Principal Platform Engineer || Agentic AI || Internal Developer Platform (IDP)
- staines upon thames, england, United Kingdom
- Hybrid
- £90 - £120 Per Hour
Job Description
At IFS, we're building the next generation of AI-native enterprise software, transforming how some of the world's largest organisations manage assets, operations and critical services.
This is an opportunity to work at the forefront of modern AI engineering, building intelligent products that combine Large Language Models (LLMs), agentic AI and cloud-native technologies to solve complex, real-world business challenges at enterprise scale.
We're looking for engineers who are passionate about building production AI systems and excited by the opportunity to shape the future of enterprise software.
Please note that this role requires demonstrable, hands‑on experience designing, building and shipping production AI applications.
Candidates whose AI experience is limited to using tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor or GitHub Copilot to assist software development, without demonstrable experience building AI‑powered products or systems, will not meet the requirements for this role.
IFS is a billion‑dollar revenue company with 7000+ employees on all continents. We deliver award‑winning enterprise software solutions through the use of embedded digital innovation and a single cloud‑based platform to help businesses be their best when it really matters–at the Moment of Service™.
At IFS, we're flexible, we're innovative, and we're focused not only on how we can engage with our customers, but on how we can make a real change and have a worldwide impact. We help solve some of society's greatest challenges, fostering a better future through our agility, collaboration, and trust.
We celebrate diversity and accept that there are so many different perspectives in this world. As a truly international company serving people from around the globe, we realize that our success is tantamount to the respect we have for those different points of view.
By joining our team, you will have the opportunity to be part of a global, diverse environment; you will be joining a winning team with a commitment to sustainability; and a company where we get things done so that you can make a positive impact on the world.
We're looking for innovative and original thinkers to work in an environment where you can #MakeYourMoment so that we can help others make theirs.
If you want to change the status quo, we'll help you make your moment. Join Team Purple. Join IFS.
Job Description
As a Principal Platform Engineer (IDP Focus), you will be the primary hands‑on technical resource responsible for the implementation, configuration, and ongoing support of the IFS Internal Developer Platform. You will work within the Platform Engineering team to build the tooling and automation that enables product teams to self‑serve infrastructure, services, and deployment pipelines on top of Kairos and Nexus.
This is a deeply technical, delivery‑focused role. You will be building and operating production IDP capabilities, not advising on them.
- Implement, configure, and maintain the IFS Internal Developer Platform (IDP) end‑to‑end
- Build self‑service workflows, service catalogue entries, scaffolders, and golden path templates
- Integrate IDP tooling with Kairos (application framework) and Nexus (infrastructure and deployment)
- Build and maintain CI/CD integration patterns for product team consumption
- Create and maintain developer‑facing documentation, guides, and enablement materials
- Provide platform support and technical enablement to product development teams
- Contribute to platform standards, architectural decisions, and the IDP roadmap
- Identify and resolve platform reliability and performance issues
- Collaborate closely with the Platform Lead and adjacent platform teams (Base Tech, Auth, Nexus)
Qualifications
Internal Developer Platforms
- Hands‑on experience building or operating IDPs in production environments
- Practical experience with IDP tooling: Backstage, Port, Cortex, or comparable platforms
- Experience implementing service catalogues, scaffolders, golden paths, and self‑service infrastructure workflows
- Familiarity with integrating IDPs into CI/CD pipelines and cloud‑native infrastructure
Engineering
- Strong hands‑on engineering capability across the NGA stack, or the ability to get there fast:
- Backend: Go
- Frontend: React (with Next.js)
- Messaging / Streaming: Apache Kafka / RedPanda
- Data: PostgreSQL
Platform Engineering
- Strong understanding of developer experience principles and platform thinking
- Ability to operate across platform and product team boundaries
Experience supporting and enabling development teams in a platform capacity
Additional Information
We embrace flexibility and hybrid work opportunities to support diverse needs and lifestyles, while also valuing inclusive workplace experiences. By fostering a sense of community, we drive innovation, strengthen connections, and nurture belonging. Our commitment ensures you can work in a way that suits you best, while also engaging with colleagues to share ideas and build meaningful relationships.
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