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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Principal Platform Engineer - **Company:** Hackajob Ltd - **Location:** Bath, UK - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), Artificial Intelligence, Encodings, Continuous Integration, Python (Programming Language), Machine Learning, Zero Trust Network Access, Datadog, Data Logging, Delivery Pipeline, Agentic-AI, SC Clearance, Kubernetes, Api Design, Terraform - **Published:** October 31, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.apply4u.co.uk/jobs/principal-platform-engineer/54239791 ## About the Role Key skills, experience and behaviours We are looking for a technically deep, strategically capable engineer who brings both hands-on expertise and the ability to shape how an organisation builds and operates its platforms. Skills you'll need: Extensive experience designing, building, and operating engineering platforms at scale. Deep understanding of platform engineering principles, including infrastructure-as-code, CI/CD, system design, service integration, and platform product thinking. Experience designing platforms that support agentic AI workloads, including the infrastructure and integration patterns required for autonomous task execution, tool use, and model orchestration at scale. Proven experience defining API strategies and building integration layers between complex systems. Extensive experience with using systems like Kubernetes, Terraform, and FluxCD in production scenarios. Strong understanding of modular platform design, composable architectures, and long-term platform scalability. Expertise in observability tooling - logging, metrics, and tracing Deep knowledge of secure-by-design and zero-trust principles, with experience applying these at an architectural level. Strong software engineering fundamentals (e.g. Python, Go, or similar) to design and deliver platform tooling and automation. Deep empathy for engineering experience and a strong desire to improve it. Experience providing technical leadership across cross-functional teams, influencing direction and building alignment around shared outcomes. ## Description We're seeking a Principal Platform Engineer to define and lead the engineering platform that underpins how our client develops, deploys, and operates technology. The platform will improve developer experience and make our client's engineering faster, more consistent, more scalable, and more secure. This is a high-impact opportunity to build the engineering foundations of one of the UK's most exciting technology companies. Working closely with Software, Infrastructure, ML, IT, Product, QA, and Security teams, you'll lead the delivery of the platform vision, define its architecture, and raise the standard of engineering practice across the organisation. You'll ensure the platform scales with our client's ambitions and meets the demands of its engineering teams. This is a hands-on role; you will lead by building. This role offers hybrid working with a minimum of 3 days per week on-site at our Bristol HQ. For senior roles, compensation is tailored to the scope of the role and the specific experience a candidate brings. Because that can vary significantly, we do not always publish a fixed salary band. We will, however, discuss compensation openly at the first stage of the process and can share an indicative range before either side invests significant time. Candidates must be eligible for SC Clearance., Key areas of responsibility Working closely with the Head of Platform Engineering, you'll define and deliver robust platform services, establish the patterns for self-service infrastructure, CI/CD, and observability, and drive the integration of AI/ML capabilities across the organisation. You'll translate platform strategy into a coherent technical roadmap, setting standards that teams across our client can build on with confidence. As a Principal Platform Engineer, you will be responsible for: Defining the technical architecture and long-term direction of our client's internal developer platform (IDP). Leading the design and evolution of IDP capabilities, including self-service provisioning and deployment workflows. Defining the platform's approach to agentic AI, establishing the patterns, guardrails, and runtime infrastructure required to deploy and operate AI agents reliably across the organisation. Setting standards for API-first architectures that enable interoperability between systems, services, and external partners. Owning the design and governance of CI/CD pipelines to support consistent, secure, and efficient software delivery across the organisation. Driving the adoption of modular platform capabilities that allow teams to compose and extend functionality at scale. Owning infrastructure-as-code standards and automation practices to ensure repeatability, scalability, and reliability. Embedding security, compliance, and best practices into the platform by design, and ensuring these are sustained as the platform evolves. Defining and maintaining platform standards, patterns, and reusable components that drive consistency across teams. Leading improvements to observability, monitoring, and alerting capabilities across systems and services. Mentoring and developing engineers across the organisation, raising the collective standard of platform engineering practice. Identifying and driving strategic opportunities to improve developer experience, reducing friction and cognitive load at an organisational level.