Lead Cloud Platform Engineer Azure - Denholm Associates : Job Details

A leading Financial Services company within it's space, are looking for a Lead Platform Engineer (Azure) to take ownership of the health and development of their cloud platform engineering discipline. In this hands-on role, you will drive the technology strategy, providing thought leadership while supporting and managing a talented team of Platform Engineers.

Purpose of the RoleAs the Lead Platform Engineer, you will play a key role in shaping the infrastructure strategy for high-performance, high-availability applications. You will be responsible for ensuring best practices, standards, and policies are followed, driving continuous improvement and automation. In addition to being accountable for the development and growth of the platform engineering team, you will also contribute directly to the evolution and stability of the cloud platform.

This role would be ideal for someone who has a good level of experience working as an Azure specialist, who can lead and manage a high performing but small Cloud Platform Engineering team, not only operationally (Holidays, sickness, performance management, training & development etc) but create excellence from a technical perspective.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and contribute to the cloud infrastructure strategy and roadmap.
• Ensure the stability, performance, and ongoing improvement of the cloud platform.
• Develop and maintain the cloud platform technology roadmap.
• Lead and manage the Platform Engineers, ensuring professional development and performance management.
• Champion and implement the use of automation, tooling, and best practices to reduce manual tasks (TOIL).
• Work closely with key stakeholders, including Cloud Architecture, Engineering, Operations, and Security teams, as well as third-party vendors.
• Contribute to and guide the design and governance of the cloud platform.
• Ensure cloud infrastructure operates within cost parameters with appropriate monitoring and alerting in place.
• Lead the development of cloud engineering standards and patterns.
• Support the organisation's cloud migration journey by providing the necessary skills and training to the platform engineering team.

Financial Responsibilities

• Contribute to budgeting, forecasting, and financial management of platform engineering capacity, cloud platform operations, and ongoing improvements.

Experience, Knowledge and Qualifications

• Proven expertise with Azure cloud-based infrastructure.
• Strong experience with "Infrastructure as Code" tools such as Terraform/BICEP.
• Extensive knowledge of cloud networking, security, and Azure-specific services (Azure AD, Landing Zones, service principles).
• Hands-on experience with monitoring, alerting tools, and CI/CD practices.
• Line management experience and a proven ability to mentor and grow a team.
• Experience working in an agile/DevOps environment, ideally within financial services or a regulated industry.
• 6+ years of platform engineering experience in Azure environments.

Skills and Competencies

• Leadership: Strong ability to communicate direction and foster a collaborative team environment.
• Operational Excellence: Proven track record in delivering complex cloud programmes.
• Strategic Vision: Ability to align cloud strategy with broader business objectives.
• Commercial Focus: Understanding of key financial drivers and how to balance them with customer needs.
• Risk Awareness: Familiarity with regulatory requirements and best practices to ensure platform security and compliance.

Why Join?This is an exciting opportunity to take a leadership role in a key area of a growing and forward-thinking Financial Services company. You will have the opportunity to shape the future of the cloud platform, lead an expert team, and contribute to meaningful business transformation.

If you are passionate about Azure cloud technologies, driving best practices, and leading high-performing teams, we would love to hear from you!