Role: Platform Engineer

Location: Hereford (onsite)

Salary: £65k - £75k p/a

Thorn SDS is a niche Managed Service Provider with a Head Office based in Alton, Hampshire, who are committed to enabling technology organisations and professionals to thrive within the Space, Defence and Security sectors. We are currently looking for an experienced Platform Engineer to work onsite, 5 days per week, at a secure site in Hereford.

About the Role

This role is critical in designing, building, and maintaining secure, scalable, and resilient platform services that support defence applications and operational capabilities.

You will work within a multi-disciplinary team across DevOps, cybersecurity, software development, and systems engineering, helping to deliver infrastructure and platform solutions for national security-critical systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement secure, automated, and scalable platform environments to support software delivery and operational systems.
• Manage infrastructure using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools (e.g., Terraform, Ansible, Pulumi).
• Develop and maintain CI/CD pipelines (e.g., GitLab CI, Jenkins, Azure DevOps) to streamline deployments across environments.
• Collaborate with development teams to enable secure, repeatable environments for application hosting, testing, and delivery.
• Implement and maintain container platforms (e.g., Kubernetes, OpenShift, Docker) and serverless infrastructure where applicable.
• Monitor platform performance, availability, and security using observability tools (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, ELK).
• Ensure platforms meet stringent defence compliance standards (e.g., NIST 800-53, MOD JSP 604, IRAP, or DISA STIGs).
• Lead or contribute to threat modelling, incident response, and platform hardening activities.
• Support legacy system migration to modern platforms in both connected and air-gapped environments.

Required Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Platform Engineer, Site Reliability Engineer, or DevOps Engineer.
• Strong skills in Linux and/or Windows server administration, scripting (e.g., Bash, Python, PowerShell), and automation.
• Hands-on experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, MODCloud, or on-prem private clouds).
• Deep understanding of containerisation, orchestration (Kubernetes/OpenShift), and networking concepts.
• Familiarity with defence security standards and controls (e.g., JSP 604, ISO 27001, NCSC guidance).
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum or scaled Agile environments.

Desirable Skills

• Certifications: CKA, CKAD, AWS/Azure DevOps Engineer, CISSP, Security+, or similar.
• Experience with secure enclave design, cross-domain solutions, or air-gapped systems.
• Familiarity with secrets management (e.g., HashiCorp Vault), service mesh (e.g., Istio), or Zero Trust Architecture.
• Exposure to defence or intelligence domains, either in MOD, defence primes, or high-assurance systems integrators.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary based on experience and clearance level.

• Opportunities to work on nationally significant defence platforms and systems.

• 25 days Annual Leave (plus Bank Holidays)

• Employer Pension Contributions
• Group Life Insurance
• Dental Cashback Plan
• Health Cashback Plan
• Wellbeing Services (includes GP, Physio and Savings Benefits)
• Thorn Wellbeing Support Contribution
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Supported Training & Personal Development Opportunities

Apply

If you have the expertise to support this requirement and are eager to make an impact in a critical role, please apply today!

All applicants must hold the Right to Work in the UK and already possess, or be eligible to obtain, a high level of National Security Clearance.

Due to the nature of our business, your nationality, previous nationalities, and country of birth may influence the types of roles for which you are eligible. For more details, visit the GOV.UK website or click here.