are in Trafford Park, Manchester, and the role is delivered on a hybrid basis where collaboration, handover and operational planning benefit from time with the team. Key Responsibilities Maintain and administer Linux-based SVPN data capture servers and supporting services Plan and execute controlled deployments, configuration updates and operational changes Manage capacity across the legacy estate, including reducing unused capacity where appropriate and scaling up where customer demand requires it Review metrics, performance indicators, monitoring dashboards, alarms and alerts to identify and address issues early Investigate service performance, availability and reliability issues across traditional hosted server environments Respond to security notifications, vulnerability findings and operational risks, coordinating remediation through agreed processes Work with dedicated server and VPS providers to provision, resize, decommission or troubleshoot infrastructure Use existing automation and configuration management, including Puppet, to support repeatable and controlled operations Troubleshoot operational issues involving supporting PHP and Python code or scripts where needed Document changes, follow established processes and communicate operational status clearly to the team Adhere to company policies and procedures with respect to security, quality and health and safety About You We are looking for someone who can become productive quickly in an established operational environment, work carefully with legacy systems, and bring a pragmatic approach to keeping critical services stable, secure and observable. You should be comfortable working with traditional server infrastructure, following existing processes, investigating unfamiliar systems and making proportionate, well-tested changes. The role will suit someone who is operationally disciplined, self-sufficient and confident asking the right questions when context is needed. Good communication is important: you will need to explain findings, risks and progress clearly, especially when coordinating capacity changes, security remediation or provider interactions. Here's what we're looking for: Strong Linux administration experience, ideally with CentOS, AlmaLinux or similar server distributions Experience operating traditional dedicated or virtual server environments Confidence with deployment, configuration, patching and troubleshooting of production services Experience reviewing monitoring, performance metrics, logs and alerts to diagnose operational issues Ability to manage capacity thoughtfully, including decommissioning, resizing and scaling services safely A proactive approach to security findings, vulnerability notifications and operational risk Ability to follow established processes, document work clearly and communicate progress effectively Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to source information independently Preferred: Experience with Puppet/Puppet Bolt Exposure to PHP and Python Experience running VPN, proxy, networking or high-throughput capture services at scale Experience working with VPS and dedicated server hosting companies worldwide Experience diagnosing Linux networking, routing, kernel tuning or performance issues Familiarity with monitoring, alerting and incident response tools such as PagerDuty or equivalent Experience improving operational runbooks, handover notes or system documentation Working with RealityMine At RealityMine, you will work with experienced technical teams on systems that support real customer projects and privacy-safe data capture. This contract is a focused opportunity to apply strong Linux operations skills to a well-established but business-critical legacy platform. Role Focus Operations Engineer FTC role on a fixed-term contract for 12 months, focused on VPN data capture systems operations Linux-heavy work across traditional hosted servers and legacy SVPN infrastructure Clear scope: deployment, scaling, monitoring, capacity management, performance review and proactive remediation Close collaboration with Operations and Server Capture colleagues Hybrid Working We support a flexible hybrid approach where it helps with collaboration, operational handover and planning: · Located in Trafford Park, our Manchester office offers an inspiring, collaborative space to work alongside your colleagues. · Free parking and secure bike shed. Excellent public transport links. · Hybrid working pattern to be agreed based on project needs, collaboration and operational handover. · Access to the internal context, tooling and team support needed to carry out the agreed contract scope effectively. · Working arrangements, availability and handover expectations to be agreed as part of the contract engagement. If you’re a Linux-focused Operations Engineer with experience maintaining legacy server estates, data capture platforms or similar production systems, we’d like to hear from you. Please email your CV with the heading ‘Operations Engineer FTC – Fixed Term Contract, 12 Months’ to