Platform Operations and Engineering Manager

Platform Operations & Engineering Manager

We are seeking an experienced Platform Operations & Engineering Manager to help lead the performance, reliability, and evolution of the technology platform. This role is ideal for a leader with a strong background in technology operations, platform management, and engineering collaboration who thrives in fast-moving environments and enjoys building scalable, high-impact systems.

Ideally the candidate will be based around or in driving distance to Cincinnati, Ohio, working closely with cross-functional teams. We are looking for someone who brings a diverse set of technical skills, operational experience, and leadership capabilities to help strengthen and scale the platform as they continue to grow.

What You'll Do:

• Platform Strategy: Define and implement the strategic vision for their technology platform, ensuring alignment with business goals.
• Project Management: Oversee the development, deployment, and management of platform enhancements, coordinating cross-functional teams to ensure timely and successful delivery.
• System Optimization: Continuously assess and improve platform performance, reliability, and scalability to meet and exceed a 99.9% SLA — with a focus on reducing infrastructure complexity and eliminating bottlenecks that slow development velocity.
• Security and Compliance: Develop and maintain robust security protocols and compliance measures, ensuring data protection and regulatory adherence.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Act as the primary liaison between technical teams and business stakeholders, translating business requirements into technical specifications.
• Innovation and Automation: Drive innovation by implementing advanced automation tools and CI/CD processes, with a goal of minimizing platform-related blockers so engineering teams can ship features to production faster and with greater confidence.
• Developer Experience: Serve as an advocate for the developer experience by identifying and reducing friction in the development-to-production pipeline, streamlining tooling, workflows, and platform interfaces to improve deployment speed and reliability.
• Infrastructure Simplification: Proactively identify opportunities to rationalize and simplify the overall infrastructure footprint, reducing unnecessary complexity while maintaining security, compliance, and performance standards.
• Technical Leadership: Provide technical guidance and mentorship to the engineering team, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous improvement.
• Team Management: Lead and manage the platform team, including hiring, training, and performance evaluation, to ensure high levels of productivity and engagement.
• On-Call Support: Lead a rotational on-call schedule to monitor and manage our production environments, ensuring prompt resolution of any issues.

Requirements

• Professional Experience: At least 3 years of experience in platform management, with a total of 10 years in the technology field.
• Project Management: Proven track record in managing large-scale technology projects, from conception to completion.
• Developer Enablement: Demonstrated experience improving developer workflows and reducing time-to-production through platform investments, self-service tooling, or internal developer platform (IDP) initiatives.
• Cloud Services Expertise: Demonstrated experience with key AWS services, including ECS, EC2, EBS, EKS, and S3, showcasing the ability to leverage cloud solutions for scalable infrastructure.
• Kubernetes Management: Experience in managing and scaling Kubernetes clusters in a production environment, ensuring high availability and optimal performance of containerized applications.
• Infrastructure as Code: Proficiency in building scalable infrastructure on AWS using Terraform.
• System Monitoring: Experience in monitoring production systems to ensure their reliability and performance.
• Automation and Best Practices: A strong foundation in leveraging Automation and DevOps principles, with familiarity in using operational tools (such as Ansible or Chef) and applying best practices for efficient infrastructure and software deployment.
• Documentation Skills: Strong capabilities in creating and maintaining comprehensive written documentation, reflecting an in-depth understanding of system configurations, processes, and protocols.

Leadership Profile:

• A strategic thinker with a passion for leveraging technology to drive business success.
• A leader who thrives in collaborative environments but can also independently lead projects to completion.
• Someone with a platform simplification mindset — someone who measures success not just by uptime and performance, but by how quickly and confidently developers can get new features into production.
• Someone who is adaptable, eager to learn, and stays updated with the latest industry trends and best practices.
• A professional who prioritizes security, reliability, and scalability in their approach to work.

Culture & Values:

• Truthful – act with honesty and integrity
• Helpful – support teammates, clients, and customers
• Present – engaged, accountable, and committed
• Driven – motivated to make a meaningful impact
• Diligent – thoughtful, detail-oriented, and reliable

Why Join:

• Growth & Opportunity: Be part of a company that values professional development and encourages new ideas.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, and additional wellness coverage for your overall well-being.
• Unlimited PTO: Flexible time off to support work-life balance.
• Stock Options: Opportunity to share in the company’s growth and success.
• Community Impact: Join a team that supports local communities and social responsibility.
• Creative & Transparent Culture: An open, collaborative environment that values innovation and honest communication.