Platform Engineering Manager

Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER); Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 193,000 - 213,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working arrangements

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) in Melbourne leads the transformation of its cloud platforms and automation, guiding a team of platform engineers to deliver secure and scalable services. This role balances strategy, people leadership and hands-on engineering across CI/CD, IaC, observability and reliability.

You will partner with Product, Software Engineering, Cyber Security and Enterprise Architecture to embed security and drive developer experience, while managing budgets and

Qualifications

• Qualifications in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing Platform Engineering team.
• Establish and maintain a platform engineering strategy and roadmap aligned with organisational priorities.
• Design, build and continuously improve secure, resilient and scalable cloud platforms.
• Lead platform automation initiatives including CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code and environment provisioning.
• Develop and maintain developer enablement services and self-service capabilities.
• Establish platform engineering standards, patterns and best practices.
• Improve observability, monitoring, reliability and operational readiness across platforms.
• Partner with Product and Engineering leaders to improve delivery efficiency and developer experience.
• Work closely with Cyber Security and Enterprise Architecture teams to embed security and compliance controls.
• Manage platform-related budgets, cloud cost optimisation activities and technology partners.

Skills

Cloud platforms

Automation

CI/CD

DevOps

Site Reliability Engineering

Security & compliance

Cost management

Stakeholder engagement

Leadership

Communication

Education

IT / CS / Engineering degree or equivalent

Tools

AWS

Job description

Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) – Camberwell VIC

Lead ACER's cloud platforms, automation and engineering enablement capabilities

About ACER

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) is an independent, international not-for-profit organisation focused on improving learning through world-class research, assessment and digital innovation. With approximately 420 staff across Australia and internationally, ACER delivers high-impact educational solutions at scale.

The Information Technology Division plays a critical role in supporting ACER's strategic objectives through the delivery of secure, scalable and innovative technology solutions. As part of an exciting technology transformation, we are investing in modern engineering practices, cloud platforms and developer enablement capabilities to support our products, services and people.

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Platform Engineering Manager to lead ACER's platform engineering capability.

Reporting to the Chief Digital Technology Officer, this role will provide both technical and people leadership across cloud platforms, automation, CI/CD, developer enablement, observability and reliability engineering. You will lead a team of platform engineers while working closely with Product, Software Engineering, Cyber Security, Enterprise Architecture and Technology Operations teams to build secure, scalable and reliable platforms that support ACER's digital products and business applications.

This is an opportunity for a technically capable leader who enjoys balancing strategy, people leadership and hands-on engineering.

Key Responsibilities

Lead, coach and develop a high-performing Platform Engineering team

Establish and maintain a platform engineering strategy and roadmap aligned with organisational priorities

Design, build and continuously improve secure, resilient and scalable cloud platforms

Lead platform automation initiatives including CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code and environment provisioning

Develop and maintain developer enablement services and self-service capabilities

Establish platform engineering standards, patterns and best practices

Improve observability, monitoring, reliability and operational readiness across platforms

Partner with Product and Engineering leaders to improve delivery efficiency and developer experience

Work closely with Cyber Security and Enterprise Architecture teams to embed security and compliance controls

Manage platform-related budgets, cloud cost optimisation activities and technology partners

What You'll Bring

Qualifications in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience

Extensive experience designing, automating and operating cloud platforms, preferably within AWS environments

Experience leading Platform Engineering, DevOps, Cloud Engineering and/or Site Reliability Engineering teams

Strong knowledge of CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code, containers, automation, observability and platform operations

Experience building secure, scalable and resilient cloud-based solutions

Strong understanding of reliability engineering, incident management and operational best practices

Experience managing cloud costs and implementing practical FinOps approaches

Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills

Demonstrated people leadership, coaching and workforce planning experience

A strong commitment to engineering excellence, continuous improvement and collaboration

This Role is Well Suited to Someone Who

Enjoys leading highly skilled technical teams while remaining hands-on with technology

Has a passion for cloud platforms, automation and developer enablement

Thrives on solving complex engineering and operational challenges

Enjoys influencing engineering practices, standards and ways of working

Can balance strategic thinking with delivery-focused execution

Values continuous improvement, innovation and collaboration

Why Work With Us

Lead a critical capability within ACER's technology transformation

Work with modern cloud, platform engineering and automation technologies

Opportunity to shape engineering practices across the organisation

Collaborative and supportive team environment

Strong focus on professional development and continuous learning

Flexible and hybrid working arrangements

Inclusive, values-driven organisational culture

Salary range is $192,995 - $213,308 plus superannuation. Please note that ACER is currently undertaking enterprise bargaining negotiations, and remuneration arrangements are subject to change.

Applications close Monday, 19 October 2026 at 11:59 PM (AEDT)

ACER is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to actively fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. We are dedicated to attracting, retaining and developing our people regardless of gender identity, cultural and faith background, sexual orientation, disability and/or age. ACER welcomes applications from all sectors of the community.

ACER encourages applications from the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community.

ACER is committed to supporting candidates with disability through provision of adjustments during the recruitment and selection process and throughout employment. To request or discuss adjustment requirements, please contact: P&*@acer.org