Cloud Platform Engineering Lead

Cloud Platform Lead London Hybrid (3 days in the office) Permanent<strong></strong> Build the cloud platform that others depend on. We're partnered with a <strong>high-performing, London-based Insurer</strong> operating at scale in a highly regulated environment. The organisation is investing heavily in its cloud capability and is now hiring a <strong>Cloud Platform Engineering Lead</strong> to take full ownership of its cloud platform and shape how cloud is delivered across the business. This is a <strong>true platform engineering leadership role</strong> - not just keeping the lights on, but designing, evolving and running a secure, scalable cloud platform treated as a product.<strong>Why this role stands out</strong><ul><li><strong>Real ownership</strong> - end-to-end responsibility for the cloud platform</li><li><strong>Hands-on leadership</strong> - stay technical while setting standards and direction</li><li><strong>Engineering-led culture</strong> - platform as a product, not a utility</li><li><strong>Modern cloud estate</strong> - Azure-first (with some AWS), IaC, CI/CD, automation</li><li><strong>Strategic visibility</strong> - work closely with Architecture, Security and senior IT leadership</li><li><strong>Influence without bureaucracy</strong> - small internal team, clear decision-making</li></ul>You'll act as the <strong>technical authority</strong> for cloud, owning standards, guardrails and outcomes, while steering a trusted cloud services partner to deliver high-quality BAU and project work.<strong>What you'll be doing</strong><ul><li>Owning the <strong>cloud platform architecture</strong> (Azure-first, AWS exposure)</li><li>Designing and evolving shared platform services:<ul><li>Landing zones</li><li>Networking & identity</li><li>Security controls & guardrails</li><li>Observability, backup & DR</li></ul></li><li>Treating cloud as a <strong>product</strong> with roadmaps, standards and continuous improvement</li><li>Remaining <strong>hands-on</strong> with:<ul><li>Terraform & Infrastructure-as-Code</li><li>CI/CD pipelines and automation</li><li>Reusable modules and engineering patterns</li></ul></li><li>Embedding <strong>security-by-design</strong> (NIST, ISO, GDPR principles)</li><li>Acting as a senior escalation point for incidents and outages</li><li>Leading <strong>FinOps</strong> practices - cost control, optimisation and transparency</li><li>Managing and directing a UK-based <strong>cloud services partner</strong> from a position of strong technical ownership</li></ul><strong>What we're looking for</strong><ul><li><strong>8+ years' experience</strong> designing and operating cloud platforms (Azure essential)</li><li>Strong background in <strong>platform engineering</strong>, not just infrastructure operations</li><li>Proven expertise with <strong>Terraform</strong> and lifecycle management of IaC</li><li>Deep understanding of:<ul><li>Cloud security, networking and identity</li><li>CI/CD and DevOps practices</li><li>Containers and modern deployment patterns</li><li>High availability, backup and disaster recovery</li><li>Cloud cost optimisation / FinOps</li></ul></li><li>Experience working in <strong>regulated or security-sensitive environments</strong></li><li>Confident communicator able to influence engineers, architects, partners and stakeholders</li></ul> Experience in insurance or financial services is <strong>helpful but not essential</strong> - strong cloud engineering capability and leadership matter most.You'll be part of a <strong>lean, senior team</strong>, working alongside the Architecture Team (EA and Domain), with additional 3rd Party partner support. This gives you space to focus on <strong>quality, standards and strategic improvements</strong>, not firefighting.If you're looking for a <strong>hands-on cloud leadership role</strong> where your decisions genuinely shape the platform and the engineering culture, this is one worth exploring. <em>Confidential discussions welcome.</em><img src="https://www.jobg8.com/Tracking.aspx?%2bjBHvVsVsDe6KwL27IkjfKluTzzFB5p2v" width="0" height="0" />