Platform Architect

• Define and maintain the architecture of MAK-SYSTEM’s cloud platforms and managed services, translating business, customer, security, regulatory, and operational requirements into practical technical designs.

• Lead the technical design of new platform capabilities, customer solutions, integrations, migrations, and significant platform changes, ensuring solutions are secure, scalable, resilient, supportable, observable, and cost-effective.

• Produce and maintain architecture diagrams, solution designs, standards, technical roadmaps, implementation guidance, and architectural decisions.

• Work closely with Platform Engineering, Software Engineering, Security, Quality, Product, and Project teams throughout the design and delivery lifecycle.

• Participate directly in engineering delivery, including infrastructure-as-code, automation, platform components, prototypes, and production solutions, taking ownership of engineering work where required.

• Review proposed solutions, identify technical risks and dependencies, and provide practical guidance to engineers on complex design and implementation decisions.

• Interact directly with customers when required to understand technical requirements, explain proposed solutions, present architectural decisions, and support the resolution of technical concerns.

• Support non-functional activities, including performance, capacity, security hardening, observability, resilience, backup, disaster recovery, and significant incident investigations.

• Evaluate new technologies and promote standardisation, reuse, automation, strong engineering practices, and the reduction of technical debt.

• Mentor engineers and act as an enabler for innovation in tools, technologies, processes, and techniques.

This is not a purely architecture position. The Platform Architect will remain actively involved in hands-on engineering and delivery. The balance between architecture, customer engagement, and engineering will vary according to current priorities. During some periods, the role may be focused entirely on hands-on engineering delivery.

Objectives:

• To provide clear and practical architectural direction for MAK-SYSTEM’s cloud platforms and managed services.

• To ensure platform solutions meet business, customer, security, regulatory, and operational requirements.

• To combine architectural leadership with hands-on engineering and delivery.

• To reduce technical risk, unnecessary complexity, duplication, and operational overhead through standardisation and reuse.

• Significant experience designing, building, and operating cloud platforms, preferably using AWS in regulated, business-critical, or highly available environments.

• Strong hands-on platform, cloud, DevOps, SRE, or infrastructure engineering experience, with a willingness to undertake periods of engineering-focused delivery.

• Experience defining solution architectures, technical designs, standards, and technology roadmaps, and leading complex cloud solutions, migrations, integrations, or platform changes.

• Strong experience with infrastructure-as-code, container platforms, CI/CD, configuration management, and automation using technologies such as Terraform, Kubernetes, Helm, Docker, GitHub Actions, Ansible, Python, PowerShell, or Bash.

• Significant experience with container technologies such as Kubernetes and docker (ideally EKS) is a must.

• Strong understanding of cloud networking, Linux/Unix, distributed systems, microservices, identity and access management, security, monitoring, resilience, backup, and disaster recovery.

• Experience with relational database technologies such as Oracle, PostgreSQL, or MySQL, including their availability, performance, backup, and operational requirements.

• Understanding of the complete software and platform lifecycle, including architecture, engineering, testing, deployment, monitoring, maintenance, and support.

• Ability to produce clear architecture diagrams, technical designs, standards, and implementation guidance while balancing long-term architectural direction with practical delivery requirements.

• Excellent analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to evaluate technical options and make clear, evidence-based recommendations.

• Effective communication and collaboration skills, including the ability to work directly with customers, understand their technical requirements, present solutions, and explain complex subjects to technical and non-technical audiences.

• Innovation, Flexibility, and Adaptability - undertake tasks with a positive attitude and respond well to management and customer requests. Must be prepared to meet business goals and respond well to change.

• Fluency in English, both verbal and written, with a bachelor’s degree in a software engineering-related field or equivalent professional experience. Relevant AWS or architecture certifications would be beneficial.