Platform Engineering Lead

Are you looking for new opportunities in an organization that supports professional growth? Would you like to use your expertise to advance a sustainable future while working in an inspiring community at the heart of science and technology? Are you an IT professional who thrives on varied tasks and developing operations? VTT might be the workplace you’re looking for.

VTT is one of Europe’s leading research institutes. What unites us at VTT is curiosity, a passion for learning and a drive to solve the greatest challenges of our time, turning them into sustainable growth and well-being. Our multidisciplinary and international community consists of nearly 2,600 top professionals; all committed to creating impact through science-based innovations. Learn more about us by exploring VTT tech & infra.

We are now looking for a Platform Engineering Lead to support the Platform Engineering journey.

VTT has started its Platform Engineering journey to enable VTT researchers with tools and technologies, ways of working and processes, as well as support and self-sufficiency. We are now looking for a professional with a balance of technical and people skills to lead the way.

In this role, you will be leading an implementation project and later continuous development of VTT’s internal researcher portal in cooperation with VTT’s internal teams and external partners. You will be responsible for planning and executing the servitization of platform engineering, developing the roadmap in partnership with diverse stakeholders by collecting needs and requirements from subject matter experts. You will lead and coordinate a virtual platform engineering team consisting of both VTT and external experts, and act as the main contact for the service. The purpose of the Platform Engineering Lead is to ensure that the journey leads to environments, processes and ways of working as well as organizational structures that serve their purpose very well, meet information security and data protection requirements and are in line with VTT’s procedures.

You will work in the Business Technology unit as part of the Research IT Services team, which is responsible for the IT services provided for VTT research. The Business Technology unit operates within a matrix organization, and in your work, you will cooperate closely with research as well as with the personnel of the Business Technology unit and external service providers. The role requires ongoing interaction with both internal and external stakeholders, so strong communication, presentation and collaboration skills are essential. The work is both independent and team-based, in various configurations.

We offer the possibility of partial remote work as well as working in diverse expert networks. However, the role also requires presence at VTT’s premises, preferably either Espoo or Tampere.

Your responsibilities as Platform Engineering Lead:

• Architecting, leading the development and maintaining the internal researcher portal (VTT equivalent to internal developer portal or IDP). Using strong communication, cooperation, and coordination skills to accommodate different stakeholders and to agree on compromises.

• Working across different disciplines while paying close attention to finer details. The journey is only in the beginning so there will be frequent changes, such as after new tools or new best practices. Sence of urgency might also play a role.

• This is a versatile role, and your working days will be varied.

Who we are looking for:

• You are familiar with Platform Engineering discipline and you understand the platform engineering tooling landscape

• You have a good balance of technical and people skills

• Person with technical skills or set of e.g.: Cloud Infrastructure, Container Orchestration, Infrastructure as Code, CI/CD Pipeline Management, Automation and Scripting, Programming Languages, API Design, Monitoring and Observability, Networking and Load Balancing, Security, Collaboration and DevOps Culture

• You have experience in IT supplier management in a multi-vendor environment

• You have an applicable higher education degree or equivalent training

• You have several years’ experience in leading and/or developing IT services (e.g. IT Service Lead, IT Service Owner, IT Manager, Enterprise IT Architect)

• You have strong interaction and presentation skills and are fluent in Finnish and English

• You are able to produce high-quality technical documentation and instructions in both Finnish and English

Overall, to success as a Platform Engineering Lead requires a comprehensive technical skill set spanning from backend to frontend of the internal researcher portal. The role demands the ability to understand and improve researcher workflows.

As a person, we hope that you are:

Your way of working is systematic and organized, yet flexible. You approach problems analytically, with a solution-, product-, and user-oriented mindset. You produce documented information in various forms – e.g. messages, ticket/system entries, broader system descriptions, various process charts and models (i.e. flowcharts and other diagrams) and different documents. You are enthusiastic about learning and exploring new topics, as we have an extensive research portfolio not limited to ICT-related fields. You work closely with different stakeholders, so you have strong teamwork, cooperation, and communication skills.

With VTT, you’ll enjoy: / What we offer you:

• Visionary work in technology. We offer positions at the cutting-edge of technology and engineering from next generation microelectronics and quantum technology to automation and robotics, energy systems and more. Our research agenda is dedicated to creating sustainable growth by solving systemic and technological challenges, so your work will go towards creating real, positive impact. Read more about our strategy – the path of exponential hope.
• Fascinating projects, excellent research environment. Our researchers get to work on a combination of cutting-edge academic research and applied customer projects, both locally and internationally. At VTT, you’ll have state-of-the-art research facilities at your disposal, such as Micronova, the Finnish research infrastructure for micro-, nano- and quantum technologies.
• Great career opportunities, superb colleagues. At VTT, excellence in research is a strategic priority. We offer long-term positions and stable career paths in top-level research. People tend to stay with us over 10 years since there are always new roles and responsibilities to grow into. Collaborating in a cross-disciplinary community with superb colleagues is a source of learning, inspiration, and fun. Read more about our organisational culture as the builder of the world's most meaningful place to work.
• Support for your well-being. Our people are our main asset, so we take good care of them. We aim to nurture great team spirit and leadership and offer versatile well-being services to enable a good work–life balance. On top of annual 6 weeks of paid holidays (after one year), we offer exercise and culture benefits, hobby clubs, and other versatile services aiming to support your occupational wellbeing.

Apply now and join our community of brilliant minds!

Please send your CV with your salary request via our recruitment system at the latest by 15 March 2026. A security clearance procedure will be conducted during the recruitment process for the chosen candidate.

Interested and want to know more?

For more information about the role, contact Marja Lintala, Manager, Research IT Services, marja.lintala(a)vtt.fi

We look forward to hearing from you!