At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and own Toolstation's cloud platform while driving AI capabilities across the business.
- Company: Join Toolstation, a top UK retailer in trade tools and building supplies.
- Benefits: Enjoy 25 days holiday, competitive bonuses, and discounts at over 1000 retailers.
- Other info: Dynamic career growth opportunities within a supportive and collaborative environment.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a hands-on role with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: Experience in Kubernetes, cloud management, and infrastructure as code is essential.
The predicted salary is between 72000 - 88000 £ per year.
Location/ working model: Hybrid - Located close to either Northampton or Bridgwater.
We are Toolstation, one of the UK's leading multi-channel retailers of trade tools, building supplies, and hardware, catering to both professional tradespeople and home improvers. Operating as part of the broader Travis Perkins plc group, with a network of almost 600 stores, we focus on delivering low prices, quick convenience, and reliable product availability.
This is a deliberately hands-on role, part Product Manager and part Engineer, accountable both for the technology our teams build on and for the outcomes it delivers. You will own Toolstation's cloud platform as an internal product while leading how we build and ship AI and agentic capabilities across the business.
Key responsibilities include:
- Core Platform Ownership: Own our GCP/GKE cloud runtime, integration & API gateway, Kafka event backbone, and identity/security platform with published roadmaps and service levels.
- AI & Agentic Capabilities: Lead the management of the Gemini agent platform (with access to Anthropic models), reusable patterns and governance to empower teams to ship AI safely and quickly.
- Stay Hands-On: Write and review IaC (OpenTofu/Terraform, Helm, FluxCD, CI pipelines) and build with AI directly to test standards first-hand.
- Platform Operations & FinOps: Own cloud costs as a platform outcome, attribution of spend, patch currency, availability scorecards, and end-of-life exposure.
- Technical Direction & Modernisation: Act as the accountable decision-maker across architecture/design reviews and drive in-flight modernisation programmes.
- Vendor & Team Leadership: Manage key vendor relationships (Google Cloud, Confluent, Tyk, Datadog) and grow the platform engineering team with SRE, DevSecOps, and agent engineering depth.
What you'll bring:
- Kubernetes & Cloud Expertise: Substantial hands-on experience running production Kubernetes (ideally Google Cloud/GKE) managing business-critical estates.
- Infrastructure as Code & GitOps: Deep practical fluency in Terraform/OpenTofu and FluxCD/Argo CD.
- Platform Product Mindset: Demonstrate the ability to manage and own our platform as a product (roadmaps, adoption metrics, service levels).
- Commercial & Stakeholder Acumen: Strong cloud FinOps experience, vendor negotiation, and the ability to articulate technical debt/costs to executives.
- Key Behaviours: Decisive, customer-focused (treating internal engineers as customers), pragmatic, curious, and collaborative.
What you'll get:
You’ll find every opportunity to be yourself and to bring your personality and potential to work. Wherever you join us there will be opportunities to take your career wherever you want; up the ladder, across the business or into another role in the Travis Perkins Group. And because we want to do our best for you, you’ll be supported all the way with training and development. We’ll also equip you with a benefits package that grows as you grow with the company:
- 25 Days Holiday + Bank Holidays
- Competitive Bonus Scheme
- Company pension scheme and life assurance
- 20% discounts across all Travis Perkins companies
- Recognition awards and discounts at over 1000 other retailers
Contract Type: Permanent - Full time
Salary: competitive + bonus + benefits
Location: Northampton, Northamptonshire
Platform Product Lead in Northampton employer: Travis Perkins
Travis Perkins is an excellent employer that prioritises employee development and a collaborative work culture, making it an ideal place for those looking to grow their careers in the North West Region. With a strong focus on safety and customer service, employees benefit from hands-on leadership opportunities, competitive compensation, and a supportive environment that encourages teamwork and innovation.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Platform Product Lead in Northampton
✨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 Travis Perkins 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 Travis Perkins.
✨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 Travis Perkins.
✨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 Travis Perkins 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 Product Lead in Northampton
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 Travis Perkins.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Travis Perkins 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 Travis Perkins
✨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 Travis Perkins 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.
