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, and opportunities for remote work.
- Other info: Be part of a dynamic team with excellent career growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by shaping the future of our API Platform.
- Qualifications: 12+ years in cloud engineering with expertise in Azure, Kubernetes, and Terraform.
The predicted salary is between 48000 - 72000 £ 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 in London employer: Hellowork Consultants
As an esteemed employer, we offer a dynamic work environment that fosters innovation and collaboration, particularly for our API Platform Architect role. Located in a vibrant tech hub, we provide competitive benefits, a strong focus on employee growth through continuous learning opportunities, and a culture that values hands-on contributions and leadership. Join us to be part of a forward-thinking team where your expertise will directly impact the evolution of our enterprise API platform.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Architect in London
✨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 works in API architecture. You never know who might have a lead on your dream job!
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio showcasing your projects, especially those involving Azure, Kubernetes, and Terraform. This will give potential employers a taste of what you can do and set you apart from the crowd.
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t be shy about reaching out directly to companies you’re interested in. A quick email or LinkedIn message expressing your interest can go a long way. Plus, applying through our website gives you a better chance of being noticed!
✨Tip Number 4
Prepare for interviews by brushing up on your technical knowledge and soft skills. Practice explaining complex concepts in simple terms, as communication is key in architecture roles. And remember, we’re here to help you ace that interview!
We think you need these skills to ace Architect in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV is tailored to the role of API Platform Architect. Highlight your experience with Azure, Kubernetes, and Terraform, and don’t forget to mention any relevant projects that showcase your hands-on skills.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you’re passionate about this role and how your background aligns with our needs. Be specific about your experience with API security and distributed systems.
Showcase Your Technical Skills:In your application, be sure to highlight your technical expertise. Mention your experience with .NET Core API development and any relevant certifications. We love seeing candidates who can back up their claims with real-world examples!
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply through our website for the best chance of getting noticed. It’s super easy, and you’ll be able to keep track of your application status. Plus, we love seeing applications come directly from our site!
How to prepare for a job interview at Hellowork Consultants
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you brush up on your Azure services, Kubernetes, and Terraform knowledge. Be ready to discuss specific projects where you've implemented these technologies, as well as any challenges you faced and how you overcame them.
✨Showcase Your Hands-On Experience
Since this role is highly technical and hands-on, prepare to share examples of your coding and troubleshooting experiences. Bring along code snippets or architecture diagrams that demonstrate your problem-solving skills and architectural vision.
✨Understand the Business Context
It's crucial to translate technical jargon into business value. Be prepared to explain how your architectural decisions can impact the company's goals, security, and user experience. This shows that you can think beyond just the tech.
✨Engage in Collaborative Discussions
Interviews often involve discussions with multiple stakeholders. Practice articulating your thoughts clearly and be open to feedback. Show that you can lead discussions and mentor others, as collaboration is key in this role.
