Platform Manager

Wren Kitchens Limited; Barton-upon-Humber; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Wren Kitchens Limited is seeking a Platform Manager to lead the DevOps Engineering and Database Administration teams. You will own the cloud infrastructure, databases and deployment platforms that keep Wren's core systems running, and drive automation for rapid, reliable delivery.

Responsibilities include defining platform strategy, owning AWS infrastructure and Kubernetes platforms, ensuring MySQL performance, and managing CI/CD pipelines with Datadog monitoring and strong security posture.

Qualifications

• 5+ years AWS in production, including running business-critical systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead DevOps Engineering and Database Administration teams with line management and career development.

Skills

DevOps leadership

AWS production

Kubernetes (EKS)

MySQL operations

Infrastructure as code

CI/CD tooling

Incident management

Linux background

Technical communication

Tools

Terraform

Ansible

Jenkins

GitLab

Datadog

Redis

Elasticsearch

Job description

About The Role

Wren, a leading name in the kitchen and bedroom industry, runs an extensive retail operation underpinned by a large portfolio of bespoke in-house applications and services.

We are seeking a Platform Manager to lead our DevOps Engineering and Database Administration teams. You will own the cloud infrastructure, databases and deployment platforms that keep Wren's core systems running, and drive the automation that lets engineering teams deliver quickly and reliably.

Main Responsibilities:

• Lead, manage and develop the DevOps Engineering and Database Administration teams, including line management, objectives, performance reviews and career development. Make sure knowledge is shared so the platform does not rely on any one person.
• Set the platform strategy and roadmap with senior leadership, aligned to business goals.
• Own Wren's AWS infrastructure and Kubernetes platforms, keeping them scalable, secure, resilient and cost-effective.
• Ensure the performance, availability and security of the MySQL database estate that underpins Wren's bespoke applications.
• Drive automation of database and operational tasks, bringing DevOps and Database Administration closer together and building the team's skills to run it.
• Own the CI/CD pipelines and deployment platforms used by engineering teams.
• Maintain end-to-end monitoring with Datadog, and set and track service levels for availability and performance.
• Own incident and problem management, root cause analysis and disaster recovery testing.
• Keep systems secure through patching, vulnerability management and access control, working with IT Security, and support compliance with the regulations that apply in each market Wren operates in.
• Own planning, delivery and budget for the platform, including cloud costs and suppliers, balancing day-to-day work with projects.

You must comply with all Health & Safety policies, procedures, and responsibilities outlined within the Integrated Management System

About You

• Experience leading and line managing DevOps, infrastructure or database teams.
• 5+ years working with AWS in production, including running business - critical systems.
• Hands-on experience with Kubernetes, ideally Amazon EKS.
• Good understanding of MySQL operations, ideally on Amazon RDS, including availability, backup and performance tuning.
• Experience with infrastructure as code and CI/CD tooling, such as Terraform, Ansible, Jenkins or GitLab.
• Experience running incident management and on-call arrangements.
• Strong Linux background.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain technical topics to non-technical audiences, including senior leaders.

Desirable but not essential Skills:

• AWS certification at Associate level or above.
• Experience with Datadog.
• Experience with Redis or Elasticsearch.
• Scripting experience in Bash or Python.
• Experience supporting bespoke applications built in PHP, Python or JavaScript.
• Experience of Agile delivery using Jira

About The Company

At Wren we’re passionate about all things kitchens, and now bedrooms too! We are the largest kitchen retailer in the UK. We’re a business that simply doesn’t stand still!