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If you’ve Googled “platform engineer job description,” you’ve probably seen dozens of generic templates. They all look the same: copy-paste bullet points, vague responsibilities, and zero insight into what makes a platform engineer actually excited to apply.
The problem? Posts like these don’t attract top talent. They might check the box, but they won’t convince a skilled platform engineer — someone who can design scalable systems, streamline infrastructure, and build the foundation your entire engineering team relies on — to join your company.
Here’s the truth: top engineers don’t get inspired by bland lists. They want to know what impact they’ll make, what challenges they’ll solve, and why your team is worth joining.
👉 If you haven’t already, check out our full guide on how to write a job post that attracts top talent , Link https://workscreen.io/how-to-write-a-job-post/ — it explains why generic posts fail to convert and shows you the proven structure to follow.
In this article, we’ll apply those principles specifically to the Platform Engineer role, giving you:
- A plain-English definition of what a platform engineer really does
- Two great job description examples (one for experienced engineers, one for entry-level or trainable candidates)
- A bad example, so you can see what not to do
- Tips to make your job post stand out (beyond the typical checklists)
- A ready-to-use copy/paste template you can customize
And when you’re done writing the perfect job post, we’ll also show you how to take it to the next step — screening, evaluating, and shortlisting candidates with WorkScreen.io.
Don’t let bad hires slow you down.
WorkScreen helps you find the right people—fast, easy, and stress-free.
What A Platform Engineer Actually Does - Their Roles
A Platform Engineer is the backbone of your engineering organization. They build and maintain the internal platforms, tools, and infrastructure that other developers rely on to ship features faster, safer, and at scale.
Think of them as the team that makes engineering possible at speed. Instead of writing customer-facing features, platform engineers design systems that allow developers to deploy code automatically, monitor applications, scale infrastructure, and keep everything secure and reliable.
In plain terms:
- They make sure your developers can focus on building products without worrying about servers, pipelines, or deployments breaking.
- They improve performance, reliability, and scalability by automating repetitive tasks.
- They help reduce downtime, improve developer productivity, and keep costs under control.
That’s why this role isn’t just technical — it’s strategic. A great platform engineer blends deep technical skills with collaboration, problem-solving, and a mindset for continuous improvement. They enable your entire team to deliver more value, faster.
Two Great Platform Engineer Job Description Templates
We’ll provide two tailored job description options:
1.✅ Option 1: For employers looking to hire an experienced candidates with prior experience.
2.Option 2: For employers open to hiring entry-level candidates or those willing to train someone with potential.
✅ Job Description Example 1: Experienced Platform Engineer
📌 Job Title: Senior Platform Engineer — Build the Developer Platform That Powers 2B+ Events/Day
💼 Location: Hybrid (San Francisco, CA) | Full-Time
💰 Salary: $135,000–$160,000 + Equity + Benefits
🎥 A quick word from our hiring manager: (Insert Loom/YouTube link)
Who We Are
TechCore Systems is a B2B SaaS company building the data and deployment backbone for modern commerce. Over 4,000 e-commerce brands rely on our platform to ingest, process, and analyze 2+ billion events per day—with a 99.95%+ uptime SLA. Our 60+ person engineering org ships fast by standing on a robust internal platform spanning AWS, Kubernetes, Terraform, and a polyglot observability stack. We’re profitable, product-led, and growing.
What You’ll Do
- Design, automate, and evolve internal developer platforms and golden paths
- Own CI/CD (GitHub Actions) for 150+ services; reduce build/deploy time and flake
- Architect multi-region, autoscaling EKS clusters with cost-aware primitives
- Level up observability (metrics, tracing, logging) and SLOs for critical paths
- Partner with product teams to remove release bottlenecks and raise velocity
- Champion security-by-default (secrets, IAM, runtime policies) and SOC 2 needs
What You’ll Work With
AWS (EKS, ALB, S3, RDS), Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, Helm, GitHub Actions, ArgoCD, Prometheus/Grafana, OpenTelemetry, Datadog, Redis, Postgres, Python/Go/Bash.
Who You Are
- 5+ years in platform/infra/DevOps/SRE roles at scale
- Deep experience with Kubernetes + Terraform in production
- Solid CI/CD chops; you’ve built/maintained pipelines for multi-service orgs
- Strong scripting in Python/Go/Bash; infra-as-code is your default
- Obsessed with reliability, developer experience, and measurable impact
Perks & Benefits
- Competitive salary + meaningful equity
- Medical, dental, vision (company-covered options)
- 401(k) with company match
- Learning & conference budget ($2,000/yr)
- WFH setup stipend + monthly connectivity reimbursement
- On-call rotation bonus
- Flexible PTO + 12 company holidays
- 16 weeks paid parental leave
Why This Role Is a Great Fit
- Massive impact: Your work becomes the foundation for every product team
- Real scale: Multi-region, billions of events, strict SLOs
- Autonomy + ownership: Shape our platform roadmap end-to-end
- Strong engineering culture: Pragmatic, data-driven, low-ego collaborators
📥 How to Apply
We use WorkScreen.io to evaluate fairly based on skills (not just résumés). Apply here: [Link to WorkScreen Apply Page]
✅ Job Description Example 2: Entry-Level / Trainable Platform Engineer
📌 Job Title: Junior Platform Engineer — Learn, Ship, and Grow in Digital Health
💼 Location: Remote (US) | Full-Time
💰 Salary: $75,000–$90,000 + Benefits
🎥 A quick word from our hiring manager: (Insert Loom/YouTube link)
Who We Are
Innovexa Labs builds privacy-first infrastructure that powers analytics and secure data sharing for 120+ community health clinics. Our platform helps care teams make faster, better decisions—without compromising patient privacy. We’re remote-first, seed-stage, and mentored by clinicians and former FAANG infra leaders. Our platform stack centers on GCP (Cloud Run, GKE), Terraform, GitHub Actions, and Datadog.
What You’ll Do
- Support CI/CD pipelines and improve build/test reliability
- Help maintain infra-as-code (Terraform) and Kubernetes manifests
- Triage platform issues with guidance; write scripts/tools to automate toil
- Contribute to observability dashboards and basic runbooks
- Pair with senior platform engineers; ship incremental improvements weekly
What You’ll Learn (with mentorship)
Cloud primitives (GCP), Kubernetes fundamentals, Terraform best practices, CI/CD design, observability, incident fundamentals, and platform product thinking.
You Might Be a Good Fit If…
- 0–2 years experience (internships and portfolio projects welcome)
- Can script in Python or Bash and are comfortable with Linux
- Curious, coachable, and excited to learn modern cloud/DevOps
- Communicative teammate who documents and asks great questions
Perks & Benefits
- Medical, dental, vision with employer contributions
- Home office + monthly internet stipend
- Annual learning budget + paid study time for certifications
- Wellness stipend (mental health or fitness)
- Flexible PTO + company shutdown in December
- Fully remote + quarterly team offsites
Why This Role Is a Great Fit
- Mentorship & growth: Clear path to Platform Engineer within 12–18 months
- Meaningful mission: Your work improves patient outcomes at real clinics
- Modern stack exposure: GCP, Kubernetes, Terraform, CI/CD, observability
- Safe place to learn: Pairing, reviews, and time set aside for skill-building
📥 How to Apply
We use WorkScreen.io so great potential doesn’t get missed. Apply here: [Link to WorkScreen Apply Page]
Build a winning team—without the hiring headache.
WorkScreen helps you hire fast, confidently, and without second-guessing.
Breakdown of Why These Platform Engineer Job Posts Work
Both job descriptions follow the “best new way” framework from our Master Guide on Writing Job Descriptions. Here’s why they stand out:
1. Clear, Specific Titles
Instead of a vague “Platform Engineer,” the titles immediately highlight scope and impact:
- Senior Platform Engineer — Build the Developer Platform That Powers 2B+ Events/Day
- Junior Platform Engineer — Learn, Ship, and Grow in Digital Health
These speak directly to the type of candidate you want: ambitious engineers excited by scale or motivated by mission.
2. Human, Mission-Driven Introductions
Both descriptions tell a quick story about what the company does and why the role matters. For example:
- TechCore emphasizes billions of events processed daily and their SaaS backbone role.
- Innovexa Labs shows their mission in digital health, tying infrastructure to real patient outcomes.
This makes the job more than just tasks—it gives context and purpose.
3. Personal Video Element
Including a short Loom/YouTube intro from the hiring manager humanizes the company. It helps candidates “meet” the people they’d work with, making the opportunity feel real, not faceless.
4. Transparent Salary & Perks
Listing the pay range upfront ($135k–$160k for senior, $75k–$90k for junior) builds trust.
Adding detailed perks & benefits (equity, PTO, stipends, mentorship, offsites, etc.) sets expectations and signals respect for candidates’ time.
5. Separation of “Why This Role Is a Great Fit”
Instead of cramming everything into one benefits block, each description clearly distinguishes between:
- Perks & Benefits: tangible, contractual compensation.
- Why This Role Is a Great Fit: the motivational pitch (scale, mentorship, autonomy, mission).
This makes it easy for candidates to digest both the rational and emotional reasons to apply.
6. Respectful, Modern Application Process
Both roles clearly state: “We use WorkScreen.io to evaluate candidates fairly based on skills.”
This tells applicants:
- You respect their time.
- Everyone gets evaluated fairly.
- They won’t be ghosted after dropping a résumé into a black hole.
That sets you apart instantly in today’s hiring market.
7. Conversational, Candidate-Centric Tone
Notice the language choices:
- “You’ll design, automate, and evolve…” vs. “The candidate will be responsible for…”
- “Mentorship & growth” vs. “Other duties as assigned.”
This style makes candidates feel spoken to, not spoken at.
✅ Together, these elements ensure the job post isn’t just informative—it’s compelling. The reader comes away thinking: “I see the mission. I know the expectations. I get the perks. And I want to be part of this.”
Example of a Bad Platform Engineer Job Description (And Why It Fails)
❌ Bad Job Post Example: Platform Engineer at CloudTech Inc.
Job Title: Platform Engineer
Company: CloudTech Inc.
Location: Full-Time, On-Site – New York, NY
Salary: Not disclosed
Job Summary
We are looking for a Platform Engineer to join our team. The Platform Engineer will be responsible for managing infrastructure, supporting developers, and maintaining systems.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage infrastructure and deployments
- Monitor systems and ensure uptime
- Collaborate with engineering teams
- Maintain CI/CD pipelines
- Troubleshoot issues as they arise
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field
- 3–5 years of relevant experience
- Familiarity with cloud technologies
- Strong problem-solving skills
How to Apply
Please send your CV and cover letter to hr@cloudtech.com. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
❌ Why This Job Post Fails
- Generic Title
Just “Platform Engineer.” No indication of scale, mission, or why the role matters. - Cold Introduction
“Looking for a Platform Engineer to join our team” tells the candidate nothing about the company’s mission, product, or impact. - No Salary Transparency
Leaving out pay makes candidates suspicious and wastes everyone’s time. - Responsibilities Are Too Vague
“Manage infrastructure” and “Collaborate with engineering teams” could mean anything. There’s no sense of what success looks like. - No Perks or Benefits
Nothing about healthcare, PTO, equity, or growth opportunities—signals an outdated employer mindset. - Dismissive Application Process
“Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted” is cold and discouraging. It tells candidates they’re disposable. - Zero Personality or Culture
The tone is lifeless. There’s no story, no values, no human connection—just a checklist.
👉 This kind of job description might technically “work” for filling a role, but it will fail to attract the thoughtful, high-performing platform engineers who want to know why their work matters and what kind of environment they’ll join.
Bonus Tips to Make Your Job Post Stand Out
❌ Bad Job Post Example: Platform Engineer at CloudTech Inc.
Job Title: Platform Engineer
Company: CloudTech Inc.
Location: Full-Time, On-Site – New York, NY
Salary: Not disclosed
Job Summary
We are looking for a Platform Engineer to join our team. The Platform Engineer will be responsible for managing infrastructure, supporting developers, and maintaining systems.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage infrastructure and deployments
- Monitor systems and ensure uptime
- Collaborate with engineering teams
- Maintain CI/CD pipelines
- Troubleshoot issues as they arise
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field
- 3–5 years of relevant experience
- Familiarity with cloud technologies
- Strong problem-solving skills
How to Apply
Please send your CV and cover letter to hr@cloudtech.com. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
❌ Why This Job Post Fails
- Generic Title
Just “Platform Engineer.” No indication of scale, mission, or why the role matters. - Cold Introduction
“Looking for a Platform Engineer to join our team” tells the candidate nothing about the company’s mission, product, or impact. - No Salary Transparency
Leaving out pay makes candidates suspicious and wastes everyone’s time. - Responsibilities Are Too Vague
“Manage infrastructure” and “Collaborate with engineering teams” could mean anything. There’s no sense of what success looks like. - No Perks or Benefits
Nothing about healthcare, PTO, equity, or growth opportunities—signals an outdated employer mindset. - Dismissive Application Process
“Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted” is cold and discouraging. It tells candidates they’re disposable. - Zero Personality or Culture
The tone is lifeless. There’s no story, no values, no human connection—just a checklist.
👉 This kind of job description might technically “work” for filling a role, but it will fail to attract the thoughtful, high-performing platform engineers who want to know why their work matters and what kind of environment they’ll join.
Should You Use AI to Write a Platform Engineer Job Description?
With tools like ChatGPT, Workable, and Manatal offering one-click job post generation, it’s tempting to let AI do all the work. But here’s the truth: AI alone can’t write a job description that truly attracts top talent.
❌ Why You Shouldn’t Rely on AI Alone
Using AI without context will almost always give you:
- Generic, lifeless posts — the same ones your competitors are publishing.
- Wrong fit applicants — bland descriptions attract “apply-to-anything” candidates, not mission-driven engineers.
- Brand damage — a job post is often the first impression a candidate gets of your company. A soulless AI draft reflects poorly on your culture.
Example of the wrong way:
“Write me a job description for a Platform Engineer.”
What you’ll get back: boilerplate duties, vague responsibilities, and no personality.
✅ The Right Way to Use AI
AI is powerful when you use it as a co-pilot, not the driver.
Instead of asking it to “just write,” feed it rich raw ingredients:
- What your company actually does
- The mission and culture that define you
- The challenges a platform engineer will solve in your environment
- Your salary, perks, and benefits
- Your preferred tone (e.g., conversational, mission-driven, straightforward)
Then prompt it like this:
“Help me draft a Platform Engineer job post for [Company Name]. We’re hiring someone to [insert responsibilities]. Our culture is [describe values], and we want to attract candidates who [ideal traits]. Here’s our salary range and perks [insert details]. Here are a few notes I’ve written to get you started: [paste your notes]. Please write it in a warm, candidate-first tone.”
Once AI gives you a draft, polish it:
- Add a Loom video link from your hiring manager.
- Insert real employee testimonials or culture statements.
- Make sure the tone feels authentic, not robotic.
💡 Bottom line: AI should help you save time and refine structure. But the best job descriptions still come from you — your story, your culture, your mission. Use AI to polish, not to replace your voice.
Smart Hiring Starts Here
WorkScreen simplifies the hiring process, helping you quickly identify top talent while eliminating low-quality applications. By saving you countless hours and reducing the risk of bad hires, it empowers you to build a team that delivers results
Copy-Paste Platform Engineer Job Description Templates
Need a quick job description you can copy, paste, and tailor in minutes?
Here are two ready-to-use templates.
✏️ Important Reminder:
Don’t copy this word-for-word and expect magic.
This is a foundation, not a final draft.
Add a Loom video, inject your team culture, and edit the details to reflect your actual company.
In this section, you’ll find two ready-to-use job description templates for quick copy-paste use — but please remember, like we mentioned above, don’t just copy them word-for-word and expect results.
Think of these as starting points, not final drafts.
- Option 1: A more conversational, culture-first job description that highlights personality and team fit.
- Option 2: A more structured format, including a Job Brief, Responsibilities, and Requirements for a traditional approach.
✅ Option 1: Conversational, Culture-First Style
Job Title: Platform Engineer — Build the Foundation for Scalable Products at [Company Name]
💼 Location: [Remote/Hybrid/Onsite] (HQ: [City, State/Country])
🕒 Type: [Full-Time/Part-Time]
💰 Salary Range: [$X,000 – $Y,000]/year
🎥 Meet the Team: (Insert Loom/YouTube link from hiring manager/CTO)
Who We Are
[Company Name] builds the developer infrastructure that powers [your product/industry focus]. Our platform supports [millions/billions] of [requests/events/users] and helps engineers ship quickly, reliably, and securely. We’re a tight-knit team that values collaboration, pragmatic problem-solving, and continuous improvement.
What You’ll Do
- Design and improve internal developer platforms and “golden paths.”
- Automate deployments and CI/CD pipelines for [#]
- Scale and secure cloud infrastructure (AWS/Azure/GCP + Kubernetes/Docker).
- Level up observability (metrics, logging, tracing) and incident response.
- Partner with product teams to remove bottlenecks and speed up delivery.
- Champion security-by-default (secrets, IAM, least privilege).
Who You Are
- [3–5]+ years in platform/infra/DevOps/SRE roles.
- Skilled with containers + orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes) and IaC (Terraform/Pulumi).
- Strong scripting in Python/Go/Bash; git-native workflows.
- Care about developer experience, reliability, and measurable impact.
- Communicative, low-ego, and comfortable collaborating across teams.
Perks & Benefits
- Competitive salary + [equity/bonus]
- [Health, dental, vision] with employer contribution
- [401(k)/pension] with company match
- Annual learning/certification budget ([$ amount])
- [Remote stipend/WFH setup + monthly internet]
- Flexible PTO + [#] company holidays
- [Paid parental leave] and [wellness stipend]
Why This Role Is a Great Fit
- Company-wide impact: Your work becomes the backbone for every product team.
- Real scale: Operate and optimize [multi-region/high-volume]
- Autonomy: Own roadmaps, propose improvements, and ship meaningful change.
- Growth: Learn from [senior/staff] peers; clear path to [Senior/Staff].
📥 How to Apply
Apply via WorkScreen: [WorkScreen Apply Link] — we evaluate fairly based on skills, not just résumés.
✅ Option 2: Structured “Job Brief + Responsibilities + Requirements” Format
Job Title: Platform Engineer at [Company Name]
💼 Location: [Remote/Hybrid/Onsite] (HQ: [City, State/Country])
🕒 Type: [Full-Time/Part-Time]
💰 Salary Range: [$X,000 – $Y,000]/year
Job Brief
[Company Name] is seeking a Platform Engineer to design, scale, and maintain the infrastructure that powers our [product/domain]. You’ll enable engineers to deliver features with speed, reliability, and security.
Responsibilities
- Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions/Jenkins/GitLab CI).
- Automate infrastructure with Terraform/Pulumi and manage Kubernetes.
- Improve system performance, reliability, cost efficiency, and security.
- Implement observability (Prometheus/Grafana/Datadog/OpenTelemetry).
- Partner with developers on release workflows and platform “golden paths.”
- Write scripts/tools to eliminate toil and standardize best practices.
Requirements
- [3+ years] in platform/infra/DevOps/SRE.
- Proficient with cloud (AWS/Azure/GCP), containers (Docker/Kubernetes), IaC (Terraform/Pulumi).
- Scripting in Python/Go/Bash; strong git fundamentals.
- Familiarity with security/IAM, networking, and observability concepts.
- Strong problem-solving, documentation, and collaboration skills.
Perks & Benefits
- [Health, dental, vision], [401(k)/pension match]
- [Equity/bonus eligibility]
- [Learning stipend + certification support]
- [Commuter/remote stipends]
- Flexible PTO + [#] company holidays
- [On-call rotation pay/shift differentials]
📥 How to Apply
Apply via WorkScreen: [WorkScreen Apply Link] — we value skills, potential, and mindset.
Let WorkScreen Handle the Next Step
You’ve written a job post that actually connects. But here’s the real challenge: once the applications start pouring in, how do you separate the real talent from the noise?
That’s where WorkScreen.io comes in.
With WorkScreen, you can:
- Quickly identify your most promising candidates
WorkScreen automatically evaluates, scores, and ranks applicants on a performance-based leaderboard—making it easy to spot top talent, save time, and make smarter, data-driven hiring decisions.
- Easily administer one-click skill tests
With WorkScreen, you can administer one-click skill tests to assess candidates based on real-world ability—not just credentials like résumés and past experience. This helps you hire more confidently and holistically.
- Eliminate low-effort applicants
WorkScreen automatically eliminates low-effort applicants who use AI Tools to apply, copy-paste answers, or rely on “one-click apply.” This way, you focus only on genuine, committed, and high-quality candidates—helping you avoid costly hiring mistakes.
👉 The result? You save hours of manual screening, avoid costly hiring mistakes, and make smarter, data-driven decisions—without sacrificing candidate experience.
Start hiring smarter today with
Frequently Asked Questions - Platform Engineer Job Description
Not exactly. DevOps is more of a culture and methodology—it’s about collaboration between development and operations to deliver software faster and more reliably. A Platform Engineer, on the other hand, is a specific role focused on building and maintaining the internal platforms, tools, and infrastructure that enable DevOps practices. In short: DevOps is the philosophy, platform engineering is one way of putting it into practice.
A strong platform engineer combines technical expertise with collaboration skills. Key technical skills include:
- Cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure)
- Containers and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes)
- Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Pulumi)
- CI/CD pipelines and automation tools
- Monitoring and observability (Prometheus, Grafana, Datadog)
- Scripting/coding (Python, Go, or Bash)
But soft skills are equally important: problem-solving, communication, documentation, and a mindset for enabling others.
Salaries vary by location, experience, and company size. In the United States, the average base salary for platform engineers typically ranges from $95,000 to $150,000 per year, with senior or specialized roles often exceeding $160,000–$180,000. Remote-first companies and high-demand industries (like fintech and healthtech) may offer additional equity or bonuses.
Platform engineers aren’t just maintaining servers—they’re enablers of scale and speed. By automating deployments, ensuring system reliability, and reducing developer bottlenecks, they allow product teams to ship features faster, reduce downtime, and optimize costs. In essence, they multiply the output of every developer on the team.
Startups usually hire their first platform engineer once developer velocity slows down due to infrastructure pain—for example, when deployments break often, costs balloon, or developers spend too much time firefighting instead of building features. Hiring one early can prevent technical debt from piling up.
Both roles overlap, but the focus differs:
- Platform Engineers build the tools, platforms, and systems that improve developer workflows.
- SREs focus on reliability, uptime, and incident management for production systems.
Some teams merge the two, but the emphasis is slightly different.
