Senior DevOps Engineer (SME Level)

Role Overview

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior DevOps Engineer to join our team in Vancouver, BC. This role requires a hands-on Subject Matter Expert (SME) who can not only execute DevOps tasks but also provide strategic guidance, define best practices, and elevate the team’s DevOps maturity.

The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in CI/CD, AWS cloud infrastructure, automation, and DevOps architecture, along with the ability to mentor teams and influence technical direction.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation, and optimization of CI/CD pipelines to enable scalable and reliable software delivery.
• Act as a DevOps SME, providing best practice guidance, architectural recommendations, and technical leadership to internal teams.
• Design and manage cloud-native infrastructure on AWS, ensuring high availability, scalability, and security.
• Drive infrastructure as code (IaC) using Terraform for consistent and automated provisioning.
• Own and manage CI/CD tools including Jenkins, GitLab CI, Maven, Nexus/Artifactory, and related ecosystem tools.
• Implement and advocate modern DevOps practices such as GitOps, branching strategies, zero-downtime deployments, and automated testing integration.
• Automate operational processes using Python and Bash scripting in Linux environments.
• Provide administration and optimization of repositories and build tools including Artifactory/Nexus.
• Collaborate with development, QA, and infrastructure teams to streamline release processes and improve deployment frequency and reliability.
• Troubleshoot complex pipeline, infrastructure, and deployment issues across environments.
• Mentor junior engineers and uplift team capability in DevOps standards and practices.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in DevOps, Cloud Engineering, or related roles.
• Strong hands-on expertise in:
  • CI/CD tools: Jenkins, GitLab CI
  • Artifact management: Artifactory / Nexus (administration required)
  • Cloud platforms: AWS (mandatory)
  • Containerization: Docker
  • Infrastructure as Code: Terraform
  • Scripting: Python and Bash (Linux/Unix environments)
• Proven experience in designing DevOps architecture and implementing best practices.
• Deep understanding of:
  • CI/CD principles and pipeline design
  • Git workflows and branching strategies
  • Release management and zero-downtime deployment strategies
• Experience with build tools such as Maven and Make.
• Strong troubleshooting and performance optimization skills.

Soft Skills / Expectations

• Ability to operate as an SME and provide clear technical direction.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Proven ability to mentor teams and influence DevOps culture.
• Self-driven, proactive, and capable of working in a high-ownership environment.

Nice to Have

• Experience with Kubernetes or container orchestration.
• Exposure to monitoring and logging tools (e.g., Prometheus, ELK stack).
• Experience in large-scale enterprise or regulated environments.

This is not a task-execution role. The client is specifically looking for a senior-level engineer who can:

• Define and enforce DevOps best practices
• Act as a technical advisor and decision-maker
• Fill the current gap in DevOps leadership and architecture within the team