At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the architecture and evolution of our enterprise API Platform using cutting-edge technologies.
- Company: Join a forward-thinking tech company that values innovation and collaboration.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, health benefits, remote work options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by shaping the future of our API Platform with your expertise.
- Qualifications: 12+ years in cloud engineering, with strong skills in Azure, Kubernetes, and Terraform.
- Other info: Be part of a dynamic team with excellent career advancement opportunities.
The predicted salary is between 72000 - 108000 £ per year.
We are seeking an experienced and highly technical API Platform Architect to lead the architecture, engineering, and continuous evolution of our enterprise API Platform. This role is fully hands-on, combining deep expertise in Azure cloud services, Kubernetes, Terraform, API security, and distributed systems with the ability to guide, review, and contribute to .NET Core API development practices. The architect will define and maintain the vision and standards for the platform while actively engaging in coding, troubleshooting, design reviews, and production support.
Key Responsibilities & Requirements
- Architecture Leadership & Platform Ownership: Own the architecture, design, standards, patterns, and roadmap of the enterprise API Platform across Azure, AKS, APIM, networking, security, observability, and DevOps layers. Translate business, security, and domain requirements into scalable, secure, highly available platform architectures. Provide authoritative architectural guidance while remaining hands-on with implementation, debugging, optimisation, and reviews. Define and govern API standards, APIOps pipelines, lifecycle processes, platform SLAs/SLOs, and security enforcement.
- Azure Cloud Expertise: Extensive expert-level, hands-on experience with Azure services, including: AKS, APIM, Application Gateway, Front Door, Load Balancers, Event Hub, Azure SQL, Storage Account, ACR, Key Vault, VNets, Private Endpoints, Application Insights, Azure Monitor, Notification Hub, DNS, VMSS, App Configuration, and more. Architect multi-region active-active, blue/green, and zero-downtime deployments. Deep understanding of Azure networking, identity, private connectivity, and cost optimisation.
- Terraform & Infrastructure-as-Code: Design, implement, and govern complex Terraform modules for Azure and Kubernetes using providers such as azurerm, azapi, kubernetes, helm. Ensure Terraform best practices, module versioning, automated validations, state management, and environment consistency. Drive platform provisioning automation and self-service capabilities.
- Kubernetes (AKS) Architecture & Operations: Expert-level knowledge and hands-on experience with: AKS cluster architecture, node pools, workload identity, pod security, network policies Helm chart authoring, deployment strategies, custom charts, container registries Ingress controllers, API gateways, service mesh, and traffic policy enforcement Observability (Prometheus, Grafana), log pipelines, distributed tracing High availability, cluster upgrades, autoscaling strategy, performance tuning Lead advanced troubleshooting (pods, networking, DNS, controllers, storage, ingress).
- Azure API Management (APIM) & API Security: Deep hands-on expertise in APIM features including advanced policy writing, transformations, caching, throttling, JWT validation, OAuth2/OIDC, mTLS, IP filtering, client certificate handling. Design the end-to-end API lifecycle, including APIOps automation, environment promotion, deployment versioning, api backend health check frameworks, and rollback strategies. Implement API analytics, distributed tracing, alerts, performance tuning, and troubleshooting.
- Reliability Engineering & Platform Operations: Lead root-cause analysis, high-severity incident resolution, and resilience improvements. Ensure uptime, performance, and reliability of APIs deployed in AKS and exposed via APIM. Define SLOs, latency budgets, retry strategies, and resilience patterns (circuit breaker, timeout patterns, queue-based ingestion). Implement auto-remediation, self-healing patterns, and fault-tolerant architecture.
- DevOps & Automation: Drive GitOps-driven Kubernetes deployments using GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, ArgoCD/Flux. Own APIOps pipeline definition for APIM deployments, testing, API versioning, and documentation automation. Establish CI/CD pipelines for Terraform, .NET API builds, image scanning, SAST/DAST, compliance enforcement.
- Hands-On .NET Core API Integration & Code Reviews: Review .NET Core API implementations to ensure correct API design, platform alignment, and cloud-native best practices. Provide architectural guidance for .NET API integrations with APIM, AKS, event-driven components, caching, and security layers. Analyse and optimise API performance, scalability, dependency injection usage, resiliency patterns, and distributed system design. Work with backend teams to ensure APIs are structured for observability, traceability, platform compatibility, and API governance. Occasionally step into the codebase to triage issues, debug complex integration problems, and provide code-level recommendations.
- Leadership, Collaboration & Mentoring: Lead platform engineering discussions, architectural reviews, and technical deep dives. Mentor engineers in cloud-native architecture, Kubernetes, Terraform, API design, DevOps, and .NET integration patterns. Influence stakeholders across engineering, security, product, and operational teams. Take full ownership of delivery outcomes with a high sense of urgency and quality.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, Engineering, or related field with 12+ years of industry experience.
- Strongly preferred: Azure certifications (AZ-305/400), Kubernetes (CKA/CKAD/CKS), Terraform certifications.
- 7+ years in cloud engineering/architecture roles, including platform ownership and hands-on development/troubleshooting.
Architect employer: Hellowork Consultants
Contact Detail:
Hellowork Consultants Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Architect
✨Tip Number 1
Network, network, network! Get out there and connect with people in the industry. Attend meetups, webinars, or even just grab a coffee with someone who’s already in the role you want. You never know who might have a lead on your dream job!
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio that highlights your best work, especially any projects related to API architecture or Azure services. This is your chance to demonstrate your hands-on experience and technical prowess.
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t be shy about reaching out directly to companies you’re interested in. A quick email or LinkedIn message can go a long way. Let them know you’re keen on opportunities and how you can add value to their team.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! We’ve got loads of opportunities waiting for talented folks like you. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in being part of our team, which always makes a good impression.
We think you need these skills to ace Architect
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that match the job description. Highlight your expertise in Azure, Kubernetes, and API development to show us you're the right fit for the Architect role.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Use your cover letter to tell us why you're passionate about this position. Share specific examples of your past work with API platforms and how you've led architectural projects to success.
Showcase Your Technical Skills: Don’t shy away from listing your technical proficiencies! We want to see your hands-on experience with Terraform, .NET Core, and Azure services clearly laid out in your application.
Apply Through Our Website: For the best chance of getting noticed, apply directly through our website. It helps us keep track of your application and ensures you’re considered for the role as quickly as possible!
How to prepare for a job interview at Hellowork Consultants
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you’re well-versed in Azure services, Kubernetes, and Terraform. Brush up on your hands-on experience with these technologies, as you'll likely be asked to demonstrate your knowledge during the interview. Prepare to discuss specific projects where you've applied these skills.
✨Showcase Your Architectural Vision
Be ready to articulate your approach to designing scalable and secure API platforms. Think about how you would translate business requirements into technical solutions. Prepare examples of past architectures you've designed and the impact they had on the organisation.
✨Prepare for Problem-Solving Scenarios
Expect to tackle real-world problems during the interview. Practice explaining your thought process when debugging or optimising APIs. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses and highlight your problem-solving skills.
✨Demonstrate Leadership and Collaboration Skills
Since this role involves mentoring and leading discussions, be prepared to share experiences where you've influenced teams or guided engineers. Highlight your ability to collaborate across different departments and how you’ve driven successful outcomes in previous roles.