Deputy Practice Lead, Platform Engineering

The Deputy Practice Lead, Platform Engineering at Rise8 is primarily responsible for embedding within platform teams to assess their strengths and areas for growth, fostering improvements across architecture, operations, and security compliance. Other key duties include coaching engineers on platform-as-a-product thinking and SRE practices, developing internal training workshops, guiding teams in building secure production systems, and leading initiatives around security compliance automation.

To be considered for the Deputy Practice Lead, Platform Engineering position at Rise8, candidates must have a minimum of 10 years of experience in roles related to platform engineering, cybersecurity, SRE, or DevOps. Key qualifications include expertise in Kubernetes, cloud services like AWS, and infrastructure-as-code technologies such as Terraform. Furthermore, excellent communication skills, proven mentoring success, and experience in implementing NIST 800-53 compliance frameworks are essential.

Rise8 is committed to employee growth, offering an education and training budget of up to $3,500 per year for classes, travel, events, and materials that directly contribute to professional development. As the Deputy Practice Lead in Platform Engineering, you will also have the opportunity to mentor and coach engineers, enhancing both their technical skills and team dynamics.

The company culture at Rise8 is centered around kindness, empathy, and collaboration. Employees enjoy a supportive environment where they are encouraged to experiment, learn, and grow together. Rise8 promotes a flexible, wellness-focused work culture that emphasizes work-life balance, providing a fun and engaging atmosphere that fosters creativity and innovation in all projects.

The annual salary range for the Deputy Practice Lead, Platform Engineering role at Rise8 is between $191,667 and $239,583. This range is determined based on the candidate's qualifications, experience, market data, and internal equity at Rise8, ensuring competitive compensation for top talent.

In response, highlight your extensive experience in platform engineering, specifically focusing on how your background aligns with Rise8’s goals. Discuss any relevant projects where you successfully led teams to enhance platform reliability and scalability, and emphasize your approach to mentoring and coaching engineers to foster growth.

It's beneficial to articulate your familiarity with methodologies such as DevSecOps and SRE practices, explaining how these frameworks can improve collaboration and security within platform teams. You could also discuss how you incorporate an empathetic approach to leadership while promoting operational excellence.

Outline your strategies for automating security compliance, such as continuous vulnerability scanning and NIST 800-53 controls mapping. Demonstrate your understanding of integrating these practices into daily operations and how they can positively impact the overall development lifecycle at Rise8.

Select a specific initiative that showcases your leadership and technical skills. Describe the challenges faced, how you approached them, and the measurable outcomes that resulted from your guidance. This will demonstrate your effectiveness as a Deputy Practice Lead.

Mention tools such as Kubernetes, Terraform, and CI/CD pipelines. Explain why they are important for the smooth operation and scalability of platform services, and include your experience in utilizing them effectively in past roles.

Discuss your techniques for promoting a collaborative culture, such as regular team meetings, fostering open communication, and encouraging peer mentoring. Provide examples of how these practices have led to improved team dynamics and outcomes.

Elaborate on your methods for conducting regular assessments and soliciting feedback from team members on existing processes. Highlight any frameworks you've implemented that allow for iterations based on measured outcomes to drive improvement continually.

Stress your belief in empathetic conflict resolution. Discuss how you'd facilitate open conversations to understand different perspectives and mediate discussions towards finding common ground while keeping the team’s goals in focus.

Emphasize the importance of documentation for knowledge sharing and process standardization. Discuss strategies for ensuring documentation is up-to-date and accessible, aiding in team onboarding and smoother transitions within ongoing projects.

Identify key performance metrics (KPIs) such as system observability improvements, compliance adherence, and team engagement levels. Discuss how you analyze these metrics to evaluate project success and inform future strategies for platform improvements.