Platform engineering is a term you may have started to hear within software circles. It’s the process of designing internal developer platforms, toolchains and workflows, then building them. A platform engineer’s job is to facilitate self service capabilities in software engineering organisations. It’s a discipline that has only recently emerged, but has done so as […]
Platform engineering is a term you may have started to hear within software circles. It’s the process of designing internal developer platforms, toolchains and workflows, then building them. A platform engineer’s job is to facilitate self service capabilities in software engineering organisations.
It’s a discipline that has only recently emerged, but has done so as a much-needed response to the complexities presented by modern cloud-native architectures. From the context, there’s a good chance you’re beginning to understand something about this emerging approach, but what is this role and could it be suitable for your skillset?
This is a very popular IT job role for employers at the moment, but one that may often be hard to fill because it requires a high level of technical knowledge and experience. This can be difficult to find in an area continuing to struggle with a skills shortage.
Therefore, individuals who do possess these qualities may find now is the perfect time to look for a new job as a platform engineer in a security cleared role.
Browse our range of security cleared platform engineer jobs today to find one that’s right for you.
Platform engineering is an area that’s boomed in popularity over the last few years as trends such as cloud, automation and continuous development drive many software projects. As a result, people with the skills to enable these technologies and processes will be in high demand.
The reason platform engineers are so highly sought after is their ability to accelerate the delivery of applications. This enables organisations to see the production of business value at a much quicker pace, reaping the benefits of their investment sooner. By automating specific infrastructure operations, developer productivity can be greatly increased.
As end-users tend to be non-experts, platform engineering has emerged to reduce the friction between them and the backend services they rely on. Modern software architectures are now more complicated than ever, with the gap between developers and operators growing. Forward-thinking companies are already starting to bridge that gap with platform engineers.
Specific duties carried out by platform engineers include:
Organisations looking to hire platform engineers are expecting to meet specific goals. A successful incumbent of the role will keep these aims in mind when interviewing for the job and while carrying out their day-to-day responsibilities.
Platform engineering goals are likely to include:
While platform engineering and DevOps are related, the two disciplines aren’t the same. Platform engineers emerged as a role from the need to have a position that was similar to a DevOps engineer but more focused on the product.
Such a distinction means the job of a platform engineer is to optimise the essential infrastructure, ensuring development processes are both efficient and secure. On the other hand, DevOps uses tools to connect development and operations, promoting a culture of symbiotic integration and delivery.
If this product mindset is something you can relate to, then choosing a platform engineering career path over DevOps could be the right direction for you.
In order to be successful when applying for these roles, you’ll need to demonstrate a wide range of skills and experience. Many job descriptions will ask for a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a relevant technical field, such as computer science, software engineering or information technology.
Although a higher level of education may be beneficial, it’s often not a requirement. A 2023 platform engineering survey reported that just over half of platform engineers have a bachelor’s degree, while a little under a third have a master’s degree.
Hand-on experience in areas such as cloud technologies and automation tools is one of the most important credentials to have when going into the platform engineer jobs market. A lot of this can be gained through working in other areas of tech, such as DevOps. It’s then worth taking some relevant certifications to demonstrate you know how to apply these learnings to platform engineering. Some courses to consider are:
Platform engineering roles are also some of the most sensitive areas of an IT team. Professionals will be expected to work with highly confidential data and be responsible for building critical systems.
As such, being able to demonstrate a high level of personal integrity is also vital when applying for these jobs, especially if you’re looking for a role in sectors such as government, defence, communications or aerospace, where you will need to obtain a security clearance.
Many platform engineer jobs will require a wide range of skills across software development, coding, data science, cloud and hardware. It’s a very technical role, so a strong understanding of IT infrastructure will be essential to success. A good knowledge of at least some of the following will be highly beneficial:
In addition to these hard skills, ‘soft skills’ such as verbal and written communication are essential for success in these roles. Platform engineers will be required to work closely with professionals from other teams such as software engineers and data scientists, as well as draft clear workflows for projects.
Because of the importance of their role, platform engineers are often among the UK’s most highly-paid IT workers. Exact figures will vary depending on specific responsibilities, the skills you’ve developed and the level of experience you have. Changing your location to areas with a deficit in platform engineers or where there’s particularly high demand could also increase your pay packet.
Typical salaries for platform engineers are in the range of £60,000 to £70,000. Even entry-level roles in this field can see starting salaries of between £45,000 and £50,000, while a senior platform engineer can expect to see annual pay upwards of £80,000.
Browse our range of security cleared platform engineer jobs today to find one that’s right for you.
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