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- Tasks: Lead the creation of a groundbreaking observability platform and mentor a high-performing engineering team.
- Company: Holland & Barrett, a historic company with a startup mindset and a focus on innovation.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, health cash plan, flexible working, and extensive learning opportunities.
- Why this job: Shape the future of platform engineering in a dynamic environment with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: Proven leadership in SRE, DevOps, and cloud-native systems; strong communication skills.
- Other info: Join a diverse team committed to inclusivity and wellness for all.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 ÂŁ per year.
About H&B
At Holland & Barrett, we are over a century old and yet a startup. Our radical digital transformation has made us fully cloud-native, leveraging containers, Kubernetes, serverless, and eventâdriven services to redefine our industry. We are now looking for a visionary Head of Platform to lead the next chapter in our engineering story. This isnât just another leadership roleâitâs your chance to build a greenfield observability platform from scratch and shape the future of our operations, security, and developer experience.
About the Role
We are creating an operational platform that will become the backbone of incident management, security, and service owner operations. From IoT devices and network assets to cloud infrastructure, this platform will give us a unified view across our ecosystem. Our goal: enable teams to move faster, more reliably, and more securelyâwhile giving our developers a worldâclass platform experience. We embrace a âplatform as a productâ philosophy: our platform is built for developers, designed with their feedback, and crafted to accelerate innovation across the organisation.
What Youâll Do
- Define and execute the roadmap for our greenfield observability platform.
- Lead and mentor a highâperforming team of SRE, DevOps, and DevSecOps engineers.
- Drive architecture and technology decisions to ensure the platform is secure, scalable, and reliable.
- Partner with security and engineering teams to embed security into every layer of the platform.
- Champion a âplatform as a productâ mindset, delivering a seamless developer experience.
- Promote SRE and DevSecOps best practices across the organisation.
Key Requirement
- Proven senior leadership experience (Head of Platform, Head of DevOps, or similar).
- Deep expertise in SRE, DevOps, and DevSecOps practices.
- Handsâon experience building and operating largeâscale, cloudânative systems (AWS).
- Skilled in containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes), serverless, and eventâdriven architectures.
- Track record of building and leading highâperforming engineering teams.
- Strong communicator with the ability to articulate technical vision and influence stakeholders.
- Passion for developer experience and treating internal platforms as products.
- Familiarity with observability tools and technologies (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack, distributed tracing).
Why Holland & Barrett?
This is a rare opportunity to build a platform from the ground up in a historic, global company with a startup mindset. You will have autonomy, access to cuttingâedge technology, and the support of a forwardâthinking leadership team. We offer a competitive salary, a comprehensive benefits package, and a flexible working environment. If you are a passionate, innovative, and resultsâoriented leader excited by the challenge of shaping the future of observability and secure platform engineering, we would love to hear from you.
What we offer:
- Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits
- Health Cash Plan
- Life Assurance
- Bonus Scheme - Based on company & personal performance
- Virtual GP
- Private Medical care
- FREE atâhome blood test kit
- Holiday Purchase option
- Pension Contribution scheme
- Access to âWellhub' with gyms, studios and wellbeing apps
- Discounts & Savings
- 25% Colleague Discount with FREE Standard Delivery
- Exclusive Discounts from a wide range of partners
- ÂŁ/âŹ50 Annual Product Allowance to spend in store
- Learning & Development
- Access to a variety of learning opportunities, including Level 2â5 Apprenticeships, Workshops and our Digital Learning Library AND MORE!
Holland and Barrett is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome diverse perspectives and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all colleagues. We understand that when our colleagues are listened to, respected and valued for who they are, we build an organisation with belonging at its heart â making health and wellness a way of life for everyone.
Head of Platform employer: Holland & Barrett
Contact Detail:
Holland & Barrett Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice đ¤Ť
We think this is how you could land Head of Platform
â¨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to current or former employees at Holland & Barrett on LinkedIn. A friendly chat can give you insider info and maybe even a referral, which can really boost your chances.
â¨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills in action! If you have a portfolio or any projects that demonstrate your expertise in SRE, DevOps, or building cloud-native systems, make sure to share them during interviews. Itâs all about proving you can walk the walk!
â¨Tip Number 3
Prepare for those tricky questions! Brush up on your knowledge of observability tools and practices. Be ready to discuss how you would approach building a greenfield platform and how youâd ensure security and scalability.
â¨Tip Number 4
Donât forget to apply through our website! Itâs the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows youâre genuinely interested in joining the team at Holland & Barrett.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Platform
Some tips for your application đŤĄ
Show Your Passion: When writing your application, let your enthusiasm for the role shine through. We want to see your excitement about building a greenfield observability platform and how you can contribute to our mission at Holland & Barrett.
Tailor Your Experience: Make sure to highlight your relevant experience in SRE, DevOps, and DevSecOps. Weâre looking for someone who can lead and mentor a high-performing team, so share specific examples of your leadership and technical skills that align with our needs.
Be Clear and Concise: Keep your application straightforward and to the point. We appreciate clarity, so avoid jargon and focus on communicating your ideas effectively. This will help us understand your vision and how you can influence our platform's future.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. Itâs the best way for us to receive your application and ensures youâre considered for this exciting opportunity to shape the future of our operations and developer experience.
How to prepare for a job interview at Holland & Barrett
â¨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure youâre well-versed in the technologies mentioned in the job description, like Kubernetes, Docker, and AWS. Be ready to discuss your hands-on experience with these tools and how you've used them to build scalable systems.
â¨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Head of Platform, you'll need to lead a high-performing team. Prepare examples of how you've successfully mentored teams in the past, driven architectural decisions, and promoted best practices in SRE and DevSecOps.
â¨Emphasise Developer Experience
Since the role focuses on treating the platform as a product, be prepared to discuss how youâve previously gathered feedback from developers and implemented changes to enhance their experience. Share specific instances where your initiatives led to improved developer satisfaction.
â¨Articulate Your Vision
Youâll need to communicate your technical vision clearly. Practice explaining complex concepts in simple terms, and think about how you can influence stakeholders across the organisation. This will show that you can bridge the gap between technical and non-technical teams.