Head of Platform Engineering

We’re seeking a highly skilled and experienced Head of Platform Engineering to lead and shape our Platform Engineering function from our Sofia office. Reporting directly to the CTO, this senior leadership role is responsible for setting the strategic direction, ensuring operational excellence, and driving engineering execution across our core platform services, data, and cloud infrastructure.

You’ll be key in optimising cloud infrastructure performance, ensuring engineering best practices, and driving efficiency across our distributed event-driven microservices architecture. To succeed, you’ll need deep technical expertise in platform engineering, DevOps, cloud infrastructure (Azure preferred, AWS also suitable), and Site Reliability Engineering (SRE). Experience in data analytics, machine learning, and security best practices would be a strong advantage.

Beyond platform leadership, you’ll also take on local leadership responsibilities, overseeing our Sofia-based teams and acting as a site lead. You’ll initially manage four squads, with plans to expand to five squads by late 2025.

What you’ll be doing

Leadership & Team Growth (Sofia)

• Lead and support ~80 colleagues in Sofia, fostering a high-performance culture and growing the Platform Engineering function to five squads by late 2025.
• Act as a key representative for both Platform Engineering and Sofia-based teams in strategic decisions and initiatives.
• Advocate for Sofia’s growth within the wider business, ensuring alignment with company objectives.

Technical Leadership

• Drive and execute the strategic vision for Platform Engineering, driving re-engineering of core components, tech debt reduction, and cloud infrastructure optimisation.
• Ensure high availability, security, and performance across all platform services.

Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) & Operational Excellence

• Establish and scale SRE capabilities, embedding operational excellence and cost-efficiency across cloud infrastructure.
• Lead incident management and continuous system improvements, ensuring best-in-class monitoring, logging, and alerting tools (e.g., ELK, Prometheus, Grafana).

Data & Machine Learning

• Leverage large-scale data to drive insights and optimise platform performance.
• Implement data analytics and ML initiatives (e.g., propensity modelling, personalisation).

Security & Compliance

• Embed a security-first mindset, ensuring all platform components align with industry best practices and compliance standards.

Engineering Culture & Quality

• Cultivate a high-performing engineering culture, ensuring teams operate with agility, autonomy, and efficiency.
• Enforce adherence to Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) and Quality Management System (QMS) best practices.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Management

• Work cross-functionally with Product Engineering, Security, and Operations to align platform capabilities with business goals.
• Act as a senior technology leader, engaging with executives and external partners.

iGaming Experience (Preferred)

• Experience in high-volume, real-time, B2B or B2C environments where performance, availability, and scalability are critical.

What we are looking for

• Extensive senior-level experience in Platform Engineering, DevOps, Cloud Infrastructure, and SRE, with a strong preference for Azure (AWS also considered).
• Proven leadership experience managing multiple squads, driving strategy, execution, and cultural development within large engineering teams.
• Ability to foster a high-performance engineering culture, balancing technical excellence with a people-first leadership approach.
• Strong communication and influencing skills, capable of aligning technical strategies across teams and driving high levels of autonomy.
• Track record of delivering complex, high-impact technical initiatives, balancing speed, quality, and business value.
• Change management expertise, with resilience to see through large-scale business and engineering transformations.
• Deep understanding of distributed microservices and event-driven architectures.
• Strong operational experience in monitoring, logging, and observability, using tools like ELK, Prometheus, and Grafana.
• Experience with large-scale data and machine learning, leveraging analytics to optimise platform performance.
• Expertise in cloud security best practices, ensuring compliance and resilience within cloud infrastructure.
• Solid software engineering background, with hands-on experience in modern development practices and CI/CD pipelines.
• Prior experience managing distributed, cross-functional teams, with a track record of building and leading high-performing squads.
• Experience in high-volume, real-time B2B or B2C environments, ideally within iGaming or other transactional sectors.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, working across Product Engineering, Security, Operations, and senior leadership.
• Commercial and financial acumen, including budget planning and cost optimisation.

What we can offer you

A High-Impact Leadership Opportunity

• A key leadership role in a fast-growing, innovative company.
• The chance to shape the future of platform engineering in a business-critical function.
• The opportunity to lead highly skilled engineering teams and drive meaningful change.
• A dynamic, high-growth environment, working with cutting-edge technology.
• Competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package.

Our Benefits Package

Here at Bede, we offer a great benefits package and a competitive salary as you would expect from a forward-thinking and people-centric organisation. What sets us apart is our desire to look after our people in the best way we can and to ensure we are offering the best to our colleagues by asking for feedback, so you’ll be pleased to know our benefits package is always being reviewed.

• A friendly, flexible and trust-based approach to working
• 25 days annual leave and additional paid ‘Bede’ holidays throughout the year and at Christmas
• Premium Private Healthcare and Dental care with Uniqa, from day 1!
• Innovation time – Engineers have regular opportunities to spend time developing skills and innovating.
• Flexi-Funds – A monthly bonus of 115 BGN to support bills and essential expenses your way!
• Food vouchers – 120 BGN per month
• Lots of social events – inside and outside of the working day
• A great office life! Free snacks and refreshments in the office every day
• Bede swag – from Zoodies to t-shirts and even socks!
• Access to Calm app – the #1 app for meditation and sleep
• Referral Programme – help us grow our team with like-minded individuals and be rewarded 6000 BGN (pre-tax)

By applying for this position, please also state what your salary expectations are indicating them in the Message/Motivation letter to the company field.