Platform Engineer - AWS (we have office locations in Cambridge, Leeds and London)

Platform Engineer - AWS (we have office locations in Cambridge, Leeds and London)

London Full-Time 63000 - 77000 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
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At a Glance

  • Tasks: Design and optimise AWS cloud platforms while driving automation and efficiency.
  • Company: Join Genomics England, a leader in genomic medicine and research.
  • Benefits: Enjoy 30 days holiday, flexible working, and generous pension contributions.
  • Other info: Be part of a diverse team committed to inclusivity and innovation.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact on healthcare by shaping the future of genomic technology.
  • Qualifications: 2+ years in platform engineering with AWS and Terraform experience.

The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.

Genomics England is a global leader in enabling genomic medicine and research, focused on creating a world where everyone benefits from genomic healthcare. Building on the 100,000 Genomes Project, we support the NHS’s world-first national whole genome sequencing service and run the growing National Genomic Research Library, alongside delivering numerous major genomics initiatives. By connecting research and clinical care at national scale, we enable immediate healthcare benefits and advances for the future.

Our mission is to provide the evidence and digital systems so that by 2035 genomics could play a role in up to half of all healthcare interactions, whilst securing the UK’s position as the best place to discover, prove and benefit from genomic innovations. We are accelerating our impact and working with patients, doctors, scientists, government and industry to improve genomic testing, and help researchers access the health data and technology they need to make new medical discoveries and create more effective, targeted medicines for everybody.

Behind the Healthcare and Research outcomes, Genomics England delivers through designing, developing and operating complex healthcare software systems. We're on the cusp of big changes with the real prospect of genomics becoming the fabric of everyday healthcare through the lifetime - from birth to old age.

Are you a Platform Engineer who is passionate about automation, AWS cloud technology, and solving complex engineering challenges? At Genomics England, we're hiring a Core Level Platform Engineer to help design, build and optimise our AWS cloud platform using modern automation and infrastructure tooling. This role sits in our Cloud Platform Team, where you'll work on everything from AWS Organisations and Landing Zones through to platform automation, cloud governance and engineering enablement.

You'll play a key role in improving the platform that supports our engineering community and helps teams deliver securely and efficiently at scale. This role sits in our high-impact Cloud Platform Team within our Scalable Tech business service; the team currently consists of 6 to 7 Cloud Platform Engineers. We own and operate the AWS Organisation and Landing Zone and are responsible for designing, implementing and promoting cloud best practices across our 100+ in-house engineering community.

Engineers in the CCoE are responsible for hands-on technical end-to-end delivery of platform improvements and initiatives. As a Platform Engineer in the team, you will also be expected to contribute to the Engineering Chapter through enablement, coaching and strategy, working closely with your team and the wider engineering community across the business to help Genomics England build a future-ready cloud platform that will stand the test of time.

This is an engineering role in a truly mission-critical environment, ensuring our platforms are scalable, secure, and efficient. From fine-tuning CI/CD pipelines to proactively automating solutions, your knowledge and expertise will really shape the future of our technology; we believe strongly in empowering engineers, fostering an inclusive culture, and giving you the autonomy to make a real impact.

Everyday responsibilities include:

  • Collaborate with a supportive DevOps team to drive automation, efficiency, and continuous improvement.
  • Provide in-hours support to fellow Platform Engineers with day-to-day changes to our codebase.
  • Develop and maintain Engineering Golden Path templates and contribute to engineering enablement across the wider organisation.
  • Own and enhance cloud-based infrastructure on AWS, ensuring scalability, security, and reliability.
  • Develop, maintain, and optimise CI/CD pipelines using GitLab CI/CD, alongside Terraform and Ansible for infrastructure automation.
  • Implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to automate deployments and reduce manual effort.
  • Contribute to the development and enforcement of cloud governance frameworks, including security, cost management, and compliance policies across teams.
  • Support the wider organisation in cloud adoption by building reusable platform components, templates, and standards that accelerate application team delivery while maintaining platform consistency.
  • Proactively monitor system performance, identify potential issues, and introduce automation for resilience.
  • Troubleshoot and debug platform issues, ensuring seamless operations and minimal downtime.
  • Influence engineering decisions in a collaborative and inclusive environment that values diverse perspectives.

Skills and experience for success:

  • Minimum 2 years' experience as a Platform Engineer, Cloud Engineer or similar role within a DevOps environment.
  • A minimum of 2 years' commercial experience with AWS. Relevant certifications would be an advantage.
  • A minimum of 2 years' experience with Terraform for infrastructure automation.
  • Familiarity with automation tools such as Ansible, Chef, or Puppet.
  • Desirable experience working within an organisation with a Cloud Centre of Excellence (CCoE).
  • Understanding of cloud governance principles, including cost optimisation, tagging strategies, and security best practices in multi-account AWS environments.
  • An interest in enabling and mentoring application teams in cloud best practices, promoting a self-service model while maintaining architectural and operational standards.
  • Experience with CI/CD pipelines, particularly GitLab CI/CD, and DevOps best practices.
  • Proficiency in scripting, including Python, alongside Infrastructure as Code (IaC) practices to automate deployments, optimise infrastructure and support CI/CD pipelines.

If you have at least 2 years’ solid commercial experience as a Platform Engineer, building and improving complex cloud platforms, and you're passionate about AWS, automation and engineering best practice, we'd love to hear from you. Join Genomics England and help shape the cloud platforms that are powering the future of genomic healthcare!

Qualifications are not mandatory. However, AWS, Terraform or automation certifications are welcomed and would be considered an advantage. Computer Science or Relevant Engineering Degree as a recent Graduate would also be beneficial (though not a requirement).

Salary From: £73,450

Closing Date: Monday 28th September @ 23:00 (UK time)

Being an integral part of such a meaningful mission is extremely rewarding in itself, but in order to support our people, we’re continually improving our benefits package. We pride ourselves on investing in our people and supporting them to achieve their career goals, as well as offering a benefits package including:

  • Generous Leave: 30 days’ holiday, plus bank holidays, plus additional leave for long service, and also the option to apply for up to 30 days of remote working abroad annually (approval required).
  • Family-Friendly: Blended working arrangements, flexible working, enhanced maternity, paternity and shared parental leave benefits.
  • Pension & Financial: Defined contribution pension (Genomics England double-matches up to 10%, however you can contribute more if you wish), Life Assurance (3x salary), and a Give As You Earn scheme.
  • Learning & Development: Individual learning budgets, support for training and certifications, and reimbursement for one annual professional subscription (approval required).
  • Recognition & Rewards: Employee recognition programme and referral scheme.
  • Health & Wellbeing: Subsidised gym membership, a free Headspace account, and access to an Employee Assistance Programme, eye tests, flu jabs.

Genomics England is actively committed to providing and supporting an inclusive environment that promotes equity, diversity and inclusion best practice both within our community and in any other area where we have influence. We are proud of our diverse community where everyone can come to work and feel welcomed and treated with respect regardless of any disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, or social background.

Genomics England’s policies of non-discrimination and equity will be applied fairly to all people, regardless of age, disability, gender identity or reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, being pregnant or recently becoming a parent, race, religion or beliefs, sex or sexual orientation, length of service, whether full or part-time or employed under a permanent or a fixed-term contract or any other relevant factor. Genomics England does not tolerate any form of discrimination, harassment, victimisation or bullying at work. Such behaviour undermines our mission and core values and diminishes the dignity, respect and integrity of all parties.

Our People policies outline our commitment to inclusivity. We aim to remove barriers in our recruitment processes and to be flexible with our interview processes. Should you require any adjustments that may help you to fully participate in the recruitment process, we encourage you to discuss this with us.

We have four key behaviours that represent what we would like Genomics England to feel like and the culture we want to encourage, in order for us to achieve our mission. These behaviours help us all work well together, deliver on our outcomes, celebrate our successes and share feedback with each other.

Genomics England operates a blended working model as we know our people appreciate the flexibility that hybrid working can bring. We expect most people to come into the office a minimum of 2 times each month. However, this will vary according to role and will be agreed with your team leader. There is no expectation that people will return to the office full time unless they want to, however, some of our roles require full time on site attendance e.g., lab teams, reception team. Our teams and squads have, and will continue to reflect on what works best for them to work together successfully and have the freedom to design working patterns to suit, beyond the minimum.

As part of our recruitment process, all successful candidates are subject to a Standard Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. We therefore require applicants to disclose any previous offences at point of application, as some unspent convictions may mean we are unable to proceed with your application due to the nature of our work in healthcare.

Platform Engineer - AWS (we have office locations in Cambridge, Leeds and London) employer: Genomics England

Genomics England is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment that fosters collaboration and innovation in the field of healthcare technology. With generous leave policies, flexible working arrangements, and a strong commitment to employee development, we empower our team members to achieve their career aspirations while contributing to meaningful projects that impact lives. Our inclusive culture and focus on well-being ensure that every employee feels valued and supported, making Genomics England a truly rewarding place to work.

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Contact Details:

Genomics England Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Platform Engineer - AWS (we have office locations in Cambridge, Leeds and London)

Join Local Tech Meetups

Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Genomics England or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!

Contribute to Open Source Projects

Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Genomics England.

Tap into Online Developer Communities

Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Genomics England.

Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles

Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Genomics England that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!

We think you need these skills to ace Platform Engineer - AWS (we have office locations in Cambridge, Leeds and London)

AWS Cloud Technology
Automation
Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
Terraform
Ansible
CI/CD Pipelines
GitLab CI/CD

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.

Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Genomics England.

Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Genomics England and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!

Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!

How to prepare for a job interview at Genomics England

Brush Up on Your Coding Skills

For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.

Know Your Tools and Frameworks

Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Genomics England uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.

Showcase Your Projects

Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.

Prepare for Behavioural Questions

While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.