Platform Engineer Secure Administration Environment - a venture between Thales and Google

Thales is a global technology leader trusted by governments, institutions, and enterprises to tackle their most demanding challenges. From quantum applications and artificial intelligence to cybersecurity and 6G innovation, our solutions empower critical decisions rooted in human intelligence. Operating at the forefront of defence and security, aerospace and space, cybersecurity and digital identity, we’re driven by a mission to build a future we can all trust.

In Romania, we are advancing innovation through software engineering, research and development, delivering solutions in key markets in which Thales Group operates. Our engineers design, develop and integrate solutions that impact global industries – from fully operational systems and subsystems for naval warfare and maritime security operations, to air traffic management systems, satellite-based solutions, tactical indoor simulations, identity and biometric technologies and more.

📍 Bucharest - Hybrid (3 office / 2 remote) | Occasional travel to Paris / Berlin
🗓 Start: ASAP | English-speaking team

If you've ever wanted to run NixOS at industrial scale, in production, in a regulated environment - keep reading.

🌍 THE PROJECT

A trusted, sovereign Google Cloud region - operated end-to-end from within Europe by the joint venture between Thales and Google Cloud.

Same Google Cloud power you know (GKE, compute, data, Vertex AI).
European jurisdiction. European operators. Thales-grade cybersecurity.

In the last 6 months alone, the platform:
✅ Achieved a world-first regulatory qualification - IaaS + CaaS + PaaS in a single decision
✅ Named 2026 Google Cloud Partner of the Year - Sovereign Cloud
✅ Runs 3 data centres, 10,000+ devices, H100 GPU clusters in production

Your job: build the hardened admin terminals and virtualized environments operators use to run the platform.

🛠 WHAT YOU'LL OWN

▸ Build secure Linux system images (NixOS preferred)
▸ Operate hardened admin environments - access control, isolation, patching
▸ Manage virtualization (VMware, KVM) and config at scale
▸ Automate VM image lifecycle (creation, updates, versioning, compliance)
▸ Bake hardening into the image pipeline, not bolt it on
▸ Secure access to platform resources - IAM, bastion patterns, audit trails

🎯 WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Must-have:
▸ 5+ years in Systems / Platform / Infrastructure Engineering
▸ Strong Linux system admin
▸ Virtualization (VMware, KVM, or similar)
▸ Hands-on building system images / VM templates
▸ Solid security hardening practices
▸ Bash

Nice to have:
▸ NixOS 
▸ Terraform / Ansible
▸ Regulated / high-security environments

💡 WHY THIS ROLE IS DIFFERENT

NixOS in production, at hyperscaler scale, in a regulated cloud - maybe 5 places in Europe doing this right now. This is one.
You define the standard, not maintain someone else's images.
Every audit pass depends on what you build.

🎁 WHAT YOU GET

Competitive package + standard Thales benefits (private medical, meal vouchers, sport). Real ownership in a Bucharest team building the operational backbone of European critical infrastructure.

👋 SOUND LIKE YOU?

If you've hardened Linux images for real production, want to push declarative configuration into a regulated environment, and care about the difference between "it works" and "it's reproducible" - let's talk.

#LI-AB3

At Thales, we’re committed to fostering a workplace where respect, trust, collaboration, and passion drive everything we do. Here, you’ll feel empowered to bring your best self, thrive in a supportive culture, and love the work you do. Join us, and be part of a team reimagining technology to create solutions that truly make a difference – for a safer, greener, and more inclusive world.