Head of Platform Engineering

Overview

We are seeking an accomplished Head of Platform Engineering to lead our Platform Engineering group from our Hammersmith office, with a hybrid working model. This key leadership position will own the strategic direction and development of a scalable, secure, and dependable technology platform that empowers engineering teams to deploy software rapidly and efficiently.

You will manage about 20 engineers, both internal staff and external contractors, guiding technical strategy, fostering capability growth, and cultivating a collaborative, high-impact engineering environment. The role demands expertise in DevOps, cloud-native systems, and contemporary platform engineering, with hands-on experience in AWS, GCP, Kubernetes, Kafka, Terraform, and Ansible. Equally important is the ability to design platforms that support product engineering through automation, self-service, and reliable developer tooling.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor approximately 20 engineers, nurturing a cooperative and high-achieving team ethos.
• Oversee resource allocation, prioritize initiatives, manage delivery schedules, and evaluate team performance.
• Enhance engineering skills and ensure adequate support for team success.
• Supervise design, build, and ongoing operations of scalable, secure, and resilient platform infrastructure.
• Promote cutting-edge Platform Engineering and DevOps methodologies.
• Drive the implementation and optimization of Infrastructure as Code with tools such as Terraform and Ansible.
• Lead the adoption and advancement of Kubernetes to orchestrate containers.
• Create centralized tooling, automate workflows, and provide self-service features to increase product engineering efficiency.
• Ensure platform reliability, observability, scalability, and security are key design principles.
• Direct cloud strategy, providing leadership in AWS and GCP technologies.
• Develop cloud architecture aligned with business goals and scalable for growth.
• Ensure cloud infrastructure is secure, durable, scalable, and cost-efficient.
• Identify improvement opportunities to optimize cloud usage and cost.
• Lead the use of event-driven architecture powered by Kafka, guaranteeing consistent and scalable data streaming and processing.
• Collaborate closely with Product, Engineering, Architecture, Security, and Operations teams to align platform capabilities with organizational needs.
• Act as a senior technology advisor, communicating platform strategies, progress, risks, and opportunities to executive stakeholders.
• Continuously scan emerging tech trends to enhance platform performance, reliability, scalability, and developer experience.
• Implement monitoring, logging, and alerting systems to maintain operational excellence.
• Leverage engineering data and metrics to drive continuous platform improvements and demonstrate value.

Candidate Profile

• Proven leadership experience managing Platform Engineering, DevOps, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), or Cloud Engineering teams.
• Experienced in supervising and developing large engineering teams comprising internal and third-party personnel.
• Strong proficiency with AWS and/or GCP along with cloud-native design principles.
• In-depth knowledge of Kubernetes and containerized ecosystems.
• Extensive expertise in Infrastructure as Code, mainly using Terraform and Ansible.
• Experience architecting and managing event-driven systems utilizing Kafka.
• Well-versed in Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD), automation, and modern DevOps frameworks.
• Background in constructing internal platforms, developer tools, and enabling self-service capabilities.
• Thorough understanding of system reliability, observability, security, and scalability.
• Ability to use engineering metrics and data analytics to foster continuous enhancements.
• Excellent communicator, capable of influencing engineers, technology leaders, and senior management effectively.

Benefits and Culture

• Competitive remuneration package.
• Up to two weeks of remote work globally per year where applicable.
• Starting at 25 days annual leave, increasing yearly up to 35 days.
• Additional leave for life events such as birthdays, moving, weddings, or volunteering.
• Private medical insurance coverage through AXA Health.
• Life insurance providing coverage equal to four times base salary.
• Partnering with the Kings Trust charity.
• Employer pension contribution matching up to 4%.
• Retail discounts across numerous well-known brands.
• Complimentary Hyperoptic broadband for qualifying residents.
• Enhanced parental pay benefits.

Equal Opportunity

We strongly embrace diversity and are dedicated to providing equal opportunities for all applicants and employees. This commitment is central to our ethos and values.