What Is Platform Engineering and Why Are Tech Teams Hiring for It?
By
Liz Fujiwara
•
Aug 20, 2025
Platform engineers build and maintain the foundational systems that simplify and accelerate software development across organizations. Their work focuses on creating reliable, scalable, and secure infrastructure that empowers developers to focus on coding rather than managing complex environments. By enabling developers to self-serve infrastructure, platform engineers not only boost productivity but also foster smoother collaboration between development and operations teams. This role plays a critical part in modern software delivery, ensuring that tech teams can streamline operations, increase efficiency, and bring products to market faster. As companies continue to embrace cloud-native technologies and DevOps practices, the importance of platform engineering continues to grow, making it a key part of successful software development.
Key Takeaways
Platform engineering focuses on creating internal developer platforms that simplify infrastructure management, enhance developer autonomy, and boost overall productivity.
Platform engineers manage internal tools, enable self-service capabilities, and address developer pain points to streamline workflows.
Demand for platform engineers is rising as software development environments grow more complex, requiring streamlined processes and strong support for development teams.
What Is Platform Engineering?
Platform engineering is a methodology and practice focused on creating and maintaining shared platforms that streamline software development. Platform engineering teams aim to build reliable workflows that enable engineers to self-serve infrastructure, increasing autonomy and efficiency. Platform engineers also create seamless integrations by connecting systems and simplifying complex processes.
At the core of platform engineering is the concept of internal developer platforms. These platforms provide standardization and self-service capabilities, allowing development teams to spend more time coding and less time managing infrastructure. Standardization reduces operational complexity, helping developers focus on applications and innovate faster. This ultimately improves the developer experience by eliminating unnecessary tasks and optimizing workflows.
Platform engineering also addresses developer pain points, fosters collaboration, and reduces cognitive load across teams. Ultimately, platform engineers boost the productivity and efficiency of software engineering organizations. As demand for streamlined development processes grows, hiring platform engineers has become essential for building effective internal developer platforms and ensuring smooth engineering operations.
Evolution of Platform Engineering
The evolution of platform engineering is rooted in the history of system administration and the rise of the DevOps paradigm. Traditional system administration relied heavily on manual management of servers, networks, and storage, which often created inefficiencies and bottlenecks. As software development grew more complex, the need for deeper technical expertise and a more collaborative approach became clear.
The DevOps movement introduced the principle of “You build it, you run it,” promoting closer collaboration between development and operations teams. This shift aimed to break down silos and improve software delivery efficiency. However, as infrastructure management grew increasingly complex, the limitations of DevOps alone became evident, paving the way for platform engineering.
Platform engineering emerged as a response to these challenges, centering on internal developer platforms that simplify and standardize infrastructure management. By adopting platform engineering tools and practices, development teams can operate more efficiently, reduce cognitive load, and focus on innovation and application development. This evolution reflects the ongoing pursuit of better developer experience and productivity in the ever-changing landscape of software engineering.
Key Responsibilities of a Platform Engineer
Platform engineers carry out a wide range of responsibilities that are essential for maintaining efficient software development workflows. A primary duty is the creation and management of internal tools that streamline development and deployment processes. When existing solutions fall short of developer needs, platform engineers design customized tools tailored to their organization’s requirements.
Another critical responsibility is implementing workflows that enable immediate infrastructure provisioning, allowing developers to self-serve and deploy applications with greater efficiency. Platform engineers also evaluate new industry tools and integrate them into internal developer platforms to ensure the organization keeps pace with evolving technologies.
Supporting software developers remains a central focus of the role. Key activities include:
Promoting platform adoption
Resolving usability challenges
Ensuring tools are intuitive and effective
Debugging and addressing issues promptly to safeguard productivity
In addition, platform engineers monitor the health of deployed environments and manage incident response tasks. By addressing risks and supporting continuous delivery, they ensure the stability and performance of development platforms throughout the software lifecycle.
Essential Skills for Platform Engineers
To excel in platform engineering, a combination of technical and soft skills is essential. Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, Java, and C++ is a fundamental requirement, as these languages are commonly used in developing and managing internal tools. Additionally, expertise in cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud is crucial for platform engineers, given the widespread adoption of cloud computing in modern software development.
Understanding containerization tools like Docker and concepts related to CI/CD pipelines, including automation skills, are also vital for platform engineers. Designing and maintaining the infrastructure for automation of build, test, and deployment processes in CI/CD pipelines is a core responsibility.
Beyond technical skills, platform engineers need the following critical soft skills:
Effective communication and attention to detail to collaborate effectively with development teams
Strong problem solving skills
Adaptability to navigate the challenges that arise in platform engineering
Continuous learning and time management skills are also essential for balancing multiple project deadlines and staying updated with the latest industry trends. Honing these skills allows platform engineers to significantly contribute to the efficiency and success of their engineering organizations through continuous integration.
How Platform Engineering Enhances Developer Productivity
Platform engineering plays a pivotal role in increasing developer productivity by providing self-service environments that standardize processes. This approach allows developers to focus on coding and deploying applications without being slowed down by the complexities of managing infrastructure. By automating the software pipeline, platform engineering reduces the risk of human error and minimizes downtime, enabling teams to dedicate more time to innovation.
Self-service platforms also simplify access to essential tools and resources, reducing the cognitive load on developers and giving them greater control over managing applications. This helps development teams work more efficiently while fostering a more collaborative and productive environment.
In addition, platform engineering tools streamline workflows and optimize processes, leading to improved performance, higher efficiency, and an overall better developer experience. By addressing these areas, platform engineering significantly increases the productivity of software engineering teams.
Platform Engineering vs. DevOps and Site Reliability Engineering (SRE)
While platform engineering shares similarities with DevOps and Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), there are key differences that distinguish them. Platform engineering combines a product-focused mindset with DevOps principles to create internal developer platforms, offering a self-service model that allows developers to access tools and resources without depending on operations teams.
The primary focus of platform engineering is on development, whereas SRE emphasizes IT operations and system reliability. A notable distinction is that security in platform engineering is embedded by design, supporting DevSecOps principles and ensuring that security is an integral part of the development process.
Platform engineers are responsible for building internal development platforms and supporting development teams, while SREs focus on maintaining and improving the reliability and performance of production systems.
By understanding these distinctions, organizations can allocate resources and responsibilities more effectively, ensuring that both development and operations teams work efficiently. Platform engineering, DevOps, and SRE each play a critical role in the software development lifecycle, and their complementary functions contribute to overall success.
Building Effective Internal Developer Platforms
Creating effective internal developer platforms requires a strategic approach that prioritizes the needs of developers and the goals of the organization. Internal developer platforms streamline development workflows by providing standardized, secure, and scalable self-service tools. Simplifying access through self-service options reduces complexity, allowing developers to focus on coding and deploying applications.
To ensure the platform effectively serves its users, consider the following guidelines:
Focus on the specific needs of internal customers.
Avoid a “big bang” or top-down approach.
Start with a minimum viable product and iterate to achieve better outcomes.
Emphasize practical onboarding in documentation rather than technical infrastructure details, making it easier for developers to integrate and use the platform while identifying potential risks and adopting a product mindset.
By following these principles, organizations can build internal developer platforms that increase developer productivity, improve efficiency, and ultimately drive business value.
Best Practices for Implementing Platform Engineering
Implementing platform engineering effectively requires following best practices that prioritize both developer needs and organizational goals:
Understand developers as customers to align the platform roadmap with their requirements.
Ensure autonomy and self-service in tool selection.
Treat the internal developer platform as a product, defining features and measuring success accordingly.
Designing platforms with cloud-native technologies and open standards ensures flexibility and smooth integration with diverse tools. Standardizing automation, workflows, and reusable configurations reduces overhead for developers and streamlines processes. Incorporating security and compliance checks as built-in processes enforces organizational standards automatically, supporting operational efficiency, configuration management, and cost control.
Feedback mechanisms are essential for continuously improving internal developer platforms, using metrics gathered throughout the software development lifecycle.
Why Tech Teams Are Hiring Platform Engineers
The demand for platform engineers is increasing, driven by the need for more efficient and secure software development processes. Platform engineering emerged in response to the complexity of managing hybrid and multicloud environments, providing solutions that simplify and standardize infrastructure management. Establishing executive support for internal developer platforms ensures that necessary resources and prioritization are allocated, facilitating successful implementation and adoption.
Communicating the benefits of platform engineering to all stakeholders is essential for gaining buy-in and addressing potential resistance. By emphasizing how platform engineering improves developer productivity, enhances security, and reduces operational complexity, organizations can make a compelling case for investing in platform engineering teams.
As software development continues to grow in complexity, the role of platform engineers becomes increasingly critical. Hiring platform engineers allows tech teams to build and maintain effective internal developer platforms, driving innovation and ensuring the smooth operation of development processes.
Preparing for a Platform Engineer Role
Aspiring platform engineers should focus on developing both technical and soft skills to succeed in this role. Key areas include gaining proficiency in cloud platforms, containerization, and CI/CD pipeline concepts, as well as building strong problem-solving and effective communication skills. Creating a solid portfolio that showcases relevant projects, including contributions to open-source or personal projects, is essential when transitioning into platform engineering.
To improve interview performance, consider the following tips:
Research the company and role ahead of time to ask informed questions and demonstrate genuine interest.
Practice mock interviews with friends or mentors to improve articulation and manage interview anxiety.
Follow up with a thank-you email after interviews to reinforce interest and leave a positive impression.
By focusing on continuous learning and adaptability, aspiring platform engineers can position themselves for success in a competitive job market. These practical strategies help candidates prepare for interviews, highlight their skills, and secure roles in platform engineering.
Summary
Platform engineering has become a critical practice for modern tech teams, helping address the complexities of software development while increasing developer productivity. By creating and maintaining internal developer platforms, platform engineers equip developers with the tools and resources they need to succeed. The evolution of platform engineering, its core responsibilities, and the essential skills required for the role highlight its importance in the tech industry.
As the demand for efficient and secure software development processes grows, the role of platform engineers becomes increasingly vital. By adhering to best practices and focusing on continuous improvement, engineering organizations can build platforms that drive innovation and success. Adopting platform engineering not only increases developer productivity but also promotes a more collaborative and efficient work environment.
