At a Glance
- Tasks: Build and optimise cloud-based platforms to enhance developer experience and operational efficiency.
- Company: Join Rowden, a fast-growing tech company focused on national security and resilience.
- Benefits: Flexible working, inclusive culture, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Diverse team with a commitment to flexibility and inclusivity.
- Why this job: Shape the future of technology while solving complex problems in a collaborative environment.
- Qualifications: Experience in platform engineering, cloud technologies, and strong problem-solving skills.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
We’re building the UK's next generation engineering powerhouse, providing critical technology that strengthens national security and resilience.
We specialise in turning advances in sensing, AI, and communications into operational capability for the edge, where connectivity may be degraded or denied.
Our work focuses on accelerating the deployment of technology, improving decision‑making for frontline teams, and protecting people and critical assets in demanding environments.
Headquartered in Bristol, Rowden employs around 200 people and operates over 20,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing facilities.
We have a growing international footprint and are one of Europe’s fastest-growing engineering businesses.
About The Role
We’re seeking a Senior Platform Engineer to help build the engineering platform that underpins how Rowden develops, deploys, and operates technology.
The platform will improve developer experience and make Rowden’s engineering faster, more consistent, more scalable, and more secure.
This is a high‑impact opportunity to shape the foundations of one of the UK’s most exciting technology companies.
Working closely with Software, Infrastructure, ML, IT, Product, QA, and Security teams, you’ll be hands‑on in delivering the platform vision and improving engineering experience.
You’ll play a critical role in building the tooling, infrastructure, and capabilities that enable our engineers to solve complex customer problems.
Candidates must be eligible for SC Clearance.
More Information About Security Clearance Is Available Here https://www. gov. uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels
Key areas of responsibility
Working within the Platforms team, you’ll build robust platform services, enabling self‑service infrastructure, seamless CI/CD, and strong observability, while also supporting API‑first development, system integration, and the adoption of AI/ML capabilities across the organisation.
Turning platform strategy into reality through high‑quality engineering - setting standards and patterns that teams can adopt with confidence.
- Designing, building, and maintaining core platform infrastructure and services.
- Developing and evolving internal developer platform (IDP) capabilities, including self‑service provisioning and deployment workflows.
- Designing and supporting API‑first architectures to enable interoperability between systems, services, and external partners.
- Building and optimising CI/CD pipelines to support consistent, secure, and efficient software delivery.
- Enabling integration patterns across distributed systems, including event‑driven architectures and service‑based communication.
- Contributing to modular platform capabilities that allow teams to compose and extend functionality.
- Collaborating Software, Infra, ML, IT, Product, QA, and Security teams to ensure the platform meets real‑world engineering needs.
- Implementing infrastructure‑as‑code and automation to ensure repeatability, scalability, and reliability.
- Embedding security, compliance, and best practices into the platform by design.
- Contributing to platform standards, patterns, and reusable components to drive consistency across teams.
- Improving observability, monitoring, and alerting capabilities across systems and services.
- Supporting onboarding of teams to the platform and enabling adoption through documentation and guidance.
- Continuously identifying opportunities to improve developer experience, reducing friction and cognitive load.
- Key Skills, Experience And Behaviours
We are looking for a highly capable, hands‑on engineer who enjoys solving complex problems and building systems that others rely on.
Skills You’ll Need
- Strong experience building and operating cloud‑based platforms.
- Deep understanding of platform engineering principles, including infrastructure‑as‑code, CI/CD, system design, and service integration.
- Experience designing and working with APIs and building integration layers between systems.
- Experience with tools such as Terraform, Kubernetes, Docker, and modern CI/CD platforms.
- Experience with cloud and bare‑metal deployments.
- Understanding of modular platform design and composable architectures.
- Familiarity with observability tooling (e. g. logging, metrics, tracing) and building reliable systems.
- Knowledge of secure‑by‑design and zero‑trust principles.
- Strong software engineering fundamentals (e. g. Python, Go, or similar) to build platform tooling and automation.
- Experience working in cross‑functional teams and contributing to shared technical outcomes.
Behaviours that matter
- Mission‑Focused: You care about enabling others to do their best work and delivering meaningful outcomes.
- Relentless: You take ownership and see problems through to resolution.
- Collaborative: You work effectively across teams, building trust and shared understanding.
- Quality‑Driven: You take pride in building robust, scalable, and maintainable systems.
- Pragmatic: You focus on solutions that work in practice, not just in theory.
- Curious & Adaptive: You continuously learn, improve, and embrace new approaches where they add value - particularly in fast‑moving areas like AI and platform integration.
- Working at Rowden
We are committed to building a flexible, inclusive, and enabling company.
Our aim is to create a diverse team of talented people with unique skills, experience, and backgrounds, so please apply and come as you are!
We also recognise the importance of flexible working and support this wherever we can.
We typically operate a flexible, hybrid‑working model, with an average 3 days in the office each week (dependent on the role).
We welcome the opportunity to discuss flexibility, part‑time working requirements and/or workplace adjustments with all our applicants.
Rowden is a Disability Confident Committed company, and we actively encourage people with disabilities and health conditions to apply for our roles.
Please let us know your requirements early on so that we can make sure you have everything you need up front to help make the recruitment process and experience as easy as possible.
Finally, if you feel that you don’t meet all the criteria included above but have transferable skills and relevant experience, we’d still love to hear from you!
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Senior Platform Engineer employer: Rowden
Rowden is an exceptional employer, dedicated to fostering a flexible and inclusive work environment that empowers employees to thrive. With a strong focus on professional growth, our hybrid working model allows for a balanced approach to work-life integration, while our commitment to diversity ensures that every team member's unique skills and experiences are valued. Located in Bristol, we offer the opportunity to work on cutting-edge AI projects that have a real-world impact, making your contributions meaningful and rewarding.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Platform Engineer
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Rowden or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Rowden.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Rowden.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Rowden that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Platform Engineer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Rowden.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Rowden and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Rowden
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Rowden uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.