Platform Engineer Senior

thoughtworksreferral; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Thoughtworks is seeking a Senior Platform Engineer to design and optimize scalable platform infrastructure, with a focus on developer experience. You will lead CI/CD pipelines, automation, and security practices while guiding teams toward best practices in cloud-native architectures.

You will mentor junior engineers, influence strategic platform decisions, and ensure reliability and cost efficiency across services.

Qualifications

• Experience automating cloud platforms with IaC (Terraform) and GCP serverless features.
• Ability to design secure, compliant, scalable cloud infrastructure.
• Proficient in building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines and automated tests.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and management of scalable platform infrastructure.
• Architect and maintain CI/CD pipelines with automation and fast feedback.
• Ensure high availability, reliability, and performance of the platform.
• Troubleshoot complex platform issues and perform root cause analyses.
• Manage containerized environments with Docker and Kubernetes.
• Champion IaC adoption for scalable resource management.
• Improve DevOps/GitOps practices and mentor engineers.
• Provide technical guidance to junior team members.
• Propose platform optimization balancing cost and performance.

Skills

IaC Terraform

GCP (serverless, networking)

Docker & Kubernetes

CI/CD pipelines

Observability & monitoring

Security monitoring

Java / Python / Go

Automation scripting

Tools

Terraform

Ansible

Chef

Prometheus

Grafana

Datadog

New Relic

Terratest

Job description

As Senior Platform Engineer, you will design, develop, and optimize the platform infrastructure that enables high-scale software delivery. Your primary focus will be on enhancing the Developer Experience by creating and improving tools, systems, and processes. You will collaborate closely with teams, providing technical guidance and fostering best practices in automation, security, and scalability. As a senior engineer, you will take ownership of critical platform components and contribute significantly to strategic decisions, ensuring alignment with both business and technical objectives.

Job responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation, and management of scalable and secure platform infrastructure.
• Architect and maintain CI/CD pipelines, ensuring automation and fast feedback loops.
• Ensure the platform meets high availability, reliability, and performance standards.
• Troubleshoot complex platform issues, perform root cause analysis, and drive corrective actions.
• Manage and optimize containerized environments using Docker, Kubernetes, and orchestration tools.
• Drive adoption of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) for scalable resource management.
• Lead initiatives to improve DevOps and GitOps practices across the organization.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior engineers and team members.
• Propose and execute platform optimization strategies, balancing cost and performance.

Job qualifications

Technical Skills

• Architect and automate cloud platforms using Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Leverage deep GCP expertise (including serverless and advanced networking), write and manage production-grade Terraform configurations, and automate configuration management using Ansible or Chef.
• Secure cloud environments and implement active security monitoring: Design resilient, compliant, and scalable infrastructure while embedding security monitoring and proactive threat detection into the platform.
• Drive platform observability, monitoring, and alerting: Design and maintain proactive telemetry and alerting systems using tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, Datadog, or New Relic to maintain system health and fast incident response.
• Build robust CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure test automation: Implement DevOps and GitOps practices while creating automated test suites (e.g., Terratest, Kitchen, InSpec) across every stage of the deployment pipeline.
• Manage and support data infrastructure and operations: Maintain high-throughput data pipelines, cloud storage solutions, and NoSQL databases to ensure data availability, performance, and integrity.
• Deploy and scale containerized, cloud-native architectures: Lead containerization efforts using Docker and Kubernetes, and support microservices architectures communicating through RESTful APIs.
• Write high-quality software and automation scripts: Apply advanced programming practices using languages such as Java, Python, Go, or Bash to build tools, automate operational tasks, and integrate platform services.
• Optimize platform reliability, performance, and efficiency: Conduct continuous performance tuning, engineer platforms for horizontal scaling, and implement cloud cost-optimization strategies.

Professional Skills

• Exceptional communication skills, capable of influencing technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Proven leadership and mentoring abilities within cross-functional teams.
• Strong problem-solving skills with a focus on innovative and sustainable solutions.
• Ability to take strategic ownership and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Proficiency in presenting technical recommendations with well-reasoned arguments.

Other things to know

Learning & Development

There is no one-size-fits-all career path at Thoughtworks: however you want to develop your career is entirely up to you. But we also balance autonomy with the strength of our cultivation culture. This means your career is supported by interactive tools, numerous development programs and teammates who want to help you grow. We see value in helping each other be our best and that extends to empowering our employees in their career journeys.

EEO

Thoughtworks is an equal-opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind and are dedicated to providing a work environment free from discrimination and harassment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, stermination, layoff,