Principal Platform Engineer

Job Description:

The Principal Platform Engineer is a senior individual contributor role responsible for defining the strategy and architecture for how bp's portfolio of engineering and data platforms connect, converge, and serve the organisation. This role sits at the intersection of platform engineering and enterprise architecture, providing technical leadership and strategic direction without direct line management.

The role exists to bring coherence to a distributed platform landscape, ensuring that internal engineering platforms, cloud-native infrastructure, and enterprise software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions are integrated in a consistent, scalable, and well-governed manner. The Principal Platform Engineer is the technical authority on platform integration and convergence, influencing design decisions across teams and functions.

Key Accountabilities

• Define and maintain a platform convergence strategy that articulates the current-state landscape, the target architecture, and a credible transition path - enabling bp's engineering platforms and SaaS solutions to operate as an integrated whole.
• Lead architectural design and decision-making at the intersection of internal platforms and enterprise SaaS, establishing integration patterns, data contracts, and governance standards that apply consistently across the platform estate.
• Act as the principal technical authority for platform engineering across the digital delivery organisation, providing expert guidance on platform design, cloud-native patterns, and systems integration to engineering teams and senior stakeholders.
• Drive resolution of complex cross-platform integration challenges, including identity, data flow, event-driven architecture, and API design - ensuring that integration decisions are durable, secure, and aligned with enterprise standards.
• Produce and maintain high-quality architecture strategy documents, reference architectures, and decision records that are accessible to both engineering and executive audiences, building shared understanding of the platform direction.
• Collaborate with AI engineering, software engineering, and external vendor and partner teams to ensure that platform architecture decisions enable and do not constrain the delivery of business and AI-powered capabilities.

This is a role with organisation-wide technical influence. The successful candidate will work closely with engineering managers, delivery teams, and external partners across a complex, multi-platform environment. The role requires a balance of critical thinking and hands-on technical credibility - candidates should be comfortable both authoring architecture strategy documents and engaging deeply in technical design discussions.

What you will bring...

• Extensive experience in platform engineering (including Kubernetes) and the design, delivery, and operation of large-scale, multi-component platform estates in a cloud-native environment.
• Proven enterprise architecture capability, including experience producing target-state architecture strategies and navigating complex system landscapes spanning internal platforms and third-party SaaS.
• Deep knowledge of cloud-native architecture patterns: containerisation and orchestration, service mesh, API gateway design, event streaming, and infrastructure-as-code.
• Demonstrable experience integrating enterprise SaaS solutions - including ERP or business application platforms - with internally developed systems, covering API, identity, and data integration patterns.
• Track record of operating as a senior technical authority in a large organisation, influencing architecture and engineering decisions at scale without direct management responsibility.
• Strong communication and documentation skills, with the ability to convey complex architectural concepts clearly to technical peers, delivery teams, and senior business stakeholders.
• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical subject area or equivalent experience.
• Familiarity with regulatory and compliance considerations (e.g., data residency, audit logging, access control) as they apply to enterprise platform design.

Desirable Criteria

• Familiarity with enterprise data platform architectures, including data mesh, data fabric, or data lakehouse patterns, and how these intersect with application and integration platforms.
• Prior experience working at the boundary of AI/ML infrastructure and broader platform engineering, including understanding of how MLOps capabilities are hosted and operated within an enterprise platform.
• Experience engaging with external software vendors and system integrators on integration architecture and platform alignment.
• Relevant professional certifications in cloud architecture or enterprise architecture (e.g., AWS Solutions Architect Professional, Azure Solutions Architect) are advantageous.

Why join us?

We're committed to supporting leaders who want to make an impact. At bp, you'll have the chance to shape and influence outcomes across businesses. You'll be part of an inclusive environment where diverse perspectives are valued, and where your contribution to performance and integration matters. We invest in the growth and wellbeing of our people, providing the resources, networks, and development opportunities needed to thrive.

Our total rewards package includes competitive pay, bonuses, share options, and a range of flexible benefits designed to meet your needs - from healthcare and retirement plans to paid time off and agile working. We recognise that people have multifaceted lives, and we strive to offer a career experience that reflects that.

Apply now!

Location

Please note that while this position can be based in our Sunbury office, this will move to Southwark, London by end 2027.

Travel Requirement
Negligible travel should be expected with this role

Relocation Assistance:
This role is not eligible for relocation

Remote Type:
This position is a hybrid of office/remote working

Skills:
Agility core practices, Agility core practices, API and platform design, Cloud Platforms, Collaboration, Communication, Configuration management and release, Continuous deployment and release, Creating a high performing team, Database Design, Digital Project Management, Documentation and knowledge sharing, Emerging technology monitoring, Facilitation, Information Security, Mentoring, Metrics definition and instrumentation, NoSql data modelling, Problem Solving, Relational Data Modelling, Risk Management, Scripting, Secure development, Service operations and resiliency, Software Design and Development {+ 7 more}

Legal Disclaimer:

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics like race, religion, color, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, veteran status or disability status. Individuals with an accessibility need may request an adjustment/accommodation related to bp's recruiting process (e.g., accessing the job application, completing required assessments, participating in telephone screenings or interviews, etc.). If you would like to request an adjustment/accommodation related to the recruitment process, please contact us.

If you are selected for a position and depending upon your role, your employment may be contingent upon adherence to local policy. This may include pre-placement drug screening, medical review of physical fitness for the role, and background checks.