Innovation Platform Engineer

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer; Manchester; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is seeking an experienced Innovation Platform Engineer to shape and build technology platforms underpinning the firm’s innovation initiatives. The role focuses on designing, engineering and operationalising secure, scalable cloud environments across Azure and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and enabling teams to move quickly from idea to production.

You will collaborate with Innovation, Enterprise Architecture, Security, Infrastructure and Product teams, establishing

Qualifications

• Experience building cloud-native platforms and services.
• Expertise in IaC, automation and platform engineering practices.
• Experience implementing CI/CD pipelines and DevSecOps methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and evolution of the firm’s innovation platform across Azure and GCP.
• Design reusable cloud architectures, landing zones, deployment pipelines and shared engineering services.
• Build secure, scalable and automated cloud environments using IaC and DevSecOps principles.
• Establish engineering standards, guardrails and operational best practices.
• Implement monitoring, observability and support capabilities for innovation services.
• Partner with engineering and operations to transition prototypes to production.
• Develop and optimise CI/CD pipelines across multi-cloud environments.
• Support platform governance, resilience and cost optimisation.
• Design prototypes and PoCs to validate new ideas quickly.
• Document technical designs and decisions.

Skills

Azure & GCP proficiency

CI/CD pipelines

DevSecOps

Infrastructure as Code

Platform engineering

AI engineering platforms

Communication of complex concepts

multi-cloud design

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

GitHub

Azure DevOps

Power Platform

Zapier/Make

Job description

About Freshfields

Freshfields is a global law firm with a long history of helping clients navigate complex challenges. As technology continues to reshape the legal industry, we are investing significantly in innovation, engineering excellence and AI-enabled solutions that enhance how we deliver services to our clients and support our people.

Our Innovation team plays a central role in this journey, bringing together legal expertise, emerging technologies and engineering excellence to create scalable, secure and practical solutions that deliver real business value.

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Innovation Platform Engineer to help shape and build the technology platforms that underpin innovation across the firm.

This is a hands-on engineering role for someone who enjoys solving complex technical challenges, creating reusable platforms and enabling teams to move quickly and safely from idea to production. You will design, engineer and operationalise secure, scalable cloud environments and innovation services across Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform (GCP), supporting a growing portfolio of AI, automation and digital transformation initiatives.

Working closely with Innovation, Enterprise Architecture, Security, Infrastructure and Product teams, you will help establish the engineering standards, cloud patterns and operational approaches that make innovation sustainable at enterprise scale.

From rapid prototyping and proof-of-concept development through to production-ready engineering and operational handover, you will play a key role in turning promising ideas into real-world solutions.

What You’ll Be Doing

Cloud Platform Engineering

• Lead the development and evolution of the firm’s innovation platform across Azure and GCP.

• Design reusable cloud architectures, landing zones, deployment pipelines and shared engineering services.

• Build secure, scalable and automated cloud environments using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and DevSecOps principles.

• Establish engineering standards, technical guardrails and operational best practices.

• Implement monitoring, observability and support capabilities for innovation services.

• Partner with engineering and operational teams to transition successful prototypes into production.

• Develop and optimise CI/CD pipelines across multi-cloud environments.

• Support platform governance, resilience and cost optimisation.

Innovation Delivery & Experimentation

• Design and build prototypes and proof-of-concept solutions to validate new ideas quickly and effectively.

• Work iteratively, incorporating user feedback to improve solutions and accelerate learning.

• Develop reusable templates, automation assets and engineering components.

• Document technical designs, architecture decisions and implementation approaches.

• Help assess and shape solutions progressing through the innovation pipeline.

AI & Emerging Technologies

• Engineer AI-enabled solutions leveraging Azure AI, Vertex AI, large language models and emerging agentic frameworks.

• Evaluate new technologies and assess their practical application within a professional services environment.

• Translate cutting-edge technical capabilities into scalable business solutions.

• Provide technical insight and feasibility assessments for innovation initiatives.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement

• Work closely with Innovation stakeholders to understand business challenges and user needs.

• Partner with Enterprise Architecture, Security, Data and Infrastructure teams to ensure solutions align with firm standards.

• Support testing and adoption activities, rapidly responding to feedback and enhancements.

• Prepare successful solutions for production implementation through documentation, knowledge transfer and operational readiness.

About You

We’re looking for someone who combines deep technical expertise with a pragmatic, delivery-focused mindset.

You will likely bring:

• Strong engineering experience across Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform.

• Experience building and managing cloud-native platforms and services.

• Expertise in Infrastructure as Code, automation and platform engineering practices.

• Experience implementing CI/CD pipelines and DevSecOps methodologies.

• Knowledge of containerisation and orchestration technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes.

• Experience designing secure, API-driven architectures and integrating enterprise security controls.

• Hands-on experience with AI engineering platforms, large language models, orchestration frameworks and AI solution development.

• Familiarity with tools such as GitHub, Azure DevOps and automated deployment pipelines.

• Exposure to Power Platform, Zapier, Make or other low-code/no-code technologies.

In addition, you’ll be someone who:

• Enjoys solving complex problems and experimenting with new technologies.

• Can communicate technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

• Thrives in fast-moving environments where priorities and requirements evolve.

• Balances innovation, speed and experimentation with robust engineering discipline.

• Influences and collaborates effectively across architecture, security, operations and product teams.

Experience within legal services or a professional services environment would be advantageous, but is not essential.

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity to help define how innovation is engineered at one of the world’s leading law firms.

You’ll work on challenging and meaningful initiatives spanning cloud platforms, AI, automation and emerging technologies, while collaborating with talented colleagues across our global business. Most importantly, you’ll have the chance to shape the platforms, standards and capabilities that support the next generation of legal innovation at Freshfields.

Inclusion

Freshfields is an equal opportunities employer and all applications received by the firm will be considered by the firm on the basis of their merit alone and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of background. All offers of employment will be conditional on the candidate having/securing the right to work in the UK and providing the firm with evidence of that right (as required by the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006) prior to employment commencing.

Freshfields is a Ban the Box employer.We ask applicants to disclose criminal convictions only when a conditional job offer is made. A conviction does not automatically lead to withdrawal of the offer: we make decisions on a case by case basis and take a number of factors into account (eg the role you are applying for and the circumstances of the offence).You would have the opportunity to discuss the matter with us before we make a decision.