The market
What we know about this market
Platform and infrastructure roles are among the hardest to fill in the Australian market. Engineers with AWS or GCP depth, strong Kubernetes experience, and the communication skills to work with product engineering teams are genuinely scarce. Security-aware platform engineers are even rarer. Day rates for contract platform/SRE engineers have risen significantly - senior contractors in Melbourne now clear $1,100 to $1,500 per day.
If you want to talk through how this affects your specific search - timing, competing offers, or how to position the role - book a call and we will give you a direct read on the current market.
Engagement models
How we engage for platform & devops
Permanent placement
Targeted headhunt for senior platform & devops on permanent contracts. Shortlists in five business days, every candidate interviewed by Filip, 12-month replacement guarantee.
Contract / Labour hire
Senior platform engineers and SREs for AWS/GCP, Kubernetes, infrastructure-as-code, and observability engagements. Available for migrations, build-outs, and bridge resourcing.
AUD $1,100–$1,500/day ex GST
IT Labour Hire →Technologies
Stacks we recruit for
2026 data
Salary bands
Australian base salaries excluding superannuation. Figures are indicative — actual offers vary by company stage, location, and candidate seniority.
Senior Platform / SRE Engineer
$180k - $230k base
Staff Platform Engineer
$220k - $270k base
Head of Platform / Infrastructure
$250k - $310k base
Track record
Recent platform & devops placements
Senior DevOps Engineer | Scaling Technology Business
The client was experiencing significant growth and required a DevOps engineer with Kubernetes, AWS, and CI/CD expertise. Following a targeted search, the role was filled with a candidate who had previously worked in a high-growth engineering environment. Salary $180,000 plus super.
Cloud Infrastructure Engineer | Venture-backed Fintech
A venture-backed fintech required a cloud engineer with strong AWS and infrastructure-as-code experience to support rapid growth. The successful candidate had previously worked in a high-availability environment and joined after a streamlined two-stage interview process. Salary $160,000 plus super.
Common questions
FAQ
What is the difference between a platform engineer and a DevOps engineer?
The distinction varies by company. In practice, platform engineers typically build and own the internal developer platform - tooling, pipelines, environments. DevOps engineers are often closer to application delivery. SREs focus on reliability and incident response. We help you define what you actually need before you start interviewing.
Do you recruit Kubernetes specialists?
Yes. Kubernetes expertise is increasingly standard for senior platform roles. We look for engineers who have operated clusters at production scale, not just those who have completed the CKA certification.
Ready to start a search?
Book a 30-minute intake call. We will discuss your specific requirements and confirm we are the right fit before we begin.