Application Operations Engineer

The essentials

• Role: Application Operations Engineer (OPV Vortex platform)
• Location: Exeter - around 1 day per week on site, rest remote
• Rate: £500-530/day (inside IR35 via umbrella)
• Contract length: 12 months
• Clearance: Active SC clearance strongly preffered
• Interview: 1 stage, MS Teams, conversational / suitability based

About the role

You would join the OPV Vortex Support Team, supporting a new platform that operational meteorologists use to create forecasts, eventually replacing several legacy tools. Your work directly impacts how forecasting products are configured, delivered and maintained.

Key responsibilities

• Configure data products on the Vortex platform, including template logic and output layouts (using languages such as Handlebars.js / Mustache.js and Typst).
• Onboard new products end‑to‑end, working closely with Product Managers, Service Delivery Managers and operational users.
• Reconfigure / optimise products as requirements evolve and usage grows.
• Work as part of a multi‑disciplinary team supporting Vortex and its users as the platform matures.
• Manage Changes, Incidents and Problems using ServiceNow, taking ownership through to resolution or handover.
• Assist with testing and verification of new functionality delivered by development teams, providing clear feedback.

Core skills they are looking for

• Solid background in Application / Production Support or Application Operations.
• Experience with configuration management and maintaining secure, accurate configurations.
• Hands‑on experience with incident, problem and change management (ideally ServiceNow).
• Understanding of service availability and capacity, KPIs and SLAs.
• Ability to carry out routine maintenance, admin tasks and technical support activities.
• Comfortable executing test scripts and understanding the role of testing within the lifecycle.
• Strong user focus - engaging with stakeholders, gathering user needs and using data to drive improvements.
• Proactive ownership and initiative - seeing issues through until they are resolved or appropriately transitioned.

Why this might interest you

• Work on a brand‑new strategic platform that will replace legacy forecasting solutions across the organisation.
• Blend of technical configuration, service operations and stakeholder interaction.
• Stable 12‑month engagement with a single, well‑defined product team.
• Flexible hybrid setup with minimal on‑site requirement in Exeter.
• Inclusive employer that participates in guaranteed interview schemes (Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant).