Application Guide

How to Apply for Platform Engineer

at Vertical Aerospace

🏢 About Vertical Aerospace

Vertical Aerospace is pioneering carbon-free, on-demand personal air travel, positioning itself at the forefront of sustainable aviation technology. Working here means contributing directly to revolutionizing transportation while addressing climate change through innovative electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

About This Role

This Platform Engineer role is critical for ensuring the security, resilience, and reliability of hybrid infrastructure supporting aircraft development and operations. You'll modernize Azure cloud services, on-premise Hyper-V environments, and Active Directory while designing automated solutions for future AWS workloads using Terraform and Azure DevOps.

💡 A Day in the Life

Your day typically involves reviewing security alerts and platform metrics in DataDog, then working on Terraform modules to automate Azure service deployments while coordinating with engineering teams on infrastructure needs. You might troubleshoot Active Directory synchronization issues, test disaster recovery procedures, or harden container security configurations for aircraft development workloads.

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Interview Prep

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🎯 Who Vertical Aerospace Is Looking For

  • Has hands-on experience securing and hardening Azure environments (VM Scale Sets, AKS, Container Apps) while managing hybrid infrastructure with Hyper-V and Active Directory
  • Demonstrates practical expertise with Terraform infrastructure-as-code, Azure DevOps pipelines, and scripting automation in PowerShell/Python/Bash
  • Possesses strong observability skills using DataDog, Grafana, or Prometheus to monitor platform reliability for safety-critical aviation systems
  • Understands backup/DR processes in contexts where system availability directly impacts aircraft development timelines and regulatory compliance

📝 Tips for Applying to Vertical Aerospace

1

Highlight specific Azure security projects where you mitigated vulnerabilities or hardened configurations in regulated or safety-focused industries

2

Quantify your experience with hybrid infrastructure by mentioning percentages (e.g., 'managed 70% cloud/30% on-premise environment') or specific migration projects

3

Include aviation, aerospace, or regulated industry experience prominently if you have it - even indirectly through suppliers or adjacent sectors

4

Demonstrate your understanding of BCP/DR testing by describing specific test scenarios you've executed, especially for 24/7 operational systems

5

Show Azure-to-AWS transition experience or preparedness by mentioning multi-cloud architecture patterns or specific AWS services you've evaluated

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

['Your approach to securing platforms in safety-critical environments where reliability directly impacts product development and regulatory approval', 'Specific examples of modernizing legacy infrastructure (particularly Hyper-V/Active Directory) while maintaining operational continuity', 'Experience designing automated cloud services that support rapid iteration in hardware/software development environments', 'How your observability practices have prevented or minimized downtime in previous roles, especially in 24/7 operational contexts']

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Vertical Aerospace's specific eVTOL models (like the VX4) and their development timeline to understand platform demands
  • → Aviation regulatory environment (EASA/FAA) and how it might influence platform security and compliance requirements
  • → The company's partnerships with airlines and infrastructure providers to understand integration points for their platforms
  • → Recent news about their certification progress or test flights to discuss how platform reliability supports these milestones

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 Walk me through how you would secure an Azure AKS cluster supporting aircraft simulation software with strict uptime requirements
2 Describe your experience testing disaster recovery for hybrid environments - what scenarios did you test and how did you measure success?
3 How would you approach migrating remaining on-premise Hyper-V workloads to Azure while minimizing disruption to engineering teams?
4 What metrics would you implement in DataDog/Grafana to proactively identify platform issues before they impact aircraft development timelines?
5 Explain how you've used Terraform modules to standardize infrastructure deployment across development, testing, and production environments
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⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Presenting purely theoretical cloud knowledge without specific examples of production Azure deployments you've secured and maintained
  • Failing to demonstrate understanding of hybrid infrastructure challenges - treating cloud and on-premise as separate domains rather than integrated systems
  • Using generic automation examples without showing how your Terraform/Azure DevOps work improved security or reliability metrics

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

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Good luck with your application to Vertical Aerospace!

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