Platform Engineer (Contract)

About the Role
You are a systems infrastructure expert with deep experience in cloud-native
environments, container orchestration, and deployment pipelines. You are motivated
by high-impact work, and you know how to deliver resilient systems in constrained,
secure settings. You think in terms of environments, portability, and deployment
surfaces and not just code.
This role focuses on delivering the infrastructure required to support portable, air gapped deployments of AI applications. These systems need to operate on
uncertain hardware, and without access to public cloud or external APIs. While we
operate a production-scale SaaS platform, this project requires building leaner,
mission-specific deployments rooted in the same tech foundations. You will work
closely with a cross-functional team of frontend engineers, data scientists, backend
engineers, and external partners.
What You'll Do
* Design, implement, and manage Kubernetes-based infrastructure tailored for
portable, classified environments
* Build deployment pipelines to support rapid iteration under security constraints
* Collaborate on the packaging and downscaling of backend services and ML
components for deployment to unknown or low-resource hardware (potentially
without GPU access)
* Setting up internal service meshes, secure logging, and monitoring pipelines
* Manage self-hosted model infrastructure (LLMs, transcription models, etc.),
enabling inference at the edge without cloud dependencies
* Work with stakeholders to align infrastructure with security accreditation
* Provide on-site and remote support during test events, including troubleshooting
deployment, connectivity, and compute issues
* Contribute to DevSecOps practice by embedding strong security postures into
everything you deploy

What You Bring
* Proven experience designing and running Kubernetes-based systems, ideally in
constrained or disconnected environments
* Hands-on expertise with infrastructure-as-code tooling (Terraform, Helm),
CI/CD, and observability stacks
* Deep understanding of containerisation, service networking, and resource
tuning for edge devices or VMs
* Practical experience deploying and running machine learning workloads,
including LLMs or transcription models
* Comfort adapting existing infrastructure to new compliance regimes

* Bonus: Familiarity with Kafka and message-based orchestration for AI/ML
pipelines



Due to the nature and urgency of this post, candidates holding or who have held high level security clearance in the past are most welcome to apply. Please note successful applicants will be required to be security cleared prior to appointment which can take up to a minimum 10 weeks. LA International is a HMG approved ICT Recruitment and Project Solutions Consultancy, operating globally from the largest single site in the UK as an IT Consultancy or as an Employment Business & Agency depending upon the precise nature of the work, for security cleared jobs or non-clearance vacancies, LA International welcome applications from all sections of the community and from people with diverse experience and backgrounds.

Award Winning LA International, winner of the Recruiter Awards for Excellence, Best IT Recruitment Company, Best Public Sector Recruitment Company and overall Gold Award winner, has now secured the most prestigious business award that any business can receive, The Queens Award for Enterprise: International Trade, for the second consecutive period.