DevOps Engineer

Introduction

For more than half a century, Serco has walked alongside the pioneers of space. Serco has supported over 50 ESA missions where our teams have helped launch satellites, guide spacecraft across the void and turn data into discoveries that reshape our world.
With thousands of specialists contributing across the entire space lifecycle from satellite testing to launch services, LEOP to operations and surveillance, we’ve become a trusted force in national And European space strategies. And now, the next chapter could include you.
As part of our long-standing partnership with the European Space Agency, we’re seeking a DevOps Engineer to join us onsite at ESTEC, ESA’s technical heart in Noordwijk. This is the place where Europe’s missions are born, where engineers, scientists and innovators gather to turn bold ideas into the spacecraft that will explore our planet, our solar system and beyond.

The Community You Will Step Into

At Serco, you will join a technical team supporting the European Space Agency in delivering reliable, secure and well-managed application services. You will work within an environment where operational stability, automation and security are essential, supporting applications and technology stacks that underpin ESA’s activities.
You will collaborate closely with application owners, infrastructure teams, security specialists and service stakeholders, operating within ESA standards and processes. The environment is structured and quality-driven, with a strong focus on DevSecOps principles, service continuity and continuous improvement.

The Difference You Will Make

As a DevOps Engineer, you will be responsible for ensuring that applications and their underlying technology stacks remain available, secure and maintainable throughout their lifecycle. Your work will directly support ESA operations by maintaining high service availability, embedding security into delivery pipelines and enabling efficient and reliable application management.
By implementing automation, monitoring and robust CI/CD practices, you will help reduce operational risk, improve response times and ensure that application services meet agreed performance and availability targets. Your contribution will be central to the stability and evolution of ESA’s application landscape.

Your Mission

In this role, you will manage end-to-end application and technology stack services, validating application architectures and maintaining middleware components. You will configure and support web, application and database servers, ensuring regular patching, security updates and compliance with ESA standards. Maintaining application availability, with a target of at least 99% and monitoring performance metrics will be a core part of your responsibilities.
You will design, implement and maintain automated delivery toolchains supporting configuration management, source control and application deployment. This includes supporting continuous integration and deployment processes, implementing automated testing, managing rollback strategies and embedding security controls such as static code analysis and dependency scanning into CI/CD pipelines in line with DevSecOps practices.
Monitoring and incident management will form a significant part of your day-to-day activities. You will configure monitoring tools, enable proactive event and incident detection and ensure timely alerting and resolution. You will manage incidents and service requests through ESA’s ticketing system, ensuring compliance with agreed response and resolution SLAs.
You will also be responsible for backup and disaster recovery aspects of application services. This includes configuring middleware and databases in line with ESA-defined backup policies, developing and validating restoration procedures and maintaining recovery environments to ensure service continuity.
As part of corrective maintenance activities, you will analyse and resolve application issues and defects, apply patches across development streams and perform root cause analysis. You will document findings through post-mortem reports and contribute to preventive improvements.
In addition, you will provide second- and third-line expert support, handling complex troubleshooting, configuration changes and problem management activities. You will contribute to knowledge management by maintaining operational documentation, updating knowledge bases and supporting continuous improvement initiatives.

What You'll Bring

You bring strong experience in application management and supporting complex technology stacks, including middleware and configuration management tools. You are comfortable working with CI/CD pipelines, version control systems and automated deployment frameworks and you have a solid understanding of DevSecOps principles, security monitoring and compliance validation.
You have hands-on experience with monitoring tools, automation and scripting, backup and restoration procedures and incident and problem management aligned with ITIL practices. You are able to analyse issues methodically, communicate clearly with stakeholders and work effectively with third-party providers when required.
You are organised, proactive and comfortable working in a service-oriented, regulated environment where reliability and security are critical. You value documentation, structured processes and continuous improvement and you are confident operating within ESA’s technical and operational frameworks.
Within this role, you will contribute to the creation and maintenance of the operational handbook for application management services. You will support the production of monthly reports covering application availability, incidents and SLA compliance, as well as root cause analysis reports and patch release documentation. You will also maintain and update knowledge management artefacts and application health reports to support transparency and service quality.

What We Offer: More Than Just a Job

At Serco, we believe that a career should come with more than just a paycheck, it should provide support, security and a sense of balance in your life. Your salary will be paid promptly on Fridays before the 28th of each month, giving you peace of mind about your finances. To recognize your dedication over the year, you’ll also receive a Holiday Bonus, calculated as 8% of your basic gross salary, adding an extra boost when you need it most.
We support your daily life and commute in practical ways. If you travel to work, you can claim a travel allowance of €0.21 per kilometre for up to 150 km, or you can have your public transport fully reimbursed. For those working from home, there’s a small daily allowance of €2 to cover extra costs and new employees can be reimbursed up to €500 for a desk or chair to make their home workspace comfortable.
When your work takes you on missions or travel, all business-related expenses are fully covered and for peace of mind during tax season, our appointed advisor will assist you in completing your income tax forms. If you enjoy cycling, our bicycle scheme allows you to benefit from a tax-efficient allowance of up to €749, one year of full insurance with an additional €89 per year for accessories.
Serco also cares about your long-term security. All employees are covered under a collective life insurance scheme and our health insurance partnership with Zilverenkruis Achmea offers discounts of 5% on basic coverage and up to 10% on additional plans. Our company pension scheme, managed via Nationale Nederlanden, follows the Dutch State Pension framework, ensuring you can plan confidently for the future.
In addition, in emergency situations, you may request an advance salary payment of up to one month’s net salary at the discretion of your line manager. To support your wellbeing and daily work, we offer up to €250 reimbursement for work glasses to reduce blue light strain and provide access to Benefits & Work, offering multiple discounts for online shopping. For lifelong learning, all employees receive a 35% discount on programs at Webster University.
At Serco, our benefits are designed to make your life easier, healthier and more flexible, so you can focus on contributing to groundbreaking space missions while feeling supported every step of the way.

Relocation

The Netherlands' central location in Europe makes it an ideal base for travel and business within the EU. Major cities are well-connected by road, rail and air with Amsterdam Schiphol Airport one of Europe's busiest and most well-connected airports, facilitating easy international travel.
Serco offers relocation support for all EU passport holders that are planning to relocate to the Netherlands and work for Serco B.V.