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 focused on innovation and collaboration.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, flexible work options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a significant impact by shaping the future of our API Platform.
- Qualifications: 12+ years in cloud engineering with expertise in Azure, Kubernetes, and Terraform.
- Other info: Dynamic team environment with mentorship opportunities and career advancement.
The predicted salary is between 48000 - 84000 £ 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
- 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.
- 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, 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).
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
Platform Architect 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 Platform Architect in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Attend meetups, webinars, and tech conferences related to Azure, Kubernetes, and API development. Engaging with industry professionals can open doors and lead to job opportunities that aren't even advertised.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio showcasing your hands-on projects, especially those involving Azure services and Terraform. 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 current employees on LinkedIn. Ask them about their experiences and express your interest in the position. It shows initiative and can help you get noticed.
✨Tip Number 4
Keep it relevant! Tailor your conversations during interviews to highlight your experience with .NET Core, API security, and DevOps practices. Make sure to connect your past work to the specific needs of the role you're applying for.
We think you need these skills to ace Platform Architect in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that match the Platform Architect role. Highlight your hands-on experience with Azure, Kubernetes, and API development to show us you’re the right fit!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Use your cover letter to tell us why you're passionate about API architecture and how your background aligns with our needs. Be specific about your achievements and how they relate to the responsibilities outlined in the job description.
Showcase Your Technical Skills: Don’t just list your technical skills; demonstrate them! Include examples of projects where you've used Azure services, Terraform, or Kubernetes. This will help us see your practical experience in action.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows us you’re keen on joining the StudySmarter team!
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 Terraform. Brush up on your knowledge of API security and distributed systems, as these will be key topics during the interview. Be ready to discuss specific projects where you've applied these technologies.
✨Showcase Your Hands-On Experience
Since this role is highly hands-on, prepare to share examples of your coding, troubleshooting, and design review experiences. Highlight any instances where you’ve led architectural decisions or contributed to .NET Core API development practices.
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect questions that assess your problem-solving skills in real-world scenarios. Think about how you would approach designing a scalable API platform or resolving high-severity incidents. Practising these scenarios can help you articulate your thought process clearly.
✨Demonstrate Leadership and Mentorship Skills
This role involves guiding and mentoring engineers, so be prepared to discuss your leadership style. Share examples of how you’ve influenced teams or improved processes in previous roles, especially in cloud-native architecture and DevOps practices.