Principal Platform Engineer

OverviewLocation: UK

Contract Type: Permanent

We''re looking for a

Principal Platform Engineer

who will lead enterprise engineering modernisation initiatives for our clients. This role is perfect for a technical leader who thrives on orchestrating complex transformations whilst aligning diverse specialist teams towards common engineering excellence goals. You''ll be a technical architect of change, designing comprehensive modernisation strategies that span infrastructure, security, quality assurance, and governance. Think of yourself as the conductor of a technical orchestra - you don''t need to play every instrument, but you must understand how they harmonise to create transformational outcomes.

ResponsibilitiesTechnical Leadership and Innovation

Help design and drive enterprise-wide engineering modernisation strategies encompassing automated workflows, CI/CD frameworks, and development lifecycle improvements with MMT and client engineering teams

Lead aspects of Service Asset and Configuration Management (SACM) initiatives that bring order to complex enterprise estates

Lead the transformation of secrets management practices across heterogeneous environments, ensuring solutions scale effectively whilst strengthening organisational security posture

Help define engineering standards, frameworks, and guardrails that accelerate delivery whilst ensuring compliance

Create technical roadmaps that balance quick wins with long-term architectural sustainability

Cross-Team Leadership and Alignment

Orchestrate collaboration between infrastructure, security, quality, and governance teams to deliver cohesive solutions, that exist in silo''s around client businesses

Translate between specialist domains, ensuring each team understands their role in the bigger picture

Identify and resolve conflicts between competing technical priorities across different teams

Foster a unified engineering culture whilst respecting domain expertise

Lead architectural review boards and technical decision forums

Enterprise Level Transformation Delivery

Break down complex modernisation programmes into achievable phases with clear success metrics

Make pragmatic build vs. integrate decisions that prioritise speed vs. value

Integrate automated testing strategies that span unit, integration, performance, and security testing

Implement CI/CD framework architecture that works across multiple technology estates, with particular focus on GitHub Actions as the strategic direction

Design frameworks with reusable patterns and libraries, ensuring each framework/toolkit makes the next one faster and more predictable

Leverage Data Lake platforms for comprehensive platform observability and compliance auditing

Ensure solutions consider enterprise constraints like regulatory compliance and legacy system integration

Client Strategy and Engagement

Work directly with C-suite executives and key client stakeholders to understand their business goals and technical challenges

Transform complex technical concepts into clear business narratives that drive decision-making

Guide clients through their journey with strategic recommendations and practical next steps

Present technical strategies that clearly articulate business value and risk reduction

Build trust through early wins whilst maintaining focus on strategic objectives

Business Growth and Thought Leadership

Drive the technical aspects of high-value proposal responses and RFP.

Present technical solutions and demonstrations that showcase our capabilities

Contribute to thought leadership content (our CTO office) and represent the company at industry events.

Help shape our service offerings based on market trends and client feedback

What We''re Looking ForCore Experience

Extensive hands-on engineering and architecture experience - if you''re not excited about writing Infrastructure as Code and testing prototypes, this role isn''t for you

Proven ability to lead technical teams and manage complex, multi-stakeholder projects.

Deep understanding of enterprise constraints and how to navigate them

History of defining and implementing engineering standards at scale

Technical Expertise

Strong background in infrastructure automation, CI/CD, and modern DevOps practices - think turning manual chaos into elegant, self-healing systems that deploy flawlessly

Solid understanding of AWS and Azure architectures, particularly around identity, security, and secrets management solutions

In-depth knowledge of Git workflows, branching strategies, and their implementation at enterprise scale

Knowledge of cloud security frameworks and compliance requirements

Understanding of cost optimization strategies and cloud financial management

Familiarity with monitoring, observability, and incident response best practices

High-level understanding of Service Asset and Configuration Management principles and their practical implementation in enterprise environments

Understanding of Data Lake solutions (Snowflake, Databricks) for platform telemetry and auditing, plus ETL concepts for operational data pipelines

Comprehensive knowledge of quality assurance practices and implementing automated quality gates throughout the development lifecycle

Ability to read and understand Python and other common languages to review architectural decisions and integration points

Communication and Business Skills

Excellent presentation skills with experience speaking to technical and executive audiences

Strong written communication abilities, especially for proposals and technical documentation

Natural curiosity about business challenges and how technology can solve them

Collaborative mindset with the ability to work effectively across different teams and disciplines

Experience managing stakeholder expectations and navigating complex organizational dynamics

Strong grasp of Agile/Scrum practices and how they integrate with platform engineering initiatives

Languages

Fluency in English (spoken and written) is essential

Seniority level

Mid-Senior level

Employment type

Full-time

Job function

Information Technology

Industries

IT Services and IT ..... full job details .....