Lead Platform Engineer in Manchester

Lead Platform Engineer in Manchester

Manchester Full-Time 63000 - 77000 £ / year (est.) Hybrid
S

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Build and improve secure platforms for critical national services used by millions.
  • Company: Join a major global tech and engineering organisation with a focus on public-sector digital programmes.
  • Benefits: Hybrid work, training opportunities, and career development in a supportive environment.
  • Other info: Opportunity to progress towards technical leadership roles in a dynamic team.
  • Why this job: Solve complex engineering challenges and influence platform strategy at a national scale.
  • Qualifications: Strong experience in AWS, Terraform, Kubernetes, and a passion for mentoring others.

The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.

Midlands and North of England | Hybrid (2-6 days per month)

Join a major global technology and engineering organisation delivering some of the UK’s most significant public-sector digital programmes.

You will help build, operate and improve the platforms behind critical national services used by millions of people.

These are complex, highly regulated environments where security, reliability, resilience and engineering quality genuinely matter.

This is not an architecture-only or delivery-management position.

We are looking for engineers who still enjoy building, automating, troubleshooting and improving platforms while mentoring others and influencing technical direction.

The opportunity

You could be involved in

  • Building secure, multi-account AWS platforms and landing zones
  • Engineering and operating production Kubernetes and EKS environments
  • Creating reusable Terraform modules and automated infrastructure capabilities
  • Building internal developer platforms, self-service tooling and golden paths
  • Developing shared CI/CD platforms using Git Hub Actions, Git Lab or Jenkins
  • Implementing Git Ops using Argo CD or Flux
  • Improving observability with Open Telemetry, Prometheus and Grafana
  • Automating security, compliance and operational processes
  • Troubleshooting complex production incidents
  • Improving platform reliability, resilience and developer experience
  • Setting engineering standards and helping teams adopt them
  • Mentoring engineers while remaining actively involved in technical delivery

You will work alongside experienced engineers on large-scale programmes, with the opportunity to influence how modern engineering platforms are designed and operated across major government services.

  • What we are looking for
  • You should have strong production experience across several of the following:
  • AWS - Must
  • Terraform, Terragrunt or Open Tofu - Must
  • Kubernetes or EKS - Must
  • Git Hub Actions, Git Lab CI or Jenkins
  • Infrastructure as Code
  • Python, Go or Bash automation
  • Networking and IAM
  • Prometheus, Grafana, Open Telemetry or Datadog
  • Production support and incident response

You do not need experience with every tool listed.

What matters is your ability to explain

  • What you personally built
  • Why it was needed
  • How it worked
  • The technical decisions and trade-offs involved
  • How it performed in production
  • How you improved the experience of other engineers

You may already lead engineers, own a platform capability or be progressing toward broader technical leadership.

You will bring strong hands-on engineering experience, credible platform ownership and the ability to influence technical decisions beyond your immediate team.

You will already operate as a senior technical authority.

You will bring deeper evidence of production ownership, engineering scale, technical decision-making, mentoring and the ability to lead conversations with senior client engineering teams.

Why consider the opportunity?

  • Work on critical digital services operating at national scale
  • Solve complex engineering problems in secure, regulated environments
  • Build modern cloud-native and internal developer platforms
  • Influence platform strategy, standards and engineering practices
  • Work alongside a large community of experienced cloud and platform specialists
  • Access significant training, certification and career-development opportunities
  • Progress toward broader technical leadership, Principal or SME positions
  • Location and working arrangements

We are recruiting across the Midlands and North, including

Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Birmingham, Leeds.

The role is hybrid, combining home working with office. (2-6 days per month)

This is not a fully remote position, and onsite requirements will vary depending on the programme, delivery phase and security environment.

Security clearance

Candidates must be eligible to complete BPSS checks and obtain UK Security Check clearance.

This will normally require a suitable period of UK residency, permanent UK working rights and the ability to complete the relevant background checks.

We are particularly interested in engineers who combine strong technical judgement with platform ownership, clear communication and the potential to become future technical leaders.

#J-18808-Ljbffr

Lead Platform Engineer in Manchester employer: SF Technology Partners

This company is an exceptional employer for a Staff Engineer, offering a unique opportunity to lead in AI innovation and product development while enjoying a healthy work-life balance through hybrid and flexible working arrangements. With a strong commitment to employee growth, including a well-structured training scheme and regular salary reviews, you will thrive in a collaborative and autonomous team culture that values your contributions and supports your professional journey. Located near Manchester, this PE-backed firm not only provides competitive salaries but also the chance to significantly benefit from the company's growth trajectory.

S

Contact Details:

SF Technology Partners Recruitment Team

We think you need these skills to ace Lead Platform Engineer in Manchester

AWS
Terraform
Kubernetes
EKS
GitHub Actions
GitLab CI
Jenkins