At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and build a scalable cloud-based database platform using cutting-edge technologies.
- Company: Join Wise, a global tech company revolutionising money management.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, RSUs, and a diverse, inclusive work environment.
- Other info: Opportunity to mentor others and lead innovative projects.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on global financial systems while advancing your career.
- Qualifications: Experience in platform engineering and strong Python skills required.
The predicted salary is between 87500 - 111000 £ per year.
Wise is a global technology company, building the best way to move and manage the world’s money. Whether people and businesses are sending money to another country, spending abroad, or making and receiving international payments, Wise is on a mission to make their lives easier and save them money. As part of our team, you will be helping us create an entirely new network for the world's money.
About The Role
We’re looking for a Senior Platform Engineer to join our Database Platform team. You’ll help build and operate a global platform that’s scalable, reliable, and secure – developing the internal database platform, automation, and tooling that powers hundreds of databases across multiple environments. You’ll work on high‑scale systems used by hundreds of engineers, shaping how we run databases globally. We are evaluating YugabyteDB as our distributed SQL engine. At this level you will lead technical evaluations, define adoption strategies, and own significant aspects of the progression from proof‑of‑concept to Production and ongoing operations of this engine.
How We Work
We believe in automation, programmatic implementation, and reusable design. You’ll think holistically about the ecosystem, while also delivering real solutions – collaborating across the Platform tribe to make our systems more resilient and developer‑friendly. At this level, you help set and evolve technical standards, design patterns, and best practices for the platform. As we scale, we need engineers who can simplify complex infrastructure, build guardrails, and deliver platforms that help product teams move fast – without compromising reliability or security. You proactively identify technical debt and plan remediation work to keep risk within appetite. You’ll work closely with other Platform and Data teams to ensure best practices are followed and the right abstractions are in place. You provide strong technical input into product and platform roadmaps, explaining why work is prioritised and what impact it delivers.
What You’ll Do
- Design, build, and evolve our internal cloud‑based database platform.
- Own the technical roadmap and delivery for the YugabyteDB platform components you are responsible for.
- Drive the design, validation and rollout of YugabyteDB‑based platform components (PoC → pilot → production) in collaboration with senior engineers.
- Lead these initiatives end‑to‑end, optimising for predictable delivery and measurable outcomes.
- Implement automation for provisioning, upgrades, backups and routine operations for Yugabyte clusters.
- Define the long‑term automation strategy, including migrations, upgrades, and failure recovery patterns.
- Help embed security and compliance controls (encryption, auth, RBAC, network controls) into Yugabyte platform components.
- Be accountable for the availability, reliability, and security of the systems you own.
- Collaborate with product teams, SREs and DBAs to apply platform guardrails for services adopting Yugabyte.
- Act as the escalation point for your area, leading minor and major incident resolution and post‑incident reviews.
- Mentor and coach other engineers, support onboarding, and actively reduce single points of failure.
- Participate in on‑call rotations and provide senior escalation support when required.
- Represent the team in cross‑tribe or cross‑company engineering efforts and guilds.
- Participate in interviewing and hiring activities, following best practices and helping maintain a high engineering bar.
Essential – What you’ll need
- Significant Platform Engineering experience, with demonstrated senior ownership of production platform systems at scale.
- Experience with cloud infrastructure (AWS or GCP).
- Strong Python development skills (or similar).
- Solid understanding of software engineering principles – writing secure, testable, maintainable code.
- Proficiency with Cloud APIs and DevOps tooling (Terraform, Ansible, CI/CD, Teleport).
- Clear communicator who collaborates well across teams.
- Ability to clearly articulate technical trade‑offs, business impact, and customer value.
- Experience leading or significantly contributing to incident response and post‑incident improvement.
Highly Sought
- Practical experience with distributed databases at scale (YugabyteDB preferred, or CockroachDB/TiDB/Cloud Spanner).
- Deep operational expertise with distributed SQL systems in production.
- Experience or strong interest in implementing migration patterns (CDC/logical replication, verification and rollback) and automation for provisioning, backups and upgrades.
- Demonstrated leadership of migration strategy and execution.
- Experience building Database‑as‑a‑Service platforms or internal developer tooling.
- Experience influencing technical or product roadmaps.
Benefits
Wise Benefits £87,500 – £111,000 + RSU's
Additional Information
We believe teams are strongest when they are diverse, equitable and inclusive. We're people building money without borders — without judgement or prejudice, too. We celebrate our differences and ensure every Wiser feels respected, empowered to contribute towards our mission and able to progress in their careers.
Senior Platform Engineer I - Database Platform - Python in London employer: hackajob
Wise is an exceptional employer that fosters a diverse and inclusive work culture, empowering employees to contribute meaningfully to our mission of transforming global money management. With competitive salaries, stock options, and a strong focus on professional growth, we provide ample opportunities for career advancement while encouraging collaboration and innovation within our teams. Located in a vibrant tech hub, Wise offers a dynamic environment where engineers can thrive, tackle complex challenges, and make a significant impact on the future of finance.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Platform Engineer I - Database Platform - Python in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to current employees at Wise through LinkedIn or other platforms. Ask them about their experiences and any tips they might have for landing a role in the Database Platform team.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for technical interviews by brushing up on your Python skills and understanding distributed databases like YugabyteDB. Practice coding challenges and system design questions that are relevant to the role.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your passion for automation and cloud infrastructure during interviews. Share examples of how you've implemented these in past projects, as this aligns perfectly with what Wise is looking for.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining the Wise team.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Platform Engineer I - Database Platform - Python in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Senior Platform Engineer role. Highlight your experience with cloud infrastructure, Python development, and any relevant projects that showcase your skills in building scalable and secure platforms.
Showcase Your Technical Skills:Don’t just list your skills; demonstrate them! Include specific examples of how you've used tools like Terraform or Ansible in past projects. This will help us see your hands-on experience and how you can contribute to our team.
Communicate Clearly:We love clear communicators! When writing your application, make sure to articulate your technical trade-offs and the impact of your work. This shows us that you can collaborate effectively across teams, which is super important for this role.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets into the right hands. Plus, it gives you a chance to explore more about Wise and our mission while you're at it!
How to prepare for a job interview at hackajob
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you’re well-versed in the technologies mentioned in the job description, especially Python and distributed databases like YugabyteDB. Brush up on your cloud infrastructure knowledge too, as this will be crucial for the role.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to discuss specific examples where you've tackled complex platform engineering challenges. Think about how you’ve simplified infrastructure or improved reliability in past projects, as these experiences will resonate with the interviewers.
✨Communicate Clearly and Confidently
Practice articulating technical concepts in a way that’s easy to understand. You’ll need to explain trade-offs and impacts clearly, so consider doing mock interviews with friends or colleagues to refine your communication skills.
✨Demonstrate Leadership and Collaboration
Be ready to talk about your experience mentoring others and leading initiatives. Highlight any cross-team collaborations you've been involved in, as this role requires working closely with various teams to ensure best practices are followed.
