Platform Engineer
Builds internal developer platforms (IDPs), self-service infrastructure, golden paths, and the tooling that lets product teams ship without knowing Kubernetes internals.
AI Infrastructure & Platform Engineering
Platform Engineer staffing across the US and Canada
Platform engineers who build the infrastructure AI runs on. Choose a market below for local hiring context and the screening priorities Crosscheck uses for this role.
Source platform engineers with experience at AI-native and cloud-first companies
Vet on IDP design, Kubernetes, GitOps, and developer experience tooling
Deliver shortlists within the agreed search timeline, candidates ready to interview
Permanent placements include a 90-day replacement guarantee, subject to the signed agreement.
Role-specific recruiting
What a focused Platform Engineer search covers
For a startup platform-engineering hire, name the production systems the person must own and the support they will have. Decide which prior startup responsibilities matter: building infrastructure with limited support, handling incidents or transferring ownership as a team grows. Assess the candidate's decisions and implementation work against those responsibilities.
In one San Francisco AI-startup engagement in 2026, Crosscheck filled a Staff Platform Engineer role in about two months. The opening had remained unfilled for more than six months, and the employer required a specific skill set and substantial startup experience. This describes one engagement, not a hiring-time benchmark.
Ask candidates to explain a platform change they designed and implemented, the constraints they faced and how they tested or rolled it back. Have them distinguish their contribution from the work of other engineers. Use the example to assess the ownership you need, then discuss work-location requirements as a separate part of the brief.
Read the staff-engineering case studyOne confirmed Crosscheck engagement in San Francisco in 2026, not a hiring-time benchmark. Screening recommendations are planning guidance.
Source platform engineers with experience at AI-native and cloud-first companies
Vet on IDP design, Kubernetes, GitOps, and developer experience tooling
Deliver shortlists within the agreed search timeline, candidates ready to interview
Permanent placements include a 90-day replacement guarantee, subject to the signed agreement.
Role coverage
Related Platform Engineer profiles
The exact title varies by team structure and project stage. These are the adjacent profiles commonly considered during intake and technical screening.
Senior Platform Engineer
Leads IDP architecture decisions, defines platform standards, and mentors junior engineers on infrastructure best practices.
Staff Platform Engineer
Cross-org technical leadership for platform teams, sets the long-term infrastructure roadmap and drives adoption across engineering.
Infrastructure Engineer
Cloud infrastructure provisioning, network architecture, and compute optimization for high-scale production workloads.
Developer Experience (DX) Engineer
Owns the internal tooling, CI/CD ergonomics, and development environment setup that determines how fast product engineers can ship.
Cloud Infrastructure Engineer
Deep specialist in AWS, GCP, or Azure, designing and operating cloud-native infrastructure for AI and SaaS workloads.
Technical and functional screening scope
The intake identifies which areas are essential on day one and which can be adjacent experience. Screening then focuses on decisions made, systems shipped, constraints handled, and measurable outcomes.
Orchestration
Kubernetes · Helm · ArgoCD · Flux · Cluster API
Infrastructure as Code
Terraform · Pulumi · CDK · Crossplane · Ansible
Cloud Platforms
AWS (EKS, ECS, Lambda) · Google Cloud (GKE, Cloud Run) · Azure (AKS) · Cloudflare · Multi-cloud
CI/CD & GitOps
GitHub Actions · CircleCI · Tekton · Buildkite · ArgoCD / Flux
Internal Developer Platforms
Backstage · Port · Cortex · OpsLevel · Custom IDPs
Observability
Prometheus / Grafana · OpenTelemetry · Datadog · Honeycomb · PagerDuty
Interview calibration
How to evaluate Platform Engineer experience
The search team uses the completed brief to separate adjacent familiarity from work the candidate owned. Each interviewer should use the same scenario, record the evidence provided, and score the answer against the responsibilities agreed during intake.
Platform Engineer
Builds internal developer platforms (IDPs), self-service infrastructure, golden paths, and the tooling that lets product teams ship without knowing Kubernetes internals.
Interview prompt: Walk through a project where you owned this work. Explain the decisions you made, what you implemented and how you checked the result.
Senior Platform Engineer
Leads IDP architecture decisions, defines platform standards, and mentors junior engineers on infrastructure best practices.
Interview prompt: Walk through a project where you owned this work. Explain the decisions you made, what you implemented and how you checked the result.
Staff Platform Engineer
Cross-org technical leadership for platform teams, sets the long-term infrastructure roadmap and drives adoption across engineering.
Interview prompt: Walk through a project where you owned this work. Explain the decisions you made, what you implemented and how you checked the result.
Market directory
Choose where you need to hire.
Use a quick link or choose a state or province. Every market opens a city-specific Platform Engineer hiring guide.
Quick market links
United States by state
Open states with multiple cities
Alabama (AL)BirminghamArkansas (AR)FayettevilleConnecticut (CT)HartfordDistrict of Columbia (DC)WashingtonGeorgia (GA)AtlantaIdaho (ID)BoiseIllinois (IL)ChicagoIndiana (IN)IndianapolisIowa (IA)Des MoinesKansas (KS)WichitaKentucky (KY)LouisvilleMaryland (MD)BaltimoreMassachusetts (MA)BostonMinnesota (MN)MinneapolisNebraska (NE)OmahaNevada (NV)Las VegasNew Mexico (NM)AlbuquerqueOregon (OR)PortlandRhode Island (RI)ProvidenceUtah (UT)Salt Lake CityVirginia (VA)Richmond
California (CA)5 cities
Colorado (CO)2 cities
Florida (FL)4 cities
Louisiana (LA)2 cities
Michigan (MI)2 cities
Missouri (MO)2 cities
North Carolina (NC)4 cities
Ohio (OH)3 cities
Oklahoma (OK)2 cities
Pennsylvania (PA)2 cities
South Carolina (SC)2 cities
Tennessee (TN)4 cities
Texas (TX)5 cities
Canada by province
Choose a province to open its markets
Need a wider or fully remote search?
The market pages are planning guides, not claims of a physical office in every city. Crosscheck recruits across the United States and Canada from Denver. For qualified exclusive searches in our core disciplines, Crosscheck targets a first candidate slate within 48 hours after a completed intake.
Discuss the search