Hi, my name is

Kyle Blenkinsop

Based in Scotland, UK

About Me

I'm an Infrastructure Engineer at Tesco Bank (part of Barclays UK), where I help manage the bank's full AWS estate and enable engineers to build and deploy banking applications. With over 7 years of experience across cloud infrastructure, systems administration, and platform engineering, I specialise in building secure, scalable, and resilient platforms on AWS.

My day-to-day involves building and deploying infrastructure using Terraform, CloudFormation, Python, and Sceptre, triaging platform requests, and providing out-of-hours on-call support. I've led initiatives to reduce AWS spend through automated EC2 rightsizing, driven compliance monitoring for data encryption, and championed the adoption of Terraform within the platform team.

Before Tesco Bank, I spent three years at CirrusHQ providing operational support across multiple client AWS environments, working with 100+ Linux and Windows servers. I hold a BSc in IT Management from Edinburgh Napier University and have built a strong foundation through HND/HNC qualifications in Computing Technical Support from Forth Valley College.

Experience

Tesco Bank

Part of Barclays UK since 2024 · Edinburgh, Scotland · 4 yrs 1 mo

Mar 2026 – Present

Infrastructure Engineer – AVP

  • Part of the AWS Platform team managing the bank's full AWS estate, enabling engineers to build and deploy banking applications
  • Building and deploying infrastructure using Terraform, CloudFormation, Python, and Sceptre
  • Triaging platform requests and providing out-of-hours on-call support
Apr 2024 – Mar 2026 · 2 yrs

Senior Cloud Systems Engineer

  • Led an initiative to reduce monthly AWS spend by automating EC2 rightsizing recommendations, pulling data from CloudHealth via GraphQL and generating ServiceNow tickets for application owners
  • Managed compliance monitoring to ensure data resources were encrypted, driving follow-ups with resource owners
  • Upgraded Lambda environment from Python 3.7 to 3.11 and transitioned the bank's backup strategy to AWS Backup
  • Championed the adoption of Terraform within the platform team to align with the wider bank's tooling
  • Mentored junior team members and assisted with audit reporting and remediation
Mar 2022 – Apr 2024 · 2 yrs 2 mos

Cloud Systems Engineer

  • Part of the AWS Platform team managing the bank's full AWS estate
  • Built and deployed infrastructure using Terraform, CloudFormation, Python, and Sceptre
  • Triaged requests and provided out-of-hours platform support on-call

CirrusHQ

Livingston, Scotland · 3 yrs

Sep 2020 – Mar 2022 · 1 yr 7 mos

Cloud Systems Administrator

  • Coordinated deployment schedules for client releases and reviewed change requests for AWS account access
  • Onboarded and trained new starters joining the team
  • Continued first-line support across multiple client AWS environments
Apr 2019 – Sep 2020 · 1 yr 6 mos

Junior Cloud Systems Administrator

  • First-line and operational support across multiple client AWS environments
  • Supported 100+ Linux servers (Amazon Linux, Ubuntu) and Windows Server 2008–2019, including IIS and SFTP
  • Troubleshot networking issues across EC2 and RDS, managed SSL renewals using ACM, Let's Encrypt, and Namecheap
  • Created runbook documentation for recurring issues and outage fixes

EPHD

Edinburgh, Scotland · 4 mos

Feb 2017 – May 2017

System Administrator

  • Worked within a team to redesign and add features to EPHD's website
  • Built and maintained the Linux test server and test environment using cPanel
  • Managed the live site and integrated PayPal payments

Education

2017 – 2019

BSc Information Technology Management

Edinburgh Napier University

  • Business Systems Analysis and Design
  • Project Management for Information Systems
  • Enterprise Systems
  • Agile Project Management
  • Digital Business Environments
2015 – 2017

HND & HNC Computing Technical Support

Forth Valley College

  • Network Server Operating Systems & Data Communications
  • Open Source OS: Command Line Administration
  • Computer Forensics Fundamentals
  • Hardware Installation & Maintenance
  • Building Local Area Networks
2013 – 2015

NC IT Support & NC Introduction to Computing

Forth Valley College

  • Computer Systems Architecture
  • Networking Fundamentals
  • Web Design & Development
  • Software Development & Programming Fundamentals

Certifications

Cloud & Infrastructure

AWS

Solutions Architect – Associate

Amazon Web Services · 2020

AWS

Cloud Practitioner

Amazon Web Services · 2019

Azure

Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)

Microsoft · 2021

Oracle

OCI 2024 Foundations Associate

Oracle · 2025

FinOps

Introduction to FinOps

FinOps Foundation · 2025

Docker

Docker Foundations Professional Certificate

Docker, Inc · 2025

Ubuntu

Ubuntu Linux Professional Certificate

Canonical · 2025

AI & Emerging Technology

Anthropic

Claude Code In Action

Anthropic · 2026

AI Ethics

Responsible AI Foundations Professional Certificate

All Tech Is Human · 2026

Microsoft

Copilot for Productivity

Microsoft · 2025

Microsoft

Generative AI Productivity Skills

Microsoft · 2025

Microsoft

Career Essentials in Generative AI

Microsoft · 2025

Industry & Foundational

GitHub

Career Essentials Professional Certificate

GitHub · 2025

cPanel

cPanel Professional Certification

cPanel · 2025

Google

Google/CompTIA Dual Credential

Coursera · 2021

Google

IT Support Certificate

Coursera · 2021

CompTIA

A+

CompTIA · 2015

LPI

Linux Essentials

Linux Professional Institute · 2015

Microsoft

MCP & MTA (Security, Networking)

Microsoft · 2015–2016

Job Simulations

Forage

Lloyds Banking Group – Technology Engineering

Forage · 2026

Forage

Electronic Arts – Product Management

Forage · 2026

Forage

JPMorganChase – Software Engineering

Forage · 2026

Forage

Mastercard – Cybersecurity

Forage · 2026

Skills

Cloud Platforms

AWS Azure Oracle Cloud Cloud Computing

Infrastructure as Code

Terraform CloudFormation Lambda

Containers & CI/CD

Docker Containerization CI/CD Jenkins

Programming & Scripting

Python Java SQL REST APIs Spring Boot

AI & Emerging Tech

Claude Code GitHub Copilot ChatGPT Prompt Engineering Responsible AI

Operating Systems

Linux Ubuntu Unix Windows Server Windows 10

Networking & Security

DNS SSL Certificates Cybersecurity Active Directory Networking

Infrastructure & Virtualisation

VMware Virtualization Computer Hardware Technical Support Troubleshooting

Web & Hosting

WordPress cPanel Plesk Web Development Responsive Design

Tools & Platforms

GitHub Jira ServiceNow Microsoft 365 SAP

Get In Touch

I'm always interested in discussing cloud architecture, platform engineering, and new opportunities. Feel free to reach out via LinkedIn.