Principal Infrastructure Engineer

Pulse Recruit; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment firm is seeking a Principal CloudOps & Infrastructure leader to drive strategic cloud direction in a large enterprise environment. This role involves defining GCP and AWS strategies, leading data center exits, and improving governance and IAM controls. Candidates should have a solid background in cloud modernization and migration, along with strong networking insights. This strategic position operates at the enterprise influence level and reports directly to senior leadership.

Qualifications

• Proven background in cloud modernisation and migrations.
• Strong understanding of hybrid networking environments.
• Experience in defining and implementing governance frameworks.
• Kubernetes in production environments.

Responsibilities

• Define long-term cloud strategy for GCP and AWS.
• Lead the final phase of data center exit.
• Improve governance, IAM and security controls.
• Raise observability and platform standards.
• Guide senior engineers across cloud and infrastructure.
• Influence product teams on best practice cloud adoption.
• Align cloud strategy with wider business objectives.

Skills

Cloud modernisation and migration background

Strong understanding of networking

Experience defining governance and IAM frameworks

Kubernetes experience in production

Ability to articulate and sell technical vision

Kubernetes production

Tools

GitHub

Argo CD

Flux

Terraform

Kubernetes

Job description

Location: London, Bristol or Glasgow - 1 day a week

We’re hiring a Principal CloudOps & Infrastructure leader to shape the future of a large, GCP-first enterprise environment undergoing significant transformation.

This is not a hands‑on DevOps role.

This is a strategic technical leadership position, responsible for defining cloud and infrastructure direction across CloudOps, networking and platform teams.

The business is in the final stages of exiting data centres, consolidating around GCP, and raising governance, IAM and observability maturity. They need someone who has done this before and can do it properly.

You will

• Define long‑term GCP and AWS strategy
• Lead the final phase of data centre exit
• Improve governance, IAM and security controls
• Raise observability and platform standards
• Guide senior engineers across cloud and infrastructure
• Influence product teams on best practice cloud adoption
• Align cloud strategy with wider business objectives

This role operates at the enterprise influence level and reports directly to senior leadership.

The Environment

• Azure is being phased out
• Kubernetes at scale
• GitHub, Argo CD, Flux, Terraform
• Traditional networking, routers, firewalls and hybrid infrastructure

They are not looking for a cloud purist.

They want someone who understands both cloud and traditional infrastructure, who can support teams across both worlds and bring them forward together.

What We’re Looking For

• Proven cloud modernisation and migration background
• Strong understanding of networking and hybrid environments
• Experience defining governance and IAM frameworks
• Kubernetes experience in production
• Track record influencing senior stakeholders
• Ability to articulate and sell a technical vision internally