Senior Platform Engineer (United Kingdom)

Second Front Systems (2F) is seeking an ambitious and capable Platform Engineer to join our UK team. We are a dynamic, fast-growing defence technology company at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and national security, committed to delivering transformative solutions that empower the UK’s defenders. This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in establishing and scaling our platform capability in the UK market.

Responsibilities

Support the security and operations of Game Warden across air-gapped and classified environments, working directly with government partners and security teams; Build and manage CI/CD pipelines that integrate DevSecOps best practices from development through to deployment; Integrate and maintain SIEM and security tooling, ensuring observability and compliance across all deployed systems; Build and implement scalable, secure cloud infrastructure using Kubernetes and Pulumi (Go-based), ensuring compliance with UK government and Ministry of Defence security requirements; Work cross-functionally to assess infrastructure needs, prioritise development, and deliver on product roadmap milestones in a fast-paced Agile environment; Document your work thoroughly — from infrastructure to internal procedures — to ensure secure, repeatable, and auditable deployments; Collaborate directly with UK defence and government stakeholders to provision secure cloud resources and meet deployment and accreditation criteria in classified settings; Contribute to R&D and experimentation needed to advance platform capabilities in secure and disconnected environments; Act as a senior technical resource, helping to shape 2F’s UK DevSecOps strategy and infrastructure standards

Requirements

5–7+ years of relevant experience in DevSecOps, systems engineering, and software development; Senior-level expertise designing and building cloud-native platforms using AWS, Azure, or GCP; Experience with Kubernetes, Docker, and cloud-native application orchestration; Strong proficiency in Golang or similar languages; Familiarity with UK and international compliance frameworks such as MOD Secure by Design, JSP 453, NCSC Cloud Security Principles, NIST 800-53; Experience deploying systems in air-gapped or classified environments; Experience building and maintaining secure CI/CD pipelines and integrating security throughout the SDLC; Hands-on experience implementing or managing SIEM, monitoring, and alerting systems; Understanding of REST APIs, authentication flows, event-driven architecture, and microservice patterns; Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with strong documentation habits; Comfortable working independently and in distributed teams, managing competing priorities across complex projects; Proficient in using AI tools (such as Claude and Gemini) to accelerate and enhance day-to-day work, from code generation, debugging, and documentation to research and problem-solving — with sound judgement about where AI adds value and where human oversight is required; Certified AWS, Google or Azure Solutions Architect; Prior experience working within UK defence, national security, or regulated government environments; Experience working in early-stage or high-growth start-up environments; Familiarity with UK accreditation and risk-management processes and environments (e.g., MOD Secure by Design); Familiarity with GitLab, Google Workspace, and Slack; A genuine interest in national security and mission-driven innovation; Must hold or be eligible to obtain Developed Vetting (DV) clearance; must be UK nationals (or hold dual nationality with the UK as one nationality) and have sufficient UK residency history to be sponsored for DV

Nice to have

Active DV clearance (strongly preferred)

Benefits

Competitive salary benchmarked to UK market; Private healthcare (medical, dental, and optical); Pension scheme with employer contribution; Wellness perks (fitness, mental health resources); Equity incentive plan; Technology and home-office stipend; Annual professional development budget; Flexible paid time off plus UK public holidays; Enhanced parental leave; Remote-first working with travel expenses covered; Referral bonus scheme