At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the architecture and evolution of our enterprise API Platform using Azure and Kubernetes.
- Company: Join a forward-thinking tech company in London with a focus on innovation.
- Benefits: Competitive contract rate, flexible work schedule, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Why this job: Be at the forefront of technology, shaping the future of API platforms.
- Qualifications: 12+ years in cloud engineering, with strong Azure and Kubernetes expertise.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with mentorship opportunities and a focus on hands-on experience.
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.
API Platform Architect (.Net, APIM, Azure, Kubernetes) in London employer: Insight International (UK) Ltd
Contact Detail:
Insight International (UK) Ltd Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land API Platform Architect (.Net, APIM, Azure, Kubernetes) in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Attend meetups, webinars, and tech conferences related to API architecture and Azure. Engaging with industry professionals can lead to job opportunities that aren't even advertised yet.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio showcasing your projects, especially those involving .NET Core, Kubernetes, and Azure. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do and sets you apart from the crowd.
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t just apply; engage! When you find a role that excites you, reach out to the hiring manager or team members on LinkedIn. A personal touch can make a huge difference in getting noticed.
✨Tip Number 4
Keep it real! During interviews, be ready to discuss your hands-on experience with Azure services and Kubernetes. Share specific examples of challenges you've faced and how you overcame them to demonstrate your expertise.
We think you need these skills to ace API Platform Architect (.Net, APIM, Azure, Kubernetes) in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to the API Platform Architect role. Highlight your experience with Azure, Kubernetes, and .NET Core. We want to see how your skills match our needs!
Showcase Your Projects: Include specific projects where you've led architecture or engineering efforts. We love seeing real-world examples of your work, especially if they involve API management and cloud services.
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it clear and to the point. Use bullet points for key achievements and responsibilities. We appreciate straightforward communication!
Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. We can’t wait to hear from you!
How to prepare for a job interview at Insight International (UK) Ltd
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you’re well-versed in Azure services, Kubernetes, and .NET Core. Brush up on your knowledge of APIM features and Terraform best practices. Being able to discuss specific projects where you've applied these technologies will show your hands-on experience.
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect questions that ask how you would handle real-world problems, like designing a resilient API architecture or troubleshooting a deployment issue. Think through your past experiences and be ready to explain your thought process and the outcomes.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As an API Platform Architect, you’ll need to lead discussions and mentor others. Be prepared to share examples of how you’ve guided teams, influenced stakeholders, or improved processes in previous roles. This will demonstrate your ability to take ownership and drive results.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
At the end of the interview, have some thoughtful questions ready about the company’s API strategy, team dynamics, or future projects. This shows your genuine interest in the role and helps you assess if it’s the right fit for you.