Principal Platform Engineer

Leonardo UK Ltd; Whitehall; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 71,000; Full time

Job description

Job Description: Salary Range: £60,000 - £71,400 Leonardo UK operates a grade-based salary framework with broad bands. The salary range shown reflects the approved grade band for this role, or a narrower hiring range published within that band, and is benchmarked against the external market. Exceptions above the standard range are managed through governance controls to protect internal equity. Your Impact Leonardo is looking for a 3rd Line Platform Engineer to join our collaborative and skilled team supporting a critical MOD site. This is an exciting opportunity to serve as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in Windows-based enterprise infrastructures. You'll play a central role in the design, deployment, and support of high-security systems that underpin key defence and aerospace operations. This role is based full-time on site in London and requires DV clearance.

What you will do as a Principal Platform Engineer:

• Take ownership of complex technical issues through to resolution, collaborating with users and other IT teams.
• Provide expert-level troubleshooting for incidents escalated from 1st and 2nd line support, ensuring consistent and minimal disruption to services.
• Deploy and integrate secure Windows Server environments (Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP) using industry best practices.
• Implement and maintain infrastructure security measures such as patching, access controls, and hardening to align with compliance and internal governance.
• Use monitoring tools to proactively optimize system performance and ensure high availability.
• Create and maintain detailed technical documentation and contribute to internal knowledge sharing and mentoring.
• Participate in IT projects, ensuring infrastructure design meets both technical and business objectives.
• Collaborate closely with network, security, and application teams to deliver reliable, secure IT services.

What you’ll bring:

• Proficiency in Ivanti Application & Device Control or similar lockdown tools.
• Experience working with high-security MOD systems and secure design principles.
• Familiarity with security and compliance documentation (e.g. RMADS, SyOPs, NIST frameworks).
• Core Technologies Microsoft: Windows Server 2019/2022/2025 Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP Exchange Server 2019, SQL Server, SharePoint 2019
• VMware: VMware Cloud Foundation vSphere, ESXi, NSXT, and vSAN
• Endpoint & Configuration: Windows 10 & 11 Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (MECM)
• Monitoring & Observability: Microsoft System Centre Operations Manager (SCOM)
• PKI Technologies: Microsoft Certificate Services, Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), and lifecycle key management

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit: https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting.

Why join us

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work–life balance. Whether you're looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• Time to Recharge: Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your Future: Benefit from our award-winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters: Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee-led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• Rewarding Performance: All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning: Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend: Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks: Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working: Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role. For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website.

Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety. At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers.

If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Primary Location: GB - London - Whitehall Contract Type: Permanent Hybrid Working: Onsite International, multicultural, innovative, technological: this is Leonardo. The company’s passionate and talented team is strongly influenced by STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) expertise, with a diverse range of experience that enables colleagues to share knowledge and know‑how across the generations. Leonardo always wants to expand its talent pool, here you can find the right opportunity for you!