Director, Head of Platform Engineering

Position
MIO’s Enterprise IT team seeks a Head of Platform Engineering who will be responsible for leading MIO’s Platform Engineering and Cloud Engineering team. This individual will work closely with other directors, architects, software engineers, platform engineers, business users, and other stakeholders to design and implement DevOps and platform engineering platforms and practices that meet organizational needs and follow cloud best practices. This role is critical to enable a standard, secure, scalable, resilient, and efficient MIO application and infrastructure footprint within our cloud environment. The Head of Platform Engineering will also be expected to work collaboratively with others in IT and business to realize the full life cycle of system development projects, from requirements gathering to application design, coding, testing, delivery, support, and enhancements.

Primary responsibilities
The successful candidate will have extensive technical experience working with AWS cloud technologies, preferably for financial services firms, such as asset managers, hedge funds, and/or broker/dealers. 

The new hire must lead by example and work collaboratively to:
•    Lead and develop a team of platform engineers and DevOps specialists
•    Architect and manage cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure) with security, stability, and cost in mind
•    Design and oversee implementation of CI/CD pipelines and automation strategies
•    Establish infrastructure as code practices using CDK, GitLab, AWS developer tools
•    Implement monitoring, logging, and alerting systems to ensure platform stability
•    Evaluate and select appropriate cloud technologies and develop best practices based on MIO’s use cases 
•    Ensure application architectures follow cloud best practices for reliability, security, performance, and efficiency 
•    Develop and enforce best practices for system security, compliance, and disaster recovery
•    Optimize infrastructure costs while maintaining performance standards
•    Develop reference implementations and contribute through hands-on coding as needed
•    Work with development teams to improve deployment processes and system reliability
•    Collaborate with business owners to translate business requirements into technical solutions with an eye toward technology consistency and best practices
•    Work with engineers, business users, and other stakeholders to understand their needs and ensure solutions align with business goals
•    Maintain detailed documentation for reference architectures, design patterns, and system configurations
•    Raise the bar on our development capabilities, standards, and processes
•    Synthesize requirements gathered from various teams within/outside of IT and suggest creative solutions; where appropriate, guiding MIO to “do it the right way”
•    Following a scrum methodology, organize with end users, business analysts, and other architects and developers
•    Recommend positive steps toward standardizing development processes, including technology selection, deployment steps, code reviews, and IT tools
•    Partner with development, QA, and AppSecOps teams to promote standardization, consistency, and improved security posture  

Our applications are primarily developed using Python/Django and libraries such as Pandas, NumPy, PL/SQL. In addition, we utilize SQL Server, MySQL, Elastic Search, Redis, Kafka, Tableau, and various third-party APIs and data sources. Our applications are hosted in AWS using docker containers on ECS/fargate/EC2 platforms. 

Primary responsibilities estimated percentage allocation
•    25% Technology Leadership: design, mentoring, 
•    15% Relationship Building: requirements gathering, brainstorming with end users
•    25% Team management/leadership
•    35% Heads Down Development
 
Attributes of the successful candidate

The successful candidate would exhibit the following behaviors, values, and attributes:

• Driven by ownership. People with an ownership mindset don’t just complete tasks—they take full responsibility for outcomes. They step in to fix issues beyond their direct remit, foster collaboration, and push for excellence. They don’t point fingers; they analyze failures and work to prevent them. True owners proactively develop their skills and drive impact, ensuring the whole team succeeds.
• Strives for excellence. The best people set a high bar instinctively—they never settle for anything less than excellence. They deliver impact without over-engineering, take initiative where others hesitate, and build high-caliber networks to stay ahead. They spot overlooked issues, reframe obstacles into opportunities, and follow through relentlessly. When others stop, they find another way. Their drive isn’t about external validation but delivering exceptional results every time.
• Fueled by curiosity. The best people ask plenty of good questions—they challenge assumptions, seek deeper understanding, and explore beyond their domain. Their curiosity fuels continuous learning, helping them uncover insights others miss. They do not just grow themselves; they elevate those around them by sharing knowledge and pushing for better answers. For them, improvement is not a task—it’s a mindset.
• Problem-solving excellence. Exceptional problem solvers define problems clearly, breaking down complex challenges into manageable components using structured methodologies like issue trees and the MECE principle. They prioritize issues, develop testable hypotheses, and create detailed work plans with timelines. Their structured approach ensures they address root causes, not just symptoms. They move swiftly, with a strong bias for action, yet thoughtfully, balancing efficiency with thoroughness to deliver impactful solutions.
• Client service orientation. MIO’s ultimate clients are our investors; producing returns is our mission. Our IT team plays a critical role in enabling that mission by deeply understanding the needs of the investment team and other key functions. The best IT professionals do not just respond to requests—they put themselves in the business user’s shoes and truly grasp what drives decisions. They anticipate needs, develop high-impact solutions, and apply critical judgment, ensuring their work adds value while avoiding unnecessary complexity or cost. A successful IT person works tirelessly to understand and cater to their business needs.

Desired background

• Please note applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without current or future visa sponsorship
• At least 13+ years of hands-on experience in DevOps, SRE, or platform engineering roles
• At least 7+ years in team leadership or management positions
• Bachelor of science in computer science or other related discipline (although strong experience with a less directly related degree will be considered)
• Strong experience in AWS Cloud technologies
• Knowledge of CI/CD pipeline tools (GitLab pipelines, Jenkins etc.)
• Understanding of monitoring and observability tools (ELK, Dynatrace, Datadog etc.)
• Experience with microservices, serverless architectures, and containerization
• Proficiency in AWS cloud platform including infrastructure-as-code and CI/CD pipelines
• Formal problem-solving and/or analytical training/experience a plus, as is experience working with management consultants
• Good intuition for end-user requirements gathering; iterative and collaborative approach to design
• Strong client relationship management skills and excellent written/verbal communication skills to interact at all levels 

Initial success criteria
The successful candidate will be expected to hit the ground running, balancing short-term tactical needs and longer-term in-flight projects needed by business teams. During the first six months, the Head of DevOps will have learned enough about MIO’s business, processes, and applications that they should have accomplished the following:
•    Led ongoing efforts to improve reliability and observability of cloud infrastructure
•    Played a key role in ongoing CI/CD pipelines migration project
•    Made hands-on contributions to the progress of the project portfolio
•    Forged solid relationships with key partners and developed a vocabulary that demonstrates a strong understanding of our products and services
•    Begun to contribute to the broader MIO IT conversation, considering how our cloud architecture, systems architecture, and technology choices need to evolve to provide the best experience to our decision-makers

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MIO Partners, Inc. (MIO) is an equal opportunity employer. MIO will consider all applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability status. 
MIO has adopted a flexible, hybrid model that supports a blend of in-office and remote work. Our office is in New York City.