Lead Engineer, Internal Developer Platform

Information Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5-7 years of experience in cloud engineering, particularly with AWS and GCP.
  • Proficiency in DevOps practices, especially in CI/CD pipelines using GitLab CI/CD.
  • Expert in building and customizing internal developer platforms, ideally using Backstage.io.
  • Familiarity with Infrastructure as Code principles, specifically with Terraform and Crossplane.io.
  • Strong programming skills in Python, TypeScript, and JavaScript.

Responsibilities

  • Design and build reliable cloud platform capabilities in AWS and GCP.
  • Develop and maintain CI/CD pipelines to streamline software delivery.
  • Enhance developer experience through building self-service tools.
  • Create and manage Backstage plugins and software catalogs.
  • Drive observability and operational best practices across teams.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage.
  • Competitive 401(k) contributions along with a pension plan.
  • Generous paid time off program, accruing 23 days annually.
  • Paid family leave and a student loan repayment program.
  • Supportive onboarding program with New Employee Orientation.
Full Job Description
This role is responsible for designing, building, and operating cloud platform and DevOps capabilities across AWS and GCP. The engineer will enable reliable, secure, and scalable delivery by developing Kubernetes and Infrastructure-as-Code foundations, building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines, and driving automation, observability, and operational best practices across engineering teams.

Position Compensation Range:

$131,000.00 - $220,000.00

Pay Rate Type:

Salary

Compensation may vary based on the job level and your geographic work location. Relocation support is offered for eligible candidates.


This role has been not approved for sponsorship now or in the future.  This also includes current Candidates that have an approved F1 / OPT/ STEM qualification. 

Core Qualifications & Responsibilities:

Developer Experience (DevX) & Backstage Development:

  • Proven experience in designing, implementing, and managing an internal developer portal, preferably with Backstage.io.
  • A strong desire to improve the developer experience by creating self-service tools and streamlining workflows. 
  • Expertise in developing custom Backstage plugins and customizing the platform using TypeScript, Node.js, and React to meet the unique needs of our developers.
  • Experience configuring and managing the Backstage Software Catalog to provide a unified view of services, documentation, and tooling.
  • Ability to create and maintain software templates using Backstage's Scaffolder to standardize project creation and enforce best practices.

Cloud and Infrastructure Management:

  • Extensive experience with at least one major cloud provider (AWS, GCP) and familiarity with the other. This includes expertise in core services like VPC, IAM, S3, and managed Kubernetes (EKS, GKE). 
  • Proficiency in Infrastructure as Code (IaC) principles and hands-on experience with tools like Terraform to automate the provisioning and management of cloud resources.
  • Experience with Crossplane.io to manage cloud services and infrastructure through a unified, Kubernetes-native API. This includes creating and managing composite resources to abstract away the complexity of the underlying infrastructure.
  • Strong understanding of containerization technologies, including Docker and Kubernetes, and their ecosystems.

CI/CD & DevOps Mindset:

  • Solid experience with CI/CD principles and proficiency in building and maintaining pipelines using GitLab CI/CD.
  • Experience integrating various tools into CI/CD pipelines to automate builds, testing, and deployments.
  • Proficiency in managing software artifacts and dependencies using JFrog Artifactory. This includes creating and managing repositories and integrating Artifactory with our CI/CD pipelines. 
  • A strong scripting and automation skill set using languages like Python, Go, or Bash.

Observability & Site Reliability Engineering (SRE):

  • A solid understanding of SRE principles, including Service Level Objectives (SLOs), error budgets, and a focus on reliability, scalability, and performance.
  • Hands-on experience with Datadog for full-stack observability, including setting up monitors, creating dashboards, and using APM for distributed tracing.
  • A proactive approach to identifying and resolving platform issues before they impact developers.
  • Experience in troubleshooting complex, distributed systems and a methodical approach to problem-solving.

Software Development Fundamentals:

  • Strong programming skills in languages such as Python, TypeScript, and JavaScript.
  • Experience with web development fundamentals and API design (REST, GraphQL).
  • A solid understanding of software development lifecycle (SDLC) best practices, including version control with Git.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of modern SDLC practices and operating models (e.g., Agile, product-based teams, platform-as-a-product).
  • Demonstrated experience delivering and operating cloud platforms in both AWS and GCP, including core services for compute, storage, networking, IAM, and managed Kubernetes.
  • Demonstrated experience designing, building, and operating Kubernetes platforms and tooling (e.g., cluster lifecycle, upgrades, workload onboarding patterns, ingress, service discovery, secrets/config management).
  • Demonstrated experience with Infrastructure as Code and reusable module patterns across cloud providers (e.g., Terraform; CloudFormation as needed), including pipeline integration, versioning, and promotion strategies.
  • Demonstrated experience with CI/CD tooling and practices (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, Bitbucket pipelines), including build/test/release automation, artifact management, and environment deployment strategies.
  • Demonstrated experience with GitOps and deployment automation patterns (e.g., Argo CD/Flux where applicable) for Kubernetes and cloud workloads.
  • Demonstrated experience with observability and operational practices (monitoring/alerting, centralized logging, tracing, dashboards, on-call readiness, incident response, runbooks).
  • Demonstrated experience applying SRE/operational metrics and reliability practices (SLIs/SLOs, error budgets, capacity/performance considerations).
  • Demonstrated systems and network fundamentals for cloud environments (VPC/VNet design, DNS, routing, load balancing, proxies/firewalls, certificate/TLS basics).
  • Demonstrated programming/scripting capability in one or more of: Python, Go, Java, Shell/Bash; strong Linux fundamentals.
  • Demonstrated experience integrating services and tools through APIs and secure communication patterns across applications, databases, and platforms.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of DevSecOps practices (secrets management, vulnerability scanning, least privilege, supply-chain controls such as signing/SBOM where applicable, and automated policy enforcement).

Licenses

  • Not applicable.

Travel Requirements

  • Up to 10%.

Physical Requirements

  • Work primarily involves sitting/standing.

Working Conditions

  • Not applicable.

Additional Information
  • To ensure a strong start, all employees participate in our New Employee Orientation during their first week.  This experience is held in person at our Madison, WI Headquarters or one of our AmFam core locations to help you connect with our mission, meet key team members and build relationships that support your growth.  At times, sessions may be delivered virtually based on scheduling and availability. 
  • Offer to selected candidate will be made contingent on the results of applicable background checks
  • Offer to selected candidate is contingent on signing a non-disclosure agreement for proprietary information, trade secrets, and inventions
  • Sponsorship will not be considered for this position unless specified in the posting


Preferred Qualifications:

  • Previous experience in a dedicated Platform Engineering or Developer Experience (DevX) team.
  • Contributions to open-source projects, especially Backstage or other developer tools.
  • Familiarity with securing CI/CD pipelines and implementing secure coding practices.
  • Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with developers, product managers, and other stakeholders.

• • A product-oriented mindset, treating the internal developer platform as a product with developers as your customers.

We provide benefits that support your physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing. You will have access to comprehensive medical, dental, vision and wellbeing benefits that enable you to take care of your health. We also offer a competitive 401(k) contribution, a pension plan, an annual incentive, 9 paid holidays and a paid time off program (23 days accrued annually for full-time employees). In addition, our student loan repayment program and paid-family leave are available to support our employees and their families. Interns and contingent workers are not eligible for American Family Insurance Group benefits.

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About American Family Mutual Insurance Company

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There has never been a better time to explore the job opportunities at American Family Mutual Insurance Company, a leading entity in the insurance sector. This company stands out not only for its robust commitment to clients but also for its dedication to fostering a professional growth environment for its employees.

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Join American Family Mutual Insurance Company’s esteemed team to assist in pioneering efforts that drive innovation and leadership in the insurance industry. This is where skills meet challenge and excellence. Transform the landscape of insurance with American Family Mutual Insurance Company, where the culture of growth and leadership goes hand in hand with the pursuit of operational excellence. Lead in a unique position in the market, at the nexus of industry knowledge, professional expertise, and digital innovation. Engage with a nationwide team of business and technology advisors to help clients and the company navigate through transformative initiatives. Collaborate with a diverse group of professionals dedicated to upholding the highest standards of service and innovation in the insurance industry.

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