Staff Software Engineer - Platform Strategy for Expansion

Burns Sheehan; Greater London; On-site; GBP 144,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

A high-growth payments business in London is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to lead technical strategy in their platform organization. This senior role involves shaping the technical direction of infrastructure while balancing hands-on coding and design tasks. Ideal candidates will have a strong background in AWS or GCP, Kubernetes, and demonstrated leadership within fast-paced engineering environments. This is an exceptional opportunity to influence the platform that handles millions of transactions daily.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Flexible working hours

Benefits package

Qualifications

• Proven experience operating at Staff level or above in a fast-paced engineering organization.
• Deep knowledge of Kubernetes, with the ability to build operators.
• Demonstrated leadership across multiple squads and technical roadmaps.

Responsibilities

• Shape the long-term technical direction of platform infrastructure.
• Lead cross-squad initiatives to solve complex challenges.
• Promote best practices in reliability, observability, and scalability.

Skills

Golang

AWS

GCP

Kubernetes

Distributed Systems

Leadership

Cloud-native technologies

Job description

Staff Software Engineer - Platform - Own the strategy to support massive expansion

Up to £170,000 plus benefits
London Office - 4 days a week

Golang, AWS/GCP, Kubernetes, Distributed Systems

Staff Software Engineer - We're working with a high‑growth payments business that has disrupted the market to become a major player in Europe. With over 150,000 customers and billions processed annually, they are scaling rapidly – and now looking for an experienced Staff Software Engineer to join their Platform organisation.

This is a senior technical leadership role, ideal for someone who enjoys working across multiple squads, setting technical strategy, and driving clarity in ambiguous problem spaces. The client is looking for an established Staff‑level Software Engineer with both hands‑on engineering expertise and the ability to influence at scale across an organisation.

The Opportunity

• Shape the long‑term technical direction of platform infrastructure.
• Lead cross‑squad initiatives and empower teams to solve complex challenges.
• Drive innovation around cloud‑native technologies and platform automation.
• Balance strategic vision with ~30% hands Hurt coding and design work.
• Promote best practice in reliability, observability, and scalability.

The Ideal Staff Software Engineer

• Proven experience operating at Staff+ level within a fast‑paced engineering organisation.
• Strong background in cloud platforms (AWS or GCP) and deep knowledge of Kubernetes – ideally including the ability to build operators.
• Demonstrated leadership across multiple squads and technical roadmaps.
• Expertise in operational excellence: observability, reliability, automation. Mrs.DisplayName

This is an outstanding opportunity for a Staff Software Engineer to join a rapidly scaling company where you'll play a pivotal role in shaping the technical foundations of a platform that supports millions of transactions every day. Please reply with your CV or call Simon for a chat.

Burns Sheehan Ltd will consider applications based only on skills and ability and will not discriminate on any grounds.