DevOps Engineer at Absa Bank

• Build and Optimize Pipelines: Architect and maintain high-availability CI/CD pipelines for multiple applications and microservices, with a focus on automation, efficiency, and minimal downtime.
• Automated Testing Integration: Integrate automated testing frameworks within CI/CD pipelines to ensure quality assurance at every stage, including unit, integration, and security tests.
• Deployment Automation and Canary Releases: Design deployment strategies that allow for rolling deployments, canary releases, and A/B testing, ensuring robust, zero-downtime deployment and rollback capabilities.

• Cloud Environment Setup and Maintenance: Oversee the architecture, provisioning, and optimization of cloud environments across AWS, Azure, or GCP, focusing on high availability, disaster recovery, and security compliance.
• Microservices and Container Strategy: Define and execute a containerization strategy using Docker, Kubernetes, and OpenShift, supporting the development of scalable microservices architecture.
• Serverless Architecture: Explore and implement serverless solutions where applicable to further reduce infrastructure overhead and increase development agility.

• Automate Infrastructure Provisioning: Lead the design and maintenance of infrastructure as code (IaC) frameworks with Terraform, Ansible, or CloudFormation to enable reproducibility, traceability, and efficient resource management.
• Policy as Code (PaC): Implement policy as code to automatically enforce security and compliance requirements across infrastructure resources, using tools like Open Policy Agent (OPA).
• Multi-Environment Management: Ensure consistency and stability across development, staging, and production environments by using version-controlled IaC scripts.

• Advanced Workflow Automation: Develop and maintain scripts and automation workflows to streamline complex infrastructure tasks, from resource provisioning to decommissioning and failover.
• Custom Tooling Development: Build custom scripts and tooling to bridge gaps between existing systems, enhancing DevOps workflows and enabling more efficient cross-functional collaboration.
• Self-Healing Systems: Leverage automation for self-healing capabilities, where systems can automatically respond to issues and incidents without requiring manual intervention.

• Legacy System Integration: Work with teams to seamlessly integrate legacy systems into a modern DevOps environment, identifying areas where modernization efforts can deliver the most impact.
• API Management and Orchestration: Support API-driven banking initiatives by creating standardized, secure, and scalable deployment frameworks for APIs, allowing for real-time and asynchronous service offerings.
• Data-Driven DevOps: Use data from DevOps metrics, application logs, and monitoring systems to inform continuous improvement and innovation in the DevOps pipeline.

• Comprehensive Monitoring Solutions: Design, implement, and maintain observability tools (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, ELK Stack, Datadog) that provide deep insight into application and infrastructure health.
• Proactive Incident Management: Set up proactive alerting systems and incident response processes to minimize downtime, including automated escalation protocols and incident management playbooks.

• End-to-End DevSecOps: Embed security measures directly into the CI/CD pipeline, incorporating vulnerability scanning, static application security testing (SAST), and dynamic application security testing (DAST).
• Secrets Management: Design and implement secure secrets management solutions (e.g., HashiCorp Vault) to safeguard sensitive information within DevOps workflows.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with development, security, and infrastructure teams to align DevOps practices with product requirements, security standards, and operational goals.
• Process Documentation and Knowledge Sharing: Create detailed documentation of DevOps practices, infrastructure configurations, deployment workflows, and troubleshooting guidelines, promoting knowledge sharing across teams.

• Resource Management: Continuously evaluate infrastructure performance and costs, recommending optimizations and implementing auto-scaling policies for resource efficiency.
• Capacity Planning: Conduct proactive capacity planning to anticipate scaling needs for infrastructure, ensuring that resources meet current and future demands.
• Load Testing and Performance Benchmarking: Perform load and stress testing on critical systems to identify performance bottlenecks, implementing optimizations to support peak loads.

• Stay Ahead of Emerging Technologies: Keep abreast of new technologies and industry trends, evaluating their potential for integration within the bank's DevOps environment.
• Continuous Process Optimization: Conduct regular retrospectives and DevOps health checks to identify areas for improvement, iterating on processes to enhance speed, reliability, and security.
• AI/ML in DevOps: Explore and implement AI-driven DevOps tools for predictive maintenance, anomaly detection, and workload optimization, supporting proactive, intelligent monitoring.

• Education: Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience: 5+ years of experience in DevOps or related roles, ideally within a highly regulated industry like finance.
• CI/CD Tools: Expertise with CI/CD tools such as Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, CircleCI, or Azure DevOps.
• Cloud Platforms: Deep experience with cloud infrastructure on AWS, GCP, or Azure, including a focus on networking, storage, compute, and security.
• IaC Tools: Proficient in Terraform, Ansible, or CloudFormation for defining and managing infrastructure as code.
• Containerization: Advanced skills with Docker and Kubernetes, with experience in deploying and managing containers at scale.
• Scripting and Automation: Strong scripting skills in Python, Bash, or PowerShell.
• Monitoring & Observability: Proficiency with monitoring tools like Prometheus, Grafana, ELK Stack, and Datadog.
• Security & Compliance: Knowledge of DevSecOps practices, including vulnerability scanning, secrets management, and secure CI/CD pipeline practices.
• Digital Transformation: Familiarity with digital transformation initiatives, including modern software development practices, microservices, and API-driven architectures.
• Nice to Have:
• Certifications: Relevant certifications like AWS Certified DevOps Engineer, Azure DevOps Engineer, Kubernetes CKA.
• AI/ML Knowledge: Familiarity with AI-driven automation tools for predictive maintenance and anomaly detection.
• Financial Regulations: Experience with PCI-DSS, GDPR, or other regulatory compliance requirements.
• ServiceNow Integration: Experience with ITSM integration for automated incident and request management.

• Translate Bus Requirements to Tech Solutions ( Solid)
• Strategic Thinking ( Solid)
• ITIL - Governance Framework ( Solid)
• Communication Skills (Written and Verbal) ( Solid)
• Subject matter expertise ( Solid)
• Understand the IT service delivery within a corporate environment ( Advanced)
• Conceptual thinking skills ( Solid)
• Ability to analyse, make decision and initiate act ( Solid)
• Experience with event-driven architectures and streaming platforms such as Kafka.
• Knowledge of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools, such as Terraform and AWS CloudFormation.
• Familiarity with network protocols, firewalls, load balancers, and DNS configurations.
• Experience with ITIL frameworks and service management tools like ServiceNow for incident, problem, and change management.

• Deciding and initiating action
• Learning and researching
• Entrepreneurial and commercial thinking
• Relating and networking
• Adapting and responding to change
• Persuading and influencing
• Creating and innovating

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