Richard Coffey – Systems Cloud Engineer, A2i-HIDs

Background:

I work as an Azure Cloud Engineer within the A2i-HIDs TechOps team. I joined the HSE two years ago, motivated by a strong interest in public sector work and a real passion for cloud technology — especially Microsoft Azure, which underpins much of the HSE’s infrastructure. Since joining, I’ve completed a part-time Master’s in DevOps through Technological University Dublin and added several Azure certifications, bringing my total to seven. Within the HSE, it’s taken as a given that your career development will be supported with ample opportunities to learn and improve yourself by doing courses.

Working life:

As part of the TechOps team, my role focuses on enabling our software development teams to get their code deployed reliably and securely in the cloud. We act as the bridge between development and operations, and our work spans everything from patching virtual machines to provisioning cloud infrastructure using industry standard tools such as Terraform. We’re also deeply involved in major projects. Probably the department we interact with the most as you might guess is the Cloud Platforms department, as they provide the Azure Subscriptions and resource groups for us that we need to deploy our cloud infrastructure onto.

Recently, I’ve joined the ODTI (Organ Donation Transplant Ireland) project to support its tight delivery timeline ahead of a June 2025 go-live. Looking ahead, I hope to play a greater role in the early planning and design phases of future projects. I’m also keen to continue developing my leadership abilities and contribute more strategically as I grow in my role.

The most rewarding aspects of my job:

Over the past year, I’ve worked almost exclusively on the HSE Health App, which launched in February 2025. It was a great opportunity to be involved in a high visibility greenfield project from the ground up — something I particularly enjoy. It was also a real cross-functional effort that gave me valuable exposure to other departments across the HSE, as well as third-party partners. A nice bonus was recently seeing the Health App go on to win a Tech Excellence 2025 award for Best Public Sector IT Project.

Hobbies & Interests:

I’m from Dundalk and try to support Dundalk F.C. whenever I can. Outside of work, I enjoy going to the gym, swimming, the occasional hike (if the weather permits) and I’m also into more nerdy interests like board games, obscure cult movies, and collecting vinyl records. I find these hobbies a great way to unwind and stay creative outside of work.