Platform Engineer
About the job
- Demonstrated proficiency with Infrastructure as Code tooling, preferably Terraform.
- Practical experience designing, operating, and managing Google Cloud Platform and Google Kubernetes Engine environments.
- At least 2 years of hands-on experience designing and managing robust CI/CD platforms.
- At least 2 years of experience using GitHub or an equivalent version control system.
- Enthusiasm for working with AI coding agents and advanced automation tooling.
- Written and verbal communication skills for technical and non-technical audiences.
- Conscientiousness, self-organisation, and ability to coordinate multi-stakeholder projects locally and remotely.
- Design, operate, and continuously optimise the organisation's cloud-based platform for high reliability, scalability, and performance.
- Engineer, plan, and deliver scalable cloud infrastructure upgrades and optimisations using Infrastructure as Code tools.
- Optimise Google Kubernetes Engine and the wider cloud environment to improve efficiency, performance, and system resilience.
- Own monitoring, alerting, and observability frameworks across production and test environments to identify system defects proactively.
- Lead incident response investigations, execute technical resolutions, and implement post-incident fixes to prevent recurrence.
- Build, maintain, and optimise software delivery and CI/CD pipelines to streamline deployment workflows.
- Troubleshoot and resolve complex operational issues for developers and improve developer experience and efficiency.
- Automate manual, repetitive operational tasks to reduce technical debt and improve organisational efficiency.
- Use AI agentic coding tools for incident investigation and operational automation, and extend internal agent capabilities across the engineering department.
- Enforce platform security practices in line with industry standards.
- Promote security awareness and risk mitigation within the engineering team.
- Communicate platform changes, technical concepts, and updates to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Coordinate complex operational projects across local and remote teams.
- Working knowledge of and exposure to the ISO 27001 information security standard.
- Hands-on knowledge of database platforms such as MongoDB and PostgreSQL.
- Deep technical understanding of containerisation technologies.
About the company
The Key Group provides subscription-based education software, data, and services for UK schools and trusts. Its offerings include The Key Leaders—an extensive library of leadership articles, templates, model policies, and curated news—and cloud-native MIS that replaces paper processes and supports governance and data management. It differentiates itself by combining a broad, always-updating information service with scalable MIS and a large network of clients built through acquisitions (Arbor, ScholarPack, RM Integris, RM Finance), reaching about a third of UK schools. Its goal is to support school improvement, reduce staff workload, ensure compliance, and provide timely, data-driven benchmarking and guidance across the UK education sector.
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
London, United Kingdom
Founded
2007
Get referred to The Key Support Services
See people who can refer or advise you
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Arbor became England’s market leader in July 2025 with 38.6% share.
- The Key said Arbor now serves over half of English schools in 2026.
- Discontinuing legacy MIS brands funnels nearly all customers onto Arbor, raising cross-sell opportunities.
What critics are saying
- Bromcom is winning major contracts in Wales and Northern Ireland, compressing Arbor’s growth.
- Integris and ScholarPack shut in February 2026, forcing migrations and customer churn.
- ESS SIMS Next Gen finishes late 2026, restoring a full cloud rival.
What makes The Key Support Services unique
- Arbor, ScholarPack, and Integris consolidate data for over half of English schools.
- The Key Group pairs MIS software with leadership content, HR, finance, and timetabling.
- 2026 launches of SAMpeople, Robin, Habitude, and TimeTabler deepen workflow lock-in.
Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?
Benefits
- Flexible Work Hours
- Parental Leave
- Paid Holidays