Lead ML Platform Engineer

We’re Kingfisher, A team made up of over 74,000 passionate people who bring Kingfisher - and all our other brands: B&Q, Screwfix, Brico Depot, Castorama and Koctas to life. Guided by our purpose Better Homes. Better Lives. For Everyone. We believe a better world starts with better homes, and we work every day to make that a reality. Join us and help shape the future of home improvement.

Data and AI are central to how Kingfisher is transforming retail across our international banners. Our Group Data Science team is focused on building scalable, intelligent platforms that enable advanced analytics, machine learning, and data-driven decision making across the business.

We are looking for a Lead Platform Engineer to lead the development of software platforms that power our Data Science capability. This is an exciting opportunity for a technically strong engineering leader who enjoys building scalable systems, mentoring teams, and collaborating across product, technology, and data functions to deliver meaningful commercial impact.

As Lead Platform Engineer, you will lead the design and development of engineering platforms that enable the Group Data Science team to build, deploy, and scale advanced machine learning and data science solutions across Kingfisher.

You will combine deep technical expertise with strong leadership capability, helping shape platform strategy while supporting and mentoring engineers across the team. Working closely with Product, Technology, Data, and retail banner stakeholders, you will help create platforms that reduce time-to-value and improve long-term scalability, reliability, and operational effectiveness.

This role is ideal for someone passionate about cloud engineering, platform architecture, modern software development, and enabling data science teams to operate effectively at scale.

• Lead the development and evolution of software platforms for the Group Data Science function
• Drive platform engineering initiatives that support commercial and strategic business goals
• Provide technical leadership, mentoring, and support to junior engineers and wider team members
• Collaborate across retail banners and group functions to define and deliver a scalable platform roadmap
• Work with Product, Technology, and Data teams to embed data science capabilities into products and business processes
• Support cross-functional teams in translating business requirements into scalable technical solutions
• Contribute to building and promoting a strong data culture across the organisation
• Drive best practices across software engineering, platform reliability, deployment, and operational excellence
• Support the productionisation and scaling of machine learning and data science solutions

• Strong commercial experience developing backend applications using Python and Django
• Strong frontend development knowledge including JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and frameworks such as React
• Excellent understanding of computer science fundamentals including software architecture, algorithms, and data structures
• Strong experience with SQL and NoSQL databases
• Understanding of machine learning concepts and practical applications
• Proven experience delivering and productionising high-quality software products
• Experience building cloud-native services, ideally within Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
• Experience building and managing CI/CD pipelines using tools such as GitLab, Jenkins, or Cloud Build
• Strong leadership and people management capability with experience mentoring or leading engineering teams
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills across technical and non-technical audiences
• Strong communication skills with the ability to simplify complex technical concepts
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities effectively

How We Work 
We believe in flexibility and balance. Our hybrid model blends home working for focus with time spent connecting and collaborating - whether in our offices or at offsite locations. On average within our Engineering team - 40% of your time involving in-person collaboration. 

We value the perspectives new team members bring and encourage you to apply - even if you don’t meet 100% of the requirements. 

What We Offer 
An inclusive environment where your potential is limited only by your imagination. We encourage new ideas, support experimentation, and strive to create a workplace where everyone can be their best self. Find out more about Diversity & Inclusion at Kingfisher here  

We also offer a competitive benefits package and plenty of opportunities to stretch and grow your career. Scroll down below to find out more about our benefits. 

Diversity & Inclusion 
Our customers come from all walks of life - and so do we. We’re committed to ensuring all colleagues, future colleagues, and applicants are treated equally, regardless of age, gender, marital or civil partnership status, ethnicity, culture, religion, belief, political opinion, disability, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation. 

Interested? Great, apply now and help us to Power the Possible. 

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