Job description

Staff Platform Engineer Role Overview We are seeking a Staff Platform Engineer to lead the design, evolution, and adoption of our internal platform ecosystem. This role combines deep technical expertise with strategic leadership to build secure, scalable, and developer-centric cloud platforms. As a senior technical leader, you will define platform architecture, establish engineering standards, and enable product teams through a world-class Internal Developer Platform (IDP). You will work across teams to improve developer experience, system reliability, security posture, and cloud networking foundations while driving innovation in cloud-native and AI-enabled engineering practices. Key Responsibilities Platform Architecture & Strategy • Define and evolve the target architecture for cloud-native platforms on AWS • Architect and govern AWS network topology, including multi-account and multi-region designs • Design scalable, resilient systems leveraging Kubernetes, serverless, and event-driven architectures • Establish and maintain platform standards, patterns, and “golden paths” for engineering teams • Drive adoption of the Internal Developer Platform (IDP) across the organization Cloud Networking & Infrastructure • Design and implement secure, scalable AWS network architectures (VPCs, subnets, routing, NAT, load balancing) • Define connectivity patterns including Transit Gateway, API gateway, VPC peering, and PrivateLink • Architect hybrid connectivity solutions (VPN, Direct Connect) and private service access • Establish network segmentation and zero-trust principles across environments • Implement and enforce network security controls (security groups, NACLs, traffic inspection) • Optimize network performance, availability, and cost across distributed systems • Architect systems Data & Database Architecture • Design and govern database architectures across AWS services (e.g., RDS, Aurora, DynamoDB, and data streaming platforms) • Define best practices for data modeling, indexing, and query optimization across relational and NoSQL systems • Architect scalable data access patterns for microservices and event-driven systems • Ensure high availability and disaster recovery strategies (multi-AZ, multi-region replication, backup/restore) • Optimize database performance, cost, and storage strategies across workloads • Establish secure data handling practices, including encryption, access controls, and data classification • Collaborate with engineering teams on schema design, data lifecycle management, and migration strategies Technical Leadership • Act as a technical authority across platform, infrastructure, and networking domains • Lead complex cross-team initiatives and influence architectural decisions at an organizational level • Mentor senior engineers and guide teams on platform engineering, cloud architecture, and DevSecOps best practices • Provide architectural leadership on complex networking challenges, including cross-region and hybrid cloud designs Developer Experience & Enablement • Build and enhance self-service capabilities, reusable templates, and automation tooling • Improve developer productivity through streamlined workflows, CI/CD, and platform abstractions • Partner with engineering teams to reduce friction and accelerate delivery Cloud Infrastructure & Automation • Architect and manage AWS environments (EKS, Lambda, API Gateway, IAM, VPC, etc.) • Lead Infrastructure as Code practices (Terraform preferred) for scalable and consistent environments • Design and implement robust CI/CD pipelines with integrated testing and security controls Security & Governance • Define and enforce security best practices across platform, application, and network layers • Implement DevSecOps practices, including automated security testing and compliance controls • Drive adoption of zero-trust and identity-first security models • Ensure governance across IAM, networking, encryption, and secrets management Observability & Reliability • Establish observability standards including logging, metrics, tracing, and alerting • Define and implement SLOs, SLIs, and error budgets • Drive reliability engineering practices and continuous improvement of incident response Cost & Performance Optimization • Promote FinOps practices and cost-aware architecture design • Optimize infrastructure usage, network efficiency, and system performance Innovation & Emerging Technology • Evaluate and adopt emerging technologies, including AI-native development workflows • Guide safe and scalable use of AI/ML systems (data protection, model access, cost control) Required Skills & Experience • 10+ years of experience in platform engineering, DevOps, SRE, or cloud infrastructure roles • Deep expertise in AWS cloud services and cloud-native architecture • Strong hands-on experience with Kubernetes and container orchestration • Deep expertise in AWS networking, including VPC design, IP addressing, routing, and connectivity patterns (Transit Gateway, PrivateLink, peering) • Proven experience designing multi-account and hybrid network architectures in AWS • Strong understanding of cloud network security, segmentation, and zero-trust principles • Proven experience designing and implementing Internal Developer Platforms (IDPs) • Expertise in Infrastructure as Code (Terraform preferred) • Strong understanding of microservices, serverless, and event-driven architectures • Deep knowledge of CI/CD systems and DevSecOps practices • Strong understanding of cloud security, IAM, and governance models • Proficiency in at least one programming language (e.g., Python, Go, or similar) Desirable Skills • Experience with service mesh technologies and advanced platform networking • Familiarity with compliance frameworks (e.g., SOC 2, ISO 27001, CIS Benchmarks) • Experience modernizing legacy systems (e.g., .NET to cloud-native) • Knowledge of observability platforms (e.g., Datadog, Prometheus, Grafana, etc) • Exposure to multi-cloud or hybrid cloud environments Leadership & Personal Attributes • Strong systems thinking with deep architectural expertise • Ability to influence and drive alignment across teams and stakeholders • Excellent communication skills, both technical and non-technical • Passion for developer experience and platform usability • Strategic mindset with a focus on scalability, resilience, and long-term impact • Proactive and outcome-driven, with a bias for action and continuous improvement Summary This role is ideal for engineers who operate at the intersection of architecture, platform engineering, and technical leadership. As a Staff Platform Engineer, you will define the foundation—including cloud networking and platform architecture—that enables engineering teams to build, deploy, and scale securely and efficiently.

Requirements

Must-haves

Staff Platform Engineer
Platform Architecture & Strategy
Define and evolve the target architecture for cloud-native platforms on AWS
Architect and govern AWS network topology, including multi-account and multi-region designs
Design scalable, resilient systems leveraging Kubernetes, serverless, and event-driven architectures
Establish and maintain platform standards, patterns, and “golden paths” for engineering teams
Drive adoption of the Internal Developer Platform (IDP) across the organization
Cloud Networking & Infrastructure
Design and implement secure, scalable AWS network architectures (VPCs, subnets, routing, NAT, load balancing)
Define connectivity patterns including Transit Gateway, API gateway, VPC peering, and PrivateLink
Architect hybrid connectivity solutions (VPN, Direct Connect) and private service access
Establish network segmentation and zero-trust principles across environments
Implement and enforce network security controls (security groups, NACLs, traffic inspection)
Optimize network performance, availability, and cost across distributed systems
Architect systems
Data & Database Architecture
Design and govern database architectures across AWS services (e.g., RDS, Aurora, DynamoDB, and data streaming platforms)
Define best practices for data modeling, indexing, and query optimization across relational and NoSQL systems
Architect scalable data access patterns for microservices and event-driven systems
Ensure high availability and disaster recovery strategies (multi-AZ, multi-region replication, backup/restore)
Optimize database performance, cost, and storage strategies across workloads
Establish secure data handling practices, including encryption, access controls, and data classification

Nice-to-haves

Lead Infrastructure as Code practices (Terraform preferred) for scalable and consistent environments
Expertise in Infrastructure as Code (Terraform preferred)

Application prep

Use the role’s language and application details while tailoring your materials.

Keywords to mirror

aiawskubernetesapici/cdmlpythongo

Platform: paycor
Effort: medium