Senior Platform Engineer

Senior Platform Engineer

Hazel Grove Full-Time 48000 - 72000 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
H

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Join our team to enhance core infrastructure and mentor fellow engineers.
  • Company: Williams Racing, a top F1 team with 16 championship titles, seeks innovation-driven talent.
  • Benefits: Enjoy flexible work options, a dynamic environment, and the chance to impact cutting-edge technology.
  • Why this job: Be part of a legendary team, influence platform strategy, and drive automation in a fast-paced setting.
  • Qualifications: Degree in Computer Science or related field; experience with Kubernetes, Terraform, and CI/CD pipelines required.
  • Other info: Diversity and inclusion are valued; reasonable adjustments can be discussed.

The predicted salary is between 48000 - 72000 £ per year.

Join our Engineering Acceleration Team within the Technology & Innovation Group and play a key role in evolving our core infrastructure and developer platform capabilities. We are looking for a Senior Platform Engineer to bring architectural insight, a deep understanding of modern platform engineering practices, and a passion for enabling others through automation and infrastructure. You will also mentor engineers, influence platform strategy, and engage with stakeholders across the business.

As a Senior Platform Engineer in this team, you will:

  • Design and drive the evolution of Kubernetes clusters across on-prem and cloud environments.
  • Lead the definition and adoption of best practices for container orchestration, infrastructure-as-code, and continuous delivery.
  • Engage with engineering and infrastructure stakeholders to understand and influence technical requirements and priorities.
  • Mentor less experienced engineers and support knowledge-sharing across teams.
  • Ensure the scalability, security, and reliability of our software services in production environments.

Responsibilities:

  • Platform Infrastructure Management: Architect, deploy and operate Kubernetes clusters (AKS/EKS/on-prem) across hybrid-cloud and virtualised environments.
  • Define and continuously improve platform architecture with a focus on scale, tenancy, and operational resilience.
  • Champion GitOps workflows and scalable deployment strategies across the organisation.
  • Cloud Infrastructure & Automation: Help to lead the implementation of Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Helm) for consistent and repeatable provisioning.
  • Build reusable modules and automation for developer and infrastructure teams.
  • Contribute to shared pipelines, templates, and documentation to enable self-service.
  • Develop and maintain Cloud Operators for managing application lifecycles and platform services.
  • CI/CD and Software Delivery Enablement: Extend and manage CI/CD pipelines using Bitbucket Pipeline or Azure DevOps.
  • Support build, packaging, deployment, and lifecycle management processes.
  • Help teams adopt modern delivery practices through tooling and coaching.
  • Provide architectural input on how platform choices impact software delivery and operability.
  • Join wider Application Development squads to accelerate delivery of key projects.
  • Observability, Site Reliability: Operate production workloads with an SRE mindset: measure reliability, define SLOs, and reduce toil through automation.
  • Lead initiatives to reduce operational toil and enhance system resilience through automation.
  • Participate in incident response, conduct root cause analysis, and feed improvements into platform design.
  • Define and improve availability, performance, and scalability through platform-level metrics and service reviews.
  • Apply security best practices for Kubernetes (RBAC, network policies, secrets).
  • Liaise with internal security and compliance stakeholders to ensure governance requirements are met.
  • Drive adoption of secure-by-default practices within platform services.
  • Support secure identity, access, and secrets management integrations.
  • Mentorship and Technical Influence: Coach and mentor engineers on platform tools, patterns, and architecture.
  • Contribute to internal documentation, training materials, and brown-bag sessions.
  • Influence cross-team decision-making through clear communication and technical reasoning.

Skills and experience required:

  • Degree in Computer Science, Systems Engineering, or a related field.
  • Collaborative and adaptable with a platform mindset.
  • Strong interest in enabling engineering teams through infrastructure and automation.
  • Confident communicator who can explain infrastructure decisions to developers and non-specialists.
  • Works well across teams and disciplines, especially in high-performance environments.
  • Self-motivated and pragmatic with a continuous improvement approach.
  • Experience with:
  • Kubernetes provisioning and lifecycle management (AKS, EKS, on-prem).
  • Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Helm).
  • Containerisation and orchestration (Docker, Helm, Operators).
  • Cloud platforms (Azure, AWS).
  • CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps, Bitbucket Pipelines, GitHub Actions).
  • GitOps (e.g., ArgoCD, FluxCD).
  • Monitoring, logging, and alerting (Prometheus, Grafana, Loki).
  • Scripting and automation (Python, Bash, etc.).
  • Exposure to the following would be beneficial:
    • Multi-cloud or hybrid-cloud architectures.
    • Security practices for cloud-native platforms.
    • Cost optimisation strategies in cloud deployments.
    • Reliability-focused engineering (SLOs, SLIs, error budgets).
    • Incident response practices and post-incident reviews.
    • Supporting production systems and on-call readiness.

    Senior Platform Engineer employer: Hendrick Motorsport

    At Williams Racing, we pride ourselves on fostering a dynamic and inclusive work culture that champions innovation and collaboration. As a Senior Platform Engineer, you will not only have the opportunity to shape cutting-edge technology in a high-performance environment but also benefit from extensive mentorship and professional growth opportunities within a team that values your contributions. Located at the heart of motorsport, our commitment to excellence and continuous improvement ensures that every team member plays a vital role in our mission to return to the front of the grid.
    H

    Contact Detail:

    Hendrick Motorsport Recruiting Team

    StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫

    We think this is how you could land Senior Platform Engineer

    ✨Tip Number 1

    Familiarise yourself with Kubernetes and its lifecycle management, especially in hybrid-cloud environments. Being able to discuss your hands-on experience with AKS and EKS will show that you can hit the ground running.

    ✨Tip Number 2

    Brush up on your Infrastructure as Code skills, particularly with Terraform and Helm. Be prepared to share examples of how you've implemented these tools in past projects to demonstrate your capability in automating infrastructure.

    ✨Tip Number 3

    Showcase your experience with CI/CD pipelines, especially using Azure DevOps or Bitbucket Pipelines. Highlight any specific improvements you've made to deployment processes, as this aligns closely with the role's responsibilities.

    ✨Tip Number 4

    Prepare to discuss your mentoring experiences and how you've influenced technical decisions in previous roles. This will be crucial, as the position involves coaching less experienced engineers and engaging with various stakeholders.

    We think you need these skills to ace Senior Platform Engineer

    Kubernetes provisioning and lifecycle management (AKS, EKS, on-prem)
    Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Helm)
    Containerisation and orchestration (Docker, Helm, Operators)
    Cloud platforms (Azure, AWS)
    CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps, Bitbucket Pipelines, GitHub Actions)
    GitOps (e.g., ArgoCD, FluxCD)
    Monitoring, logging, and alerting (Prometheus, Grafana, Loki)
    Scripting and automation (Python, Bash, etc.)
    Strong communication skills
    Mentorship and coaching abilities
    Problem-solving and analytical skills
    Experience with security practices for cloud-native platforms
    Understanding of reliability-focused engineering (SLOs, SLIs, error budgets)
    Incident response practices and post-incident reviews
    Adaptability and collaboration in high-performance environments

    Some tips for your application 🫡

    Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights relevant experience in platform engineering, Kubernetes management, and Infrastructure as Code. Use specific examples that demonstrate your skills in automation and mentoring.

    Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: In your cover letter, express your passion for platform engineering and how your background aligns with the responsibilities outlined in the job description. Mention your experience with CI/CD pipelines and cloud platforms to showcase your fit for the role.

    Showcase Your Technical Skills: Include a section in your application that lists your technical skills, particularly those mentioned in the job description such as Terraform, Helm, and GitOps. This will help the hiring team quickly see your qualifications.

    Prepare for Technical Questions: Anticipate technical questions related to Kubernetes, cloud infrastructure, and automation practices. Be ready to discuss your previous projects and how you approached challenges in these areas during interviews.

    How to prepare for a job interview at Hendrick Motorsport

    ✨Showcase Your Kubernetes Expertise

    As a Senior Platform Engineer, your knowledge of Kubernetes is crucial. Be prepared to discuss your experience with provisioning and managing Kubernetes clusters, especially in hybrid-cloud environments. Highlight specific projects where you've implemented best practices for container orchestration.

    ✨Demonstrate Infrastructure as Code Skills

    Familiarity with Infrastructure as Code tools like Terraform and Helm is essential. During the interview, share examples of how you've used these tools to automate provisioning and improve consistency in deployments. Discuss any reusable modules or automation you've built.

    ✨Communicate Clearly with Stakeholders

    You'll need to engage with various stakeholders across the business. Practice explaining complex technical concepts in simple terms, ensuring that both technical and non-technical audiences can understand your points. This will demonstrate your ability to influence platform strategy effectively.

    ✨Emphasise Mentorship and Collaboration

    Mentoring less experienced engineers is a key part of this role. Prepare to discuss your approach to coaching and knowledge-sharing. Share instances where you've successfully guided others and contributed to team growth, showcasing your collaborative mindset.

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