Lead Platform Engineer

Lead Platform Engineer

Milton Keynes Full-Time 51000 - 85000 £ / year (est.) No home office possible
Go Premium
B

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead the engineering direction of a new cloud-native platform and mentor a small team.
  • Company: Join a high-growth UK organisation focused on digital success and innovative technology.
  • Benefits: Enjoy hybrid working, 25+ days holiday, private healthcare, and continuous learning support.
  • Why this job: Shape a modern engineering platform with real autonomy and visible impact in a collaborative environment.
  • Qualifications: Deep Azure knowledge, Terraform expertise, and experience in leading or mentoring engineers required.
  • Other info: We value diversity and offer reasonable adjustments for neurodiversity inclusion during interviews.

The predicted salary is between 51000 - 85000 £ per year.

Join a scaling internal platform team delivering the foundations for digital success. This is your opportunity to lead the engineering direction of a brand-new cloud-native platform within a high-growth UK organisation.

Are you a hands-on platform engineer with Azure expertise, leadership experience, and a passion for automation? Read on.

Why this role?

This is a chance to shape a modern engineering platform from the ground up. You’ll work closely with product teams, architects, and stakeholders across the business to drive forward a lean, high-impact platform. This team is newly formed, the platform is greenfield, and your voice will be critical in its evolution.

You’ll be:
  • Leading the technical direction of the platform and mentoring a small team of engineers.
  • Designing and building platform tooling and infrastructure-as-code (Terraform) to enable developer productivity.
  • Embedding observability, automation, and cloud best practices into the platform.
  • Partnering with teams across delivery, site reliability, onboarding, and architecture.
  • Continuously improving workflows, driving adoption, and enabling autonomy at scale.
What you’ll bring:
  • Deep knowledge of Microsoft Azure, including networking, identity, security, and resource management.
  • Advanced skills with Terraform, CI/CD (Azure DevOps/GitHub Actions), and scripting (PowerShell, Bash).
  • Experience with containerisation and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes).
  • A strong understanding of platform-as-a-product thinking, DevOps culture, and secure cloud practices.
  • Experience in leading or mentoring other engineers and working with non-technical stakeholders.
Who you are:

You’re collaborative, curious, and confident without ego. You enjoy scaling systems and people. You see platform engineering as an enabler and want to work in an organisation investing in long-term, strategic technology change.

The offer:
  • Salary up to £85,000 + benefits
  • Hybrid working with offices in Milton Keynes
  • 25+ days holiday, private healthcare, pension, and continuous learning support
  • A role with real autonomy, visible impact, and progression

Ready to build something that matters? Apply today.

We are an equal opportunity recruitment company. This means we welcome applications from all suitably qualified people regardless of race, sex, disability, religion, sexual orientation or age.

We are particularly invested in Neurodiversity inclusion and offer reasonable adjustments in the interview process. Reasonable adjustments are changes that we can make in the interview process if your disability puts you at a disadvantage compared with others who are not disabled. If you would benefit from a reasonable adjustment in your interview process, please call or email one of our recruiters.

Lead Platform Engineer employer: Big Red Recruitment

Join a dynamic and innovative team as a Lead Platform Engineer in Milton Keynes, where you'll have the opportunity to shape a cutting-edge cloud-native platform. With a strong focus on employee growth, our hybrid work culture promotes collaboration and autonomy, while offering competitive benefits such as private healthcare and continuous learning support. This is not just a job; it's a chance to make a meaningful impact in a high-growth organisation that values diversity and inclusion.
B

Contact Detail:

Big Red Recruitment Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫

We think this is how you could land Lead Platform Engineer

✨Tip Number 1

Familiarise yourself with the latest trends and best practices in Azure, Docker, and Kubernetes. Being well-versed in these technologies will not only boost your confidence but also demonstrate your commitment to staying current in the field.

✨Tip Number 2

Showcase your leadership experience by preparing examples of how you've successfully mentored or led teams in previous roles. This will help you stand out as a candidate who can guide others while driving the technical direction of the platform.

✨Tip Number 3

Network with professionals in the platform engineering space, especially those with experience in cloud-native platforms. Engaging with industry peers can provide valuable insights and potentially lead to referrals for the role.

✨Tip Number 4

Prepare to discuss your approach to embedding observability and automation into platforms. Having a clear strategy on how to implement these practices will show that you understand the importance of efficiency and reliability in platform engineering.

We think you need these skills to ace Lead Platform Engineer

Microsoft Azure Expertise
Terraform
CI/CD (Azure DevOps/GitHub Actions)
Containerisation (Docker)
Kubernetes Orchestration
Scripting (PowerShell, Bash)
Platform-as-a-Product Thinking
DevOps Culture
Cloud Security Best Practices
Leadership and Mentoring Skills
Collaboration with Non-Technical Stakeholders
Automation and Observability Implementation
Workflow Improvement
Networking and Resource Management in Azure

Some tips for your application 🫡

Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights your experience with Azure, Docker, Kubernetes, and Terraform. Use specific examples to demonstrate your leadership skills and hands-on platform engineering experience.

Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: In your cover letter, express your passion for automation and platform engineering. Mention how your background aligns with the company's goals and how you can contribute to building their new cloud-native platform.

Showcase Relevant Projects: If you've worked on projects involving CI/CD, Azure DevOps, or infrastructure-as-code, be sure to include these in your application. Highlight your role and the impact of your contributions.

Prepare for Technical Questions: Anticipate technical questions related to Azure, Terraform, and DevOps practices. Be ready to discuss your approach to problem-solving and how you would lead a team in a cloud environment.

How to prepare for a job interview at Big Red Recruitment

✨Showcase Your Azure Expertise

Make sure to highlight your deep knowledge of Microsoft Azure during the interview. Be prepared to discuss specific projects where you've implemented Azure solutions, focusing on networking, identity, security, and resource management.

✨Demonstrate Leadership Skills

Since this role involves leading a small team, share examples of your leadership experience. Talk about how you've mentored engineers in the past and how you approach collaboration with non-technical stakeholders.

✨Discuss Automation and CI/CD Practices

Be ready to dive into your experience with CI/CD tools like Azure DevOps and GitHub Actions. Discuss how you've used Terraform for infrastructure-as-code and any automation practices you've embedded in previous projects.

✨Emphasise Your Problem-Solving Approach

Prepare to talk about how you continuously improve workflows and drive adoption of new technologies. Share specific examples of challenges you've faced in platform engineering and how you overcame them, showcasing your problem-solving skills.

Lead Platform Engineer
Big Red Recruitment
Location: Milton Keynes
Go Premium

Land your dream job quicker with Premium

You’re marked as a top applicant with our partner companies
Individual CV and cover letter feedback including tailoring to specific job roles
Be among the first applications for new jobs with our AI application
1:1 support and career advice from our career coaches
Go Premium

Money-back if you don't land a job in 6-months

B
Similar positions in other companies
UK’s top job board for Gen Z
discover-jobs-cta
Discover now
>