DevOps / Platform Engineer

Locai Labs is The British Foundational AI Company based in Paddington London. We are dedicated to building world class large language models at the forefront of cost and efficiency. Our mission is to advance cutting-edge AI from within the UK by combining deep technical innovation with engineering excellence to create powerful scalable models that compete on the global stage. Our models are designed not just for performance, but for real-world deployment powering bespoke agentic applications that solve complex challenges across enterprise and consumer domains.

The Role

We are seeking a DevOps / Platform Engineer to maintain and enhance our existing platform infrastructure, with opportunities to contribute to backend development when needed. Our systems are already live and in active use, so your focus will be on reliability, performance, automation, observability, and clean, maintainable Infrastructure-as-Code. You’ll also support Python and Node.js backend services. This role is centred on operational excellence, continuous improvement, and technical ownership. The position is based at our Paddington HQ and reports directly to the Chief Technology Officer (CTO), ensuring close alignment with our technical vision and strategic roadmap.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and evolve cloud infrastructure, primarily on Google Cloud Platform (GCP), with some exposure to AWS and Azure
• Write, review, and manage modular, reusable Terraform code
• Operate and enhance CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions
• Containerise and deploy backend applications using modern tooling (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes)
• Implement and manage comprehensive logging, monitoring, and alerting systems
• Contribute to the backend codebase for service integrations, internal tooling, and incident resolution
• Improve developer workflows and internal automation to increase team velocity
• Collaborate with engineers across the stack to ensure system reliability and scalability

Required Experience

• Proven experience operating production-grade systems in a live environment
• 1–3 years experience in DevOps, Cloud Engineering, or Platform Engineering roles
• Hands-on experience with Infrastructure-as-Code using Terraform (modular and reusable patterns preferred)
• Strong foundation in Linux, networking, and container technologies
• Experience deploying and managing applications on at least one major cloud provider (GCP preferred; AWS or Azure acceptable)
• Experience working with relational databases in production environments (e.g., Postgres, MySQL), including basic performance troubleshooting, migrations, backups, and access control.
• Familiarity with observability tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack, or OpenTelemetry
• Experience with container orchestration platforms, particularly Kubernetes
• Ability to systematically troubleshoot and debug distributed systems
• Comfortable reading, modifying, and writing code in Python and/or Node.js

Nice to Have

• Production experience with Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
• Knowledge of security and IAM best practices, including role design, policy management, and access boundaries
• Experience optimising CI/CD pipelines for speed, reliability, and developer experience (e.g., caching, incremental builds, rollback strategies)
• Exposure to GitOps workflows or infrastructure automation frameworks

Environment & Culture

You will join a small, highly technical team where your voice will be heard, and your contributions will directly shape our platform and products. We value ownership, curiosity, and a collaborative mindset. You’ll work onsite at our Paddington HQ, embedded within a close-knit engineering team that values transparency, continuous learning, and impactful work. This role reports directly to the CTO, offering a unique opportunity to influence technical direction from the ground up.

Application Process

As part of your application, please complete the accompanying form in addition to submitting your CV. Interview Stages: Application Review – We assess your background and experience. Take-Home Technical Assessment – A practical exercise to evaluate your engineering approach and problem-solving skills. Technical & Team Fit Interview – A virtual discussion covering your technical expertise, past projects, and cultural alignment. In-Person Assessment at HQ – A final visit to our Paddington office for deeper technical discussions, collaboration exercises, and team interactions. Offer – Successful candidates will receive a formal offer following the final stage.

If this sounds like you, no need to send us your CV. Just fill in the form below 👇 https://forms.office.com/e/SxzudFsdi2

Strictly no agencies or recruiters. We are only accepting direct applications from candidates.