At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the evolution of a mission-critical Kubernetes platform and drive automation.
- Company: Ambitious tech company focused on infrastructure and engineering excellence.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, strong benefits, and a clear path to CTO.
- Other info: Join a small, elite team with minimal bureaucracy and high autonomy.
- Why this job: Own a critical platform and influence technical strategy in a high-trust environment.
- Qualifications: 7+ years in DevOps with extensive Kubernetes and Infrastructure as Code experience.
The predicted salary is between 90000 - 110000 £ per year.
Location: Southampton (Hybrid)
Salary: £90,000 - £110,000 + Benefits
Ready to own the platform instead of just supporting it? This is a rare opportunity to join an ambitious technology company where infrastructure sits at the heart of the business. They're looking for an exceptional Senior DevOps / Platform Engineer to lead the evolution of a production platform running mission-critical services with uptime measured in expectations, not aspirations. You'll be the technical authority driving automation, scalability and operational excellence across a modern Kubernetes estate. If you enjoy solving difficult engineering problems and leaving systems significantly better than you found them, you'll thrive here. This role offers genuine influence. You'll help shape technical direction, champion engineering best practice and work alongside a team that values quality over shortcuts.
Your Responsibilities
- Own and evolve large-scale production Kubernetes infrastructure.
- Design and implement Infrastructure as Code using Terraform, Ansible and automation-first principles.
- Improve platform scalability, resilience and performance.
- Lead operational improvements, monitoring and disaster recovery.
- Mentor engineers and drive engineering standards across the platform.
- Work directly with leadership on the future technical roadmap.
You'll Need
- 7+ years' experience within DevOps, Platform or Infrastructure Engineering.
- Extensive commercial Kubernetes experience managing production workloads.
- Advanced Infrastructure as Code expertise.
- Excellent Linux systems administration.
- Experience designing resilient, highly available platforms.
- Strong troubleshooting and networking skills.
- UK based with the ability to travel to Southampton.
Desirable
- Proxmox VE or Ceph.
- Startup or scale-up experience.
- VoIP, SIP or WebRTC environments.
- Strong security and governance knowledge.
Why This Role?
- Salary of £90,000-£110,000 plus a strong benefits package.
- A genuine, clearly defined progression path to CTO for the right individual.
- This role is being hired with long-term growth in mind, offering the opportunity to become the technical leader of the business as the engineering function continues to scale.
- Genuine ownership of a mission-critical platform.
- Work with modern infrastructure and cutting-edge technologies.
- Small, elite engineering team with minimal bureaucracy.
- High autonomy, high trust and the opportunity to influence technical strategy.
- Join a business investing heavily in engineering with ambitious long-term growth plans.
If you're an ambitious infrastructure leader looking for more than just your next job and want a role with real influence and a realistic route to CTO this is an opportunity not to be missed.
Senior Platform Engineer (DevOps) in Southampton employer: Sterling Bridge Limited
Join a leading telecoms and communications company in Southampton, where you will thrive in a dynamic hybrid work environment that prioritises innovation and technical excellence. With a strong focus on employee development, we offer clear pathways for progression towards senior leadership roles, including CTO, alongside competitive salaries and a collaborative culture that values your contributions to network performance and resilience.
