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Tech Engineer Job Description - Key Responsibilities and Required Skills

💰 $95,000 - $145,000

EngineeringTechnologyInfrastructureDevOpsCloud Computing

🎯 Role Definition

As a Tech Engineer, you are the backbone of our technology platform, the crucial link between software development and operational excellence. You will be instrumental in designing, building, and maintaining the scalable, resilient, and secure infrastructure that powers our services. This is a hands-on role for a proactive problem-solver who thrives on automating processes, optimizing system performance, and ensuring our platform's reliability. You will work closely with development teams to create a seamless, efficient lifecycle for our applications, from code commit to production deployment. If you are passionate about building world-class systems and fostering a culture of technical innovation, we want to hear from you.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Systems Administrator
  • Junior DevOps Engineer
  • Software Engineer (with an interest in infrastructure)
  • IT Support Engineer

Advancement To:

  • Senior Tech Engineer / Senior Platform Engineer
  • Tech Lead / Engineering Manager
  • Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) Lead
  • Cloud Architect

Lateral Moves:

  • DevOps Engineer
  • Site Reliability Engineer (SRE)
  • Security Engineer

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Design, provision, and manage scalable and secure cloud infrastructure on platforms like AWS, Azure, or GCP using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) principles with tools such as Terraform or CloudFormation.
  • Develop and maintain robust, automated CI/CD pipelines to streamline the build, testing, and deployment of applications, significantly reducing deployment times and manual intervention.
  • Architect, build, and operate containerized environments using Docker and container orchestration platforms like Kubernetes (EKS, GKE, AKS) or Nomad.
  • Implement and manage comprehensive monitoring, logging, and alerting systems (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, ELK Stack, Datadog) to ensure high availability and proactive issue resolution.
  • Automate routine infrastructure management, system administration, and operational tasks using scripting languages like Python, Go, or Bash to improve efficiency and reduce human error.
  • Troubleshoot and resolve complex production incidents, performing deep-dive root cause analysis (RCA) and implementing preventative measures to avoid future occurrences.
  • Collaborate with software engineering teams to provide self-service tools and platforms that enhance developer productivity and improve the overall developer experience.
  • Ensure the security of the infrastructure by implementing and enforcing security best practices, managing access controls, and conducting regular vulnerability assessments and system patching.
  • Manage and optimize cloud costs by implementing cost-saving strategies, monitoring usage, and recommending resource right-sizing and reservations.
  • Participate in a 24/7 on-call rotation to respond to and resolve critical system alerts and production outages in a timely manner.
  • Administer and maintain Linux/Windows server environments, ensuring they are stable, patched, and configured according to best practices.
  • Develop and maintain clear, comprehensive documentation for system architectures, configurations, processes, and operational runbooks.
  • Evaluate new technologies, tools, and industry trends to make recommendations that will drive innovation and improve our technical capabilities.
  • Perform performance tuning and capacity planning for critical systems to ensure they can handle current and future workloads.
  • Manage network infrastructure, including VPCs, subnets, firewalls, load balancers, and DNS to ensure secure and reliable connectivity.
  • Implement and manage configuration management tools like Ansible, Puppet, or Chef to ensure consistency across all server environments.
  • Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior engineers, fostering a culture of knowledge sharing and continuous improvement within the team.
  • Support database administration tasks, including backup/restore procedures, performance monitoring, and query optimization for both SQL and NoSQL databases.
  • Design and implement disaster recovery and business continuity plans, performing regular drills to ensure their effectiveness.
  • Act as a key technical resource on cross-functional projects, providing expertise on infrastructure, scalability, and reliability requirements.
  • Develop custom tools and integrations to bridge gaps in existing systems and streamline operational workflows.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
  • Author and contribute to internal and external technical articles and blog posts.
  • Represent the engineering team in technical discussions with external vendors and partners.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Cloud Platforms: Deep expertise in at least one major cloud provider (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
  • Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Proficiency with Terraform, CloudFormation, or similar tools.
  • Containerization & Orchestration: Strong hands-on experience with Docker and Kubernetes.
  • CI/CD Pipelines: Experience building and managing pipelines using tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI, CircleCI, or Azure DevOps.
  • Scripting & Automation: Strong programming skills in Python, Go, or Bash for automation and tool development.
  • Operating Systems: Advanced knowledge of Linux administration (Ubuntu, CentOS, RHEL).
  • Monitoring & Observability: Experience with tools like Prometheus, Grafana, Datadog, Splunk, or the ELK Stack.
  • Configuration Management: Experience with Ansible, Puppet, Chef, or SaltStack.
  • Networking: Solid understanding of TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP, VPNs, and cloud networking concepts.
  • Databases: Familiarity with managing and operating both SQL (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL) and NoSQL (e.g., MongoDB, DynamoDB) databases.
  • Security: Knowledge of infrastructure security best practices, IAM, and vulnerability management.

Soft Skills

  • Complex Problem-Solving: Ability to diagnose and resolve intricate technical issues under pressure.
  • Strong Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills to articulate technical concepts to diverse audiences.
  • Collaboration & Teamwork: A collaborative mindset with a proven ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams.
  • Ownership & Accountability: A strong sense of ownership for the systems you build and manage.
  • Adaptability: Ability to learn quickly and adapt to new technologies and changing priorities.
  • Mentorship: Willingness to guide and support junior team members.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in a technical field or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related engineering discipline.
  • Relevant industry certifications (e.g., AWS Certified DevOps Engineer, Certified Kubernetes Administrator).

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Computer Science
  • Software Engineering
  • Information Systems

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3-7 years of experience in a systems engineering, DevOps, or platform engineering role.

Preferred:

  • Experience working in a large-scale, high-availability production environment.
  • Proven track record of automating manual processes and improving system reliability.
  • Experience in an agile development environment.
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