Platform Lead – Data Availability, API & Integration

At easyJet, we are transforming Airline Operations through modern product-led technology, operational excellence, automation, data, and AI-enabled capabilities. The Airline Operations Platform serves as the single point of contact for the applications and source data keeping our network flying—owning critical crew, flight planning, network control, and engineering systems like AIMS, TOPS, LIDO, and AMOS.

We are seeking a visionary Platform Lead – Data Availability, API & Integration to join our platform leadership team. In this critical role, you will own the integration strategy and data availability capability end to end. You will lead a high-performing team of Platform Engineers and Integration Specialists to deliver the APIs, event streams, operational data stores, and feeds that safely connect vendor systems with our internal products and missions.

Your non-negotiable principle: systems of record stay protected with their vendors, and our internal engineering teams consume platform-mediated interfaces—never direct connections.

Key Responsibilities

As the capability owner, you will treat the interface estate as a product—ensuring it is documented, discoverable, versioned, and self-service for mission engineers. Your core focus areas will include:

Integration Strategy & Adoption: Develop, maintain, and publish the integration strategy in tight alignment with our architecture community. Translate this strategy into practical, adopted patterns, reference implementations, and templates that engineers can readily follow.

• Capability & Product Delivery: Lead the roadmap and backlog for all APIs, event streaming, operational data stores, and feeds. Drive a strict "reuse-first" mindset to scale capabilities across multiple missions while reducing bespoke point-to-point interfaces.
• Source Data Availability: Ensure the absolute availability, timeliness, and integrity of operational data. Maintain the boundaries of production and API delivery while partnering smoothly with Enterprise Data on overarching governance.
• Operational Health & Resilience: Own the uptime, performance, and latency of the interface estate. Set non-functional standards for timeouts, retries, and dead-letter handling, while building deep observability into the system to catch defects before the operation feels them.
• Engineering Leadership: Line manage, coach, and scale a technical bench of Platform Engineers and Integration Specialists. Actively eliminate single points of failure, foster a culture that finishes the "unglamorous parts" (monitoring, logging, error handling), and support contractor-to-permanent transitions.
• Vendor Collaboration: Own the technical relationships with key vendors regarding endpoint constraints, rate limits, and API maturity. Ground your discussions in clear technical data to influence vendor roadmaps in favour of our architectural needs.

Who You Are

You are a strong, technically grounded leader who balances architectural health and long-term tech debt with the commercial realities of operating a high-volume, low-cost airline. You have the credibility to hold a technical position under pressure and the operational discipline required for a 24x7 mission-critical environment.

Required Skills & Experience:

• Enterprise Integration Mastery: Proven experience owning an API/integration capability, defining strategy, and driving pattern adoption across distributed engineering teams.
• Deep Technical Expertise: Strong background in API design/management, event-driven architecture, message brokers, and operational data store concepts.
• System Boundary Governance: Experience creating mediated interfaces to abstract vendor-managed systems, including strict control over write-backs and separating read paths from commits.
• Modern Engineering Practices: Direct exposure to cloud platform services (ideally Azure), automated testing, CI/CD, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC).
• Operational & Resilience Rigour: Proven success building and supporting interfaces for a live 24x7 environment, including error-handling standards, disaster recovery testing, and on-call rotations.
• People & Matrix Leadership: Strong experience line-managing engineers, prioritizing a backlog against competing timelines, and working collaboratively within an architecture community.

Desirable Attributes:

• Background in aviation, airline operations, or complex transport logistics environments.
• Familiarity with industry-relevant platforms (AIMS, TOPS, LIDO, AMOS) or integrating aviation data feeds (weather, air traffic control).
• Experience establishing an API-first or platform-as-a-product ecosystem featuring published catalogues and self-service onboarding.
• Formal architecture training or certification, alongside a grounding in ITIL frameworks.

What We Offer

• A high-impact role driving a core pillar of tech transformation at one of Europe’s leading airlines.
• A hybrid, highly collaborative engineering culture based out of our Luton office.
• A management team dedicated to empowered ownership, continuous learning, and robust engineering standards.

Ready to design the interfaces that keep our network flying? Apply today!

“Please note that this role does not meet the criteria for visa sponsorship, and we are therefore unable to consider applicants who require sponsorship to work in the UK.”

We operate a hybrid working policy of 2-3 days a week spent with colleagues.

We look forward to your application and the possibility of you flying high with our team!

How to Apply:

If you are a self-starter who can identify opportunities to drive greater success for the team and have a track record of building strong relationships with internal stakeholders, we would love to hear from you. Apply now to join our dynamic team!

What you’ll get in return:

At easyJet, we pride ourselves on a vibrant and inclusive workplace culture that supports and rewards innovation and excellence.

What you’ll get in return

• Competitive base salary
• Up to 30% bonus
• 25 days holiday
• BAYE, SAYE & Performance share schemes
• 7% pension
• Life Insurance
• Work Away Scheme
• Flexible benefits package
• Excellent staff travel benefits

Location & Hours of Work

We operate a hybrid working policy of 40% of the month spent with colleagues.

We look forward to your application and the possibility of you flying high with our team!

Reasonable Adjustments

At easyJet, we are dedicated to fostering an inclusive workplace that reflects the diverse customers we serve across Europe. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds. If you require specific adjustments or support during the application or recruitment process, such as extra time for assessments or accessible interview locations, please contact us at [email protected].

We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process to ensure accessibility and accommodation