Senior Platform Engineer

parkrun Global Limited; Leeds; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A global sports organization seeks a Platform Engineer to influence the development of digital products affecting millions globally. You will implement DevOps best practices while improving infrastructure and security standards. The ideal candidate has a strong background in backend management, familiarity with CI/CD, and experience in cloud environments. With a salary range of £55,000 - £60,000, this full-time position offers an opportunity to make a positive health impact through technology.

Qualifications

• Strong background in backend design and management: RESTful APIs, authentication/authorization standards.
• Experience implementing DevOps best practices and CI/CD pipelines.
• Proficiency in Agile methodologies and adaptable in a growing environment.

Responsibilities

• Establish solid DevOps patterns across the technical infrastructure.
• Support transformation of software practices and standards.
• Act as a technical advocate for the business.

Skills

DevOps capabilities

Cloud security management

Backend design

Observability practices

AWS services knowledge

Git version control

Problem Solving

Adaptability

Communication

Teamwork

Education

Degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Terraform

AWS

CloudFormation

Job description

Overview

Organisation parkrun Global Limited Salary £55,000 - £60,000 Location Richmond or Leeds Contract type Permanent (Full time) Closing date 9 January 2026

Brief role description: As a platform engineer, you will play a pivotal role in shaping digital products and systems that serve millions of parkrun participants and volunteers globally, every week. Your leadership, expertise, and commitment will directly impact our ability to make the world a healthy, happier place.

Main Responsibilities

• Establish solid DevOps patterns across parkrun's technical infrastructure.
• Ensure InfoSec best practices are adhered to and implement regular security scans.
• Maintain backup strategy and implementation.
• Support the delivery of the transformation of parkrun software practices and standards.
• Provide innovative technical solutions to support all aspects of business need.
• Assist the technical team in the maintenance of infrastructure and systems, including incident management.
• Act as a technical advocate, guiding the business on the right technical solutions both in the short term and focusing on long‑term architectural best practice.
• Document ongoing and thorough process and technical standards.
• Participate in out‑of‑hours rota support alongside the rest of the parkrun technical team.

Essential Experience Requirements

• Solid DevOps capabilities: CI/CD pipelines, testing, infrastructure‑as‑code (Terraform / CloudFormation / AWS CDK), containerisation (Docker), orchestration (ECS / Kubernetes).
• Cloud security management and penetration test management.
• Experience implementing DevOps best practices at a foundation level as well as at scale.
• Strong background in backend design and management: RESTful APIs, authentication / authorisation standards, API reliability / performance best practices.
• Observability practices: logging, metrics, distributed tracing and robust monitoring, alerting, incident response.
• Knowledge of AWS services and best practices. Deploy solutions at scale with flexibility to react to planned and unexpected loads.
• Strong Git version control and ability to quickly familiarise oneself with new technologies.
• Background in backend and full stack engineering at an operational level in previous roles.

Desirable Experience Requirements

• Highly proficient in Agile methodologies.
• Experience delivering accessible, localised solutions for a global audience.
• Proficiency in SQL and NoSQL databases.
• Experience in data‑based transformations.
• Demonstrable knowledge of working effectively with product managers and user‑driven development methodologies.
• Experience working in the charity or sports sector and managing competing priorities with limited resources.
• Experience of load testing frameworks.

Professional Certification Requirements

• Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field.
• Relevant certifications such as AWS / Azure / GCP Cloud Certifications, Kubernetes (CKA / CKAD), Data Engineering certifications (optional but beneficial).

Most Relevant Skills

• Adaptability: Able to easily adjust to changing circumstances and a growing organisation.
• Attention to Detail: Meticulous with a sharp eye for detail and accuracy.
• Communication: Able to convey and share ideas, concisely and accurately, both verbally and in writing.
• Initiative: Able to be proactive, take initiative and take steps to improve working methods, seeking support where necessary.
• Priority Management: Able to manage competing priorities with resilience and thrive in a fast‑paced environment.
• Problem Solving: Able to detect problems, recognise important information and link various data; to trace potential causes and look for relevant details.
• Teamwork: Able to work well with others in multiple situations to achieve a shared goal.
• Able to use various IT systems and tools, such as Google Workspace.
• Demonstrates high levels of discretion and confidentiality.
• Demonstrates a growth mindset, desiring to improve and learn new skills.