Staff Engineer – Platform Engineering

Jobtailor; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor seeks an experienced Platform Engineer to lead the data platform infrastructure strategy in Chicago. You will design and implement scalable architectures, guide cross-functional teams, and drive CI/CD practices across on-prem and AWS cloud resources.

You will mentor junior engineers, shape technical direction, and ensure security, reliability, and data integrity as part of broader technology strategy. A strong founder mindset and collaboration are valued.

Qualifications

• Education or experience typically obtained through completion of a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Systems, or related fields or equivalent professional experience.
• Minimum 8 or more years of related industry experience.
• Strong understanding of CI/CD engineering practices.
• Strong experience with on-premise and AWS Cloud infrastructure.
• Strong experience with Container and Container Orchestration. (Docker, Podman, Kubernetes)
• Strong experience with CI/CD Pipelines and Code Management Platforms. (Harness, GitLab, Artifactory)
• Proficient in Infrastructure as Code (IaC) development. (Terraform, AWS CloudFormation)
• Experience with a major programming/scripting language. (Python, Java, JavaScript, Shell)
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail and the ability to work in a collaborative environment.
• Able to make critical technical tradeoff decisions that have cross team impact.
• Background and drug screen.

Responsibilities

• Develops a data platform infrastructure strategy that tackles large, open-ended problems using forward-thinking approaches.
• Contributes to the strategic direction of the Platform Engineering team.
• Creates technical strategy for broad or complex requirements with forward-looking approaches that go beyond the Platform Engineering team and solve large open-ended problems.
• Leads all aspects of technical architecture, design, prototyping and implementation in support of both Platform Engineering needs, as well as overall technology strategy.
• Provides leadership and technical expertise in support of building a technical plan; provides follow through on execution.
• Builds cross-functional relationships with peers and internally within the Platform Engineering team.
• Takes part in high visibility technical projects from inception to implementation.
• Stays current with industry trends and innovations through continuing education in Platform Engineering utilizing company provided training.
• Mentors junior team members with guidance around techniques, tools, and best practices.
• Supports the company’s commitment to risk management and protecting the integrity and confidentiality of systems and data.

Skills

CI/CD Engineering Practices

AWS Cloud Infrastructure

Container Orchestration

Infrastructure as Code

Programming/Scripting Languages

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Terraform

AWS CloudFormation

GitLab

Harness

Artifactory

Job description

Responsibilities

• Develops a data platform infrastructure strategy that tackles large, open-ended problems using forward-thinking approaches.


• Contributes to the strategic direction of the Platform Engineering team.


• Creates technical strategy for broad or complex requirements with forward-looking approaches that go beyond the Platform Engineering team and solve large open-ended problems.


• Leads all aspects of technical architecture, design, prototyping and implementation in support of both Platform Engineering needs, as well as overall technology strategy.


• Provides leadership and technical expertise in support of building a technical plan; provides follow through on execution.


• Builds cross-functional relationships with peers and internally within the Platform Engineering team.


• Takes part in high visibility technical projects from inception to implementation.


• Stays current with industry trends and innovations through continuing education in Platform Engineering utilizing company provided training.


• Mentors junior team members with guidance around techniques, tools, and best practices.


• Supports the company’s commitment to risk management and protecting the integrity and confidentiality of systems and data.

Requirements

• Education or experience typically obtained through completion of a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Systems, or related fields or equivalent professional experience.


• Minimum 8 or more years of related industry experience.


• Strong understanding of CI/CD engineering practices.


• Strong experience with on-premise and AWS Cloud infrastructure.


• Strong experience with Container and Container Orchestration. (Docker, Podman, Kubernetes)


• Strong experience with CI/CD Pipelines and Code Management Platforms. (Harness, GitLab, Artifactory)


• Proficient in Infrastructure as Code (IaC) development. (Terraform, AWS CloudFormation)


• Experience with a major programming/scripting language. (Python, Java, JavaScript, Shell)


• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.


• Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail and the ability to work in a collaborative environment.


• Able to make critical technical tradeoff decisions that have cross team impact.


• Background and drug screen.

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in developing data platform infrastructure strategies and technical architecture, with a strong focus on CI/CD engineering practices, AWS Cloud infrastructure, and Infrastructure as Code. Proven ability to lead technical projects, mentor team members, and foster cross-functional relationships while ensuring risk management and data integrity.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• CI/CD Engineering Practices


• AWS Cloud Infrastructure


• Container Orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes)


• Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, AWS CloudFormation)


• Programming/Scripting Languages (Python, Java, JavaScript)

ATS Optimization Keywords

Hard Skills

• CI/CD Engineering Practices


• AWS Cloud Infrastructure


• Container Orchestration


• Infrastructure as Code (IaC)


• Programming/Scripting Languages


• Technical Architecture


• Prototyping


• Technical Strategy Development


• Code Management Platforms


• Problem-Solving

Soft Skills

• Excellent Communication Skills


• Attention to Detail


• Collaborative Environment


• Mentoring


• Leadership

Industry Keywords

• Data Platform Infrastructure


• Platform Engineering


• Risk Management


• Technical Tradeoff Decisions


• Cross-Functional Relationships

Tools & Technologies

• Docker


• Kubernetes


• Terraform


• AWS CloudFormation


• GitLab


• Harness


• Artifactory