Forward Deployed Engineer - Lead Platform Engineer

Kyndryl; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Your Role: As a Forward Deployed Lead / Principal Engineer (Band 9) with Platform Engineering focus, you own architectural direction and delivery for major digital transformations, aligning target-state cloud architectures across Azure, GCP, and AWS. You guide the team’s technical direction while collaborating closely with AI engineers on complex engagements.

You will design and operate secure, scalable platforms; establish Kubernetes-based landing zones with GitOps (ArgoCD); and champion IaC

Qualifications

• 8–10+ years in enterprise or platform architecture, leading client-facing platform transformations.
• Deep, hands-on expertise across Azure, GCP, and AWS (landing zones, networking, IAM, cost and governance controls).
• Strong command of Kubernetes, GitOps delivery (ArgoCD), and Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Helm).
• Hands-on experience implementing security end-to-end: CI/CD tooling, Kubernetes namespace segmentation and managed identities, and secure access in landing zones and the hyperscaler.
• Hands-on experience with SSL/TLS certificate management, DNS zone administration, and secure network access to endpoints.
• Hands-on experience with CI/CD pipelines, Git-based workflows, and microservices/API architectures.
• Experience with generative AI platforms: LLM hosting, LLM gateways, and MLOps/LLMOps practices for deploying and monitoring AI systems in production.
• Strong stakeholder communication, translating architecture into business outcomes for senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Design and build target-state cloud platforms across Azure, GCP, and AWS.
• Establish enterprise container platforms (Kubernetes) and GitOps-based delivery (ArgoCD).
• Build self-service developer frameworks and landing zones, hands-on with Terraform and Helm.
• Architect platforms that host and serve generative AI systems (LLM hosting, LLM gateways, agentic workflows).
• Guide legacy application modernisation, microservices migrations, and API integrations.
• Implement security end-to-end across the platform: security tooling built into CI/CD pipelines, namespace segmentation and managed identities in Kubernetes, and secure access controls in landing zones and the hyperscaler.
• Own connectivity and network-level security: SSL/TLS certificate lifecycle management, DNS zone management, and secure network access to endpoints.
• Define architectural standards and guardrails, with security as a first-class concern (policy-as-code / OPA, access controls, secrets management, compliance-driven engineering).

Skills

Enterprise architecture

Azure/GCP/AWS

Kubernetes

GitOps (ArgoCD)

Terraform

Helm

CI/CD security

LLM hosting / GenAI

Stakeholder communication

Tools

ArgoCD

Terraform

Helm

Kubernetes

Job description

Your Role As a Forward Deployed Lead / Principal Engineer (FDE) with a Platform Engineering focus (Band 9), you own architectural direction and delivery for major digital transformation programmes, including the platforms that power generative AI and agentic systems. You align enterprise goals with target-state cloud architectures, guide the team’s technical direction while staying close to the work, and partner closely with the AI engineers on the team.

You combine deep expertise in cloud platforms and enterprise architecture with strong consulting acumen. You establish architectural governance, champion Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and automation, and act as a go-to technical reference on complex engagements.

What You Will Do

• Design and build target-state cloud platforms across Azure, GCP, and AWS
• Establish enterprise container platforms (Kubernetes) and GitOps-based delivery (ArgoCD)
• Build self-service developer frameworks and landing zones, hands-on with Terraform and Helm
• Architect platforms that host and serve generative AI systems (LLM hosting, LLM gateways, agentic workflows)
• Guide legacy application modernisation, microservices migrations, and API integrations
• Implement security end-to-end across the platform: security tooling built into CI/CD pipelines, namespace segmentation and managed identities in Kubernetes, and secure access controls in landing zones and the hyperscaler
• Own connectivity and network-level security: SSL/TLS certificate lifecycle management, DNS zone management, and secure network access to endpoints
• Define architectural standards and guardrails, with security as a first-class concern (policy-as-code / OPA, access controls, secrets management, compliance-driven engineering)

Becoming a Lead Platform Engineerat Kyndryl is an excellent gateway to many different paths. You’ll be creating a well-rounded skillset while gaining professional certifications and qualifications.You can evolve horizontally into other technical or non-technical areas such as Technical Service Architect, or you can move vertically to become a Senior Project Manager or program manager. There are many different types and flavors of project manager roles, so everyone can find the opportunity that suits them best.

Who You Are

You’re good at what you do and possess the required experience to prove it. However, equally as important – you have a growth mindset; keen to drive your own personal and professional development. You are customer-focused – someone who prioritizes customer success in their work. And finally, you’re open and borderless – naturally inclusive in how you work with others.

Required Skills and Experience

• 8–10+ years in enterprise or platform architecture, leading client-facing platform transformations
• Deep, hands-on expertise across Azure, GCP, and AWS (landing zones, networking, IAM, cost and governance controls)
• Strong command of Kubernetes, GitOps delivery (ArgoCD), and Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Helm)
• Hands-on experience implementing security end-to-end: CI/CD security tooling, Kubernetes namespace segmentation and managed identities, and secure access in landing zones and the hyperscaler
• Hands-on experience with SSL/TLS certificate management, DNS zone administration, and secure network access to endpoints
• Hands-on experience with CI/CD pipelines, Git-based workflows, and microservices/API architectures
• Experience with generative AI platforms: LLM hosting, LLM gateways (e.g. LiteLLM, Portkey, Kong AI Gateway), and MLOps/LLMOps practices for deploying and monitoring AI systems in production
• Strong stakeholder communication, translating architecture into business outcomes for senior stakeholders

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Familiarity with agentic AI frameworks (LangGraph, CrewAI, AutoGen, Semantic Kernel) and their production deployment
• Understanding of LLM governance: data privacy, guardrails, and responsible-use controls
• Track record defining and enforcing architectural governance, security standards, and risk frameworks