Chris

Head of Cloud Infrastructure and Architecture.

From a young age, Chris knew he wanted to work in IT. The flexibility at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) means he can also explore his passion for travelling.

Since I was 13, I knew I wanted to work in IT. But, at that time, there were only two routes available: programming or operating. So, I pursued programming and went to university in Bristol. It wasn’t until I started working in the field, I realised that I found it quite repetitive and not varied enough. That’s when I got interested in networks and servers, which ultimately led to my current specialisation in cloud infrastructure and architecture.

Now, I’m the Head of Cloud Infrastructure and Architecture for the ONS. I lead a team of delivery managers, software engineers and technical architects. We focus on Amazon Web Services to create secure and automated delivery platforms that are in line with the ONS’ “cloud-first” strategy.

I find my work fascinating because it contributes to the public good, and it’s a great balance between developing new solutions and operating. I take the technical lead in my team, which is made up of a mix of delivery managers, software engineers and technical architects. We create secure, reputable and reliable platforms and follow DevSec operations principles with everything we do.

Before joining the ONS, I worked at the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), which is in the same government building as the ONS. During my time at the IPO, I got to know the ONS team. I was attracted to the organisation because of its tech-driven culture, which is similar to my own. I also appreciate the supportive working environment and flexibility that the ONS offers. My wife also works at the ONS, and we both love to travel with our daughter. Thanks to the flexibility of our schedules, we’ve been able to accrue sufficient leave and make trips to Canada and Australia. I have to admit that on the Canadian trips, we tend to see more of the ski slopes than the family we are visiting.