Job Description

Principal Platform Engineer

Location: Yeovil - fully onsite, open to condensed hours

Duration: Until 27 Dec 2026

Rate: £99.08 per hour (Umbrella)

IR35: Inside

Clearance: Successful candidate must hold a minimum of DV (Developed Vetting) clearance. More information can be found here - National security vetting: clearance levels - (url removed) ()

Overview

We're recruiting for a Principal Platform Engineer to join a Cyber & Security Solutions environment, taking ownership of secure platform engineering delivery across on‑prem, hybrid and cloud contexts. You'll act as a technical authority within a platform domain (e.g., virtualisation) and lead secure-by-design solutions for critical defence/government programmes.

Responsibilities:

Act as the technical authority in a platform engineering domain (e.g. virtualisation), providing specialist expertise to projects/programmes

* Lead the design and implementation of secure platforms across on‑premise, hybrid, and cloud environments

* Capture, analyse, and interpret complex customer requirements to drive system design/architecture

* Produce high- and low-level designs aligned to secure-by-design principles

* Own technical delivery for work packages (planning, estimation, progress reporting)

* Mentor and coach engineers to raise technical capability

* Contribute to technology strategy, feasibility and innovation work

* Engage stakeholders and present/justify technical solutions and design decisionsSkillset/experience required:

Core (must have):

* Windows and Linux operating systems

* Virtualisation platforms (VMware, Hyper‑V)

* Privileged Access Management concepts/implementation (CyberArk or similar)

* Secure credential storage, rotation, and access control models

* Integrating PAM into enterprise platforms/services

* Networking fundamentals (TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, firewalls)

* Automation/scripting (PowerShell, Bash, Python, Ansible, Terraform)

* Knowledge of cyber security controls and accreditation requirements

* Experience across the systems engineering lifecycle

* Designing/implementing privileged access models across complex systems

* Delivery in highly controlled/secure environments (e.g. air‑gapped, defence)

Desirable:

* Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure) + Infrastructure as Code

* Integrating enterprise services (Active Directory, PKI, monitoring, SIEM)

* DevSecOps tooling and CI/CD pipelines

* API-driven automation of onboarding/offboarding

* SIEM/SOC integration for audit/monitoring

* Containers (Kubernetes, Docker)

* Enterprise IAM solutions