Software Engineer - Cloud - Intermediate

Electrum is a next-generation payment software technology company.

Since 2012, we've delivered trusted, enterprise-grade, cloud-native software to optimise financial transaction processing. Our deep expertise has established us as a respected partner in high-volume, low-value payment schemes, enabling clients to deliver services to millions of South Africans daily.

At Electrum, we are grounded in impact – designing solutions that matter, acting with urgency, and continuously learning as we scale. We believe in creating together – working side by side with our clients and teams to build meaningful, lasting solutions. We prioritise making it safe – encouraging open communication, smart risk-taking, and trust so that creativity and alignment thrive. And we back empowered strong teams – hiring brilliant people, collaborating hard, and holding each other to high standards while leading with empathy and kindness.

When you join the Electrum team, you’ll get to:

• Be part of the entire journey — from the spark of an idea to the final product launch.

• Grow your skills through world-class training and hands-on learning every day.

• Receive mentorship and guidance from industry leaders who are invested in your success.

• Work in a dynamic, innovative workplace where collaboration and creativity thrive.

• Tackle real-world customer challenges and see the impact of your work firsthand.

• Explore plenty of opportunities to grow your career and expand your expertise.

• Gain valuable experience in a leading FinTech environment, contributing to meaningful, high-impact projects.

The Role As an Intermediate Cloud Engineer (with a background in Software Engineering), you will not be a traditional cloud support admin reacting to support tickets or clicking through the AWS console. Instead, you will treat our cloud infrastructure as a product, and our internal developers as your customers.

Your mission is to make the right path the easiest path by balancing a simple cloud experience with the discipline required to scale safely. You will be responsible for automating the management of the infrastructure that underpins Electrum's platform, and for building the self-service tooling that empowers our stream-aligned product teams to deploy secure cloud infrastructure autonomously. We are transitioning to a fully automated, "hands-off" cloud operation where guardrails are favoured over gatekeeping, and state enforcement replaces manual patching.

Responsibilities

• Architecting, deploying, and managing AWS cloud-based production systems strictly through Infrastructure as Code, driving our IaC strategy via AWS CDK and CloudFormation.

• Building, automating, and maintaining foundational networking across the estate (Legacy IPSec Tunnels, AWS Networking, routing, etc).

• Building automated guardrails and self-service tooling that ensure the availability, performance, and scalability of AWS production systems - without acting as a manual gatekeeper.

• Developing Java and Python software that eliminates operational toil (e.g., zero-downtime upgrades, automated maintenance, fleet-wide patch management).

• Deep system troubleshooting across the cloud infrastructure stack, specifically diagnosing complex Linux connectivity and networking issues.

• Enforcing infrastructure state and preventing configuration drift across many environments using IaC constructs.

• Driving FinOps initiatives by implementing automated cost-optimisation frameworks, rightsizing lifecycles, and financial governance.

• Consolidating and modernising secure access (e.g., moving from legacy VPNs to Zero Trust architecture) by leveraging best practices and cloud security solutions.

• Definition, deployment, and management of automated metrics, logging, monitoring, and alerting to enable system self-reporting.

Requirements

• Minimum of 3+ years’ experience working with AWS infrastructure in a DevOps, SRE, Platform, or Cloud Engineering role.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).

• AWS Certifications are beneficial (e.g. AWS Certified Solutions Architect or SysOps Administrator).

• Strong coding and object-oriented programming skills, with proven experience automating cloud operations, including hands-on development in Java and Python.

• Strong no-console Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) mindset with hands-on expertise driving AWS CDK and CloudFormation (Terraform experience is also valued).

• Deep understanding of building AWS Networking fundamentals (VPC architecture, CIDR subnetting, Transit Gateways, Network basics) and strong Linux system administration.

• Understanding of Kubernetes and hands-on experience with kubectl, OpenLens, and Argo CD (or similar CI/CD tooling).

• Experience embedding observability (e.g., CloudWatch, Prometheus, Grafana, ELK) directly into infrastructure design.

• Strong awareness of cloud economics, with the ability to execute cost monitoring and optimisation strategies in AWS.

• Familiarity with security best practices in cloud environments.

Benefits

Why Join Electrum?

• We believe in a People First approach, ensuring a culture where you can thrive and make a real difference

Your Career & Culture

• Career Growth: Delivering world-class financial software is challenging, but your effort will earn you hands-on experience with products used by millions, accelerating your career.

• Strong Teams: We keep teams small, focused, and collaborative to maximize impact.

• Transparency: We openly discuss strategy, finances, and salaries. Mistakes are viewed as learning opportunities that we actively discuss.

• Autonomy: We trust you. You're expected to seek out the data needed for informed decisions and manage your own time—knowing when to focus and when to recharge.

• Shared Vision: You'll have the power to shape the vision of how we build the future of financial services.

Practical Perks

• Here's how we support our culture:

•

• Flexible Work: Office-first environment with flexible hours.

• Generous Leave: Starting at 20 days per year.

• Office Perks (Cape Town): Fully-stocked kitchen and daily catered lunch.

• Social Life: Regular team activities like hikes, getaways, and dinners