> Markdown version of [/jobs/ext/1521802-principal-platform-engineer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/1521802-principal-platform-engineer). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Principal Platform Engineer - **Company:** Sanderson Recruitment Plc - **Location:** London, UK - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** £97,480.0 - £121,850.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Amazon Web Services, Cloud Computing, Cloud Foundry, Code Review, Databases, Continuous Integration, Couchbase Servers, Linux, DevOps, Distributed Data Store, Distributed Systems, Fault Tolerance, Monitoring of Systems, Linux System Administration, NoSQL, Reliability Engineering, Software Engineering, SQL Databases, Data Streaming, Computer Network Technologies, Cassandra, Apache Kafka, Terraform - **Published:** July 15, 2026 - **Apply:** https://computerjobs.com/gb/en/mob/job/1616C11956C4CF9599 ## About the Role * 8+ years' experience in Platform Engineering, Infrastructure Engineering, DevOps, SRE or Software Engineering * Expert-level AWS infrastructure experience * Strong Infrastructure as Code expertise with Terraform * Strong Linux systems administration and networking knowledge * Experience designing and operating distributed systems at scale * Hands-on experience deploying and managing distributed database platforms * Deep understanding of SQL vs NoSQL databases, ACID principles and CAP theorem * Experience building highly available and fault-tolerant architectures * Strong understanding of CI/CD, automation and DevOps practices * Experience mentoring engineers and providing technical leadership Key Technologies * AWS * Terraform * Linux * Cassandra * Couchbase * ScyllaDB * Kafka * CI/CD Pipelines * Observability & Monitoring Platforms * Distributed Database Technologies Nice to Have * Experience with additional distributed persistence technologies * Background in large-scale cloud-native environments * Experience defining enterprise platform strategy and architecture roadmaps * Strong understanding of messaging and event streaming architectures * Experience leading technical initiatives in complex Matrix organisations This role is ideal for someone who has personally built, deployed and operated distributed database platforms-not simply consumed managed services-and is looking to take ownership of technical direction while remaining hands-on with engineering delivery. If you're a Principal Engineer who thrives on solving complex platform and infrastructure challenges, we'd love to hear from you. ## Description Role: Principal Platform Engineer Location: London, United Kingdom (Hybrid - Minimum 1 Day Per Week in Office) Employment Type: Full-time Salary: £97,480 - £121,850 + 20% Flexible Benefits Package Are you an experienced Principal Engineer with a passion for building and operating large-scale distributed systems and database platforms? We're looking for a hands-on technical leader to help shape the future of our platform engineering capability. This is an opportunity to lead complex engineering initiatives, define technical strategy, and act as a subject matter expert across AWS infrastructure, distributed databases, Terraform and cloud-native platform services. You'll work closely with architects, engineers and senior stakeholders to design resilient, scalable and secure platform solutions while mentoring engineers and driving engineering best practices across the organisation. What You'll Do * Lead the design and engineering of secure, scalable and highly available cloud platforms * Build and manage AWS infrastructure using Infrastructure as Code (Terraform) * Design, deploy and operate distributed systems and persistence platforms * Provide technical leadership and architectural guidance across multiple engineering teams * Define engineering standards, platform roadmaps and best practices * Drive automation, resilience, observability and operational excellence initiatives * Support and mentor engineers through code reviews, coaching and technical leadership * Collaborate with architects and stakeholders to translate business requirements into technical solutions * Deliver highly resilient, secure and performant infrastructure solutions * Act as the technical authority for distributed database and persistence technologies Required Experience * 8+ years' experience in Platform Engineering, Infrastructure Engineering, DevOps, SRE or Software Engineering * Expert-level AWS infrastructure experience * Strong Infrastructure as Code expertise with Terraform * Strong Linux systems administration and networking knowledge * Experience designing and operating distributed systems at scale * Hands-on experience deploying and managing distributed database platforms * Deep understanding of SQL vs NoSQL databases, ACID principles and CAP theorem * Experience building highly available and fault-tolerant architectures * Strong understanding of CI/CD, automation and DevOps practices * Experience mentoring engineers and providing technical leadership Key Technologies * AWS * Terraform * Linux * Cassandra * Couchbase * ScyllaDB * Kafka * CI/CD Pipelines * Observability & Monitoring Platforms * Distributed Database Technologies Nice to Have * Experience with additional distributed persistence technologies * Background in large-scale cloud-native environments * Experience defining enterprise platform strategy and architecture roadmaps * Strong understanding of messaging and event streaming architectures * Experience leading technical initiatives in complex Matrix organisations This role is ideal for someone who has personally built, deployed and operated distributed database platforms-not simply consumed managed services-and is looking to take ownership of technical direction while remaining hands-on with engineering delivery. If you're a Principal Engineer who thrives on solving complex platform and infrastructure challenges, we'd love to hear from you. Reasonable Adjustments: Respect and equality are core values to us. We are proud of the diverse and inclusive community we have built, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and perspectives. Our success is driven by our people, united by the spirit of partnership to deliver the best resourcing solutions for our clients. If you need any help or adjustments during the recruitment process for any reason, please let us know when you apply or talk to the recruiters directly so we can support you. ## Related Videos - [Platform Engineering vs. DevOps Why not both?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/885-platform-engineering-vs-devops-why-not-both) - [From DevOps to Scaled DevOps: How We’re Rebuilding Continuous Delivery as a Platform](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100018-from-devops-to-scaled-devops-how-we-re-rebuilding-continuous-delivery-as-a-platform) - [Docker network without Docker](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1418-docker-network-without-docker) - [Leveraging Real time data in FSIs](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/806-leveraging-real-time-data-in-fsis) - [Tomorrow's cloud data platforms - fully managed database-as-a-service (DBaaS)](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/254-tomorrow-s-cloud-data-platforms-fully-managed-database-as-a-service-dbaas) - [#90DaysOfDevOps - The DevOps Learning Journey](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/548-90daysofdevops-the-devops-learning-journey) ## Related Articles - [How We Built a Worry-Free System That Runs for 10+ Years – And What We’d Do Again](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/751-how-we-built-a-worry-free-system-that-runs-for-10-years-and-what-we-d-do-again) - [Fully Remote Software Engineer Jobs](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/447-fully-remote-software-engineer-jobs) - [Where To Find Software Engineering Jobs](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/396-where-to-find-software-engineering-jobs) - [Find a Developer Job: 12 Best Job Sites For Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/165-find-a-developer-job-12-best-job-sites-for-developers) - [What Are The Top Skills Required For Azure Developers?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/77-what-are-the-top-skills-required-for-azure-developers) - [Is Software Engineering Over-Saturated?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/418-is-software-engineering-over-saturated)