At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and optimise cloud platforms while automating engineering processes and enhancing developer experience.
- Company: The Key, a trusted provider of knowledge for education leaders.
- Benefits: Generous holiday allowance, flexible hours, free breakfast, and a fun work culture.
- Other info: Great work-life balance and opportunities for professional growth.
- Why this job: Join a socially conscious company and make a real impact with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: Experience with Infrastructure as Code, Google Cloud, and CI/CD platforms required.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
- Description
- The company
The Key is the country’s most trusted provider of knowledge and know-how to education leaders determined to make a difference.
We provide authoritative, up-to-the-minute sector intelligence, tools, services and resources that give leaders the knowledge to act.
The role
The Platform Engineer designs, operates, and continuously optimises the organisation's cloud-based platform to guarantee high reliability, scalability, and performance.
Acting as an operational anchor and developer experience champion, the role automates critical engineering processes, drives system security, and embeds cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) agentic coding workflows.
By managing core cloud infrastructure and proactive observability, the position enables seamless software delivery and minimises operational downtime across test and production environments.
- Cloud Infrastructure & Architecture
- Engineer, plan, and deliver scalable cloud infrastructure upgrades and optimisations using Infrastructure as Code (Ia C) tools.
- Continuously optimise the Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) and wider cloud environment to boost efficiency, performance, and overall system resilience.
- Incident Management & Observability
- Own monitoring, alerting, and observability frameworks across production and test environments to proactively identify system defects.
- Lead incident response investigations, execute technical resolutions, and implement post-incident fixes to permanently prevent issue recurrence.
- Developer Experience & CI/CD Support
- Build, maintain, and optimise software delivery and CI/CD pipelines to streamline deployment workflows.
- Troubleshoot and resolve complex operational issues for developers, actively seeking ways to enhance overall developer experience and efficiency.
- Automation & AI Tooling Integration
- Automate manual, repetitive operational tasks to reduce technical debt and maximise organisational efficiency.
- Leverage AI agentic coding tools daily for incident investigation and operational automation, extending internal agent capabilities to benefit the broader engineering department.
- Platform Security & Compliance
- Enforce robust security practices across the platform to safeguard infrastructure in line with industry standards.
- Foster a proactive culture of security awareness and risk mitigation within the engineering team.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Communicate platform changes, technical concepts, and updates clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Coordinate complex operational projects across local and remote teams with high conscientiousness and structured self-organisation.
Requirements
- Key success indicators
- Infrastructure availability and uptime across Google Cloud Platform services.
- Reduction in Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) and Mean Time to Resolve (MTTR) system incidents.
- Percentage of operational tasks automated and successfully integrated into AI agentic workflows.
- Measurable improvement in software delivery deployment frequency and CI/CD pipeline execution times.
- Developer satisfaction scores regarding internal platform reliability and developer tooling.
- Required experience and profile
- Demonstrated proficiency with Infrastructure as Code (Ia C) tooling, preferably Terraform.
- Practical experience designing, operating, and managing Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) environments.
- Minimum of 2 years of hands-on experience in designing and managing robust CI/CD platforms.
- Minimum of 2 years of experience using Git Hub or equivalent version control systems.
- Genuine enthusiasm for working with AI coding agents and leveraging advanced automation tooling.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills tailored for technical and non-technical audiences.
- High level of conscientiousness, self-organisation, and ability to coordinate multi-stakeholder projects locally and remotely.
Desirable
- Working knowledge of and exposure to the ISO27001 information security standard.
- Hands-on knowledge of database platforms such as Mongo DB and Postgre SQL.
- Deep technical understanding of containerisation technologies.
Benefits
We place huge importance on caring for and developing our people.
If you join us you can expect a good work-life balance and the training and support you need to succeed in your role and continue to progress.
We are a socially conscious company, but one that also likes to have fun.
We offer a generous holiday allowance, flexible hours, buying and selling holiday, enhanced maternity pay, free breakfast, fruit, and drinks, regular socials and much more.
Platform Engineer employer: The Key Support Services
The Key is an exceptional employer in the Ed-tech sector, prioritising the well-being and development of its employees. With a strong focus on work-life balance, generous benefits including flexible hours and enhanced maternity pay, and a vibrant, socially conscious culture, The Key fosters an environment where innovation thrives and team members can grow both personally and professionally. Joining our team means being part of a mission-driven organisation that values collaboration and fun while making a significant impact in education.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land 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 The Key Support Services 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 The Key Support Services.
✨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 The Key Support Services.
✨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 The Key Support Services 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 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 The Key Support Services.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at The Key Support Services 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 The Key Support Services
✨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 The Key Support Services 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.
