Platform Engineer - Observability & Performance
📍 Job Overview
- Job Title: Platform Engineer - Observability & Performance
- Company: Swissquote
- Location: Gland, Vaud, Switzerland
- Job Type: Full-time
- Category: DevOps Engineer
- Date Posted: 2025-07-04
- Experience Level: Mid-Senior level (2-5 years)
- Remote Status: On-site
🚀 Role Summary
- Drive situational awareness via telemetry, detection, and forecasting for Swissquote's IT infrastructure.
- Collaborate cross-functionally to collect actionable telemetry data and empower metric-driven decision-making.
- Design, implement, and manage advanced telemetry solutions aligned with Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) principles.
- 📝 Enhancement Note: This role requires a strong background in observability tools and a deep understanding of SRE principles to ensure high-performing and reliable IT systems.
💻 Primary Responsibilities
- Develop and deploy telemetry frameworks using tools like ELK Stack, Grafana, and Prometheus to monitor system performance, availability, and reliability.
- Design and implement alerting mechanisms with tools like PagerDuty to enable rapid anomaly detection and response.
- Analyze telemetry data to identify trends, performance bottlenecks, and potential issues, providing actionable insights.
- Enable teams to perform root-cause analysis and proactively detect performance issues through layman dashboards to enhance system resilience.
- Support IT management in automating and tracking Service Level Objectives (SLOs), Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and error budgets in alignment with SRE principles.
- Drive FinOps initiatives by optimizing observability-related costs for internal cloud and implementing self-service metrics, logs, and traces.
- Generate comprehensive reports for IT management on system health, incident trends, compliance requirements, and regulatory needs.
- Contribute to continuous improvement by recommending and implementing telemetry-driven enhancements to IT infrastructure.
🎓 Skills & Qualifications
Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field involving programming.
Experience: 2-5 years of experience in a similar role, with a strong focus on observability tools and SRE principles.
Required Skills:
- Infrastructure as Code and GitOps principles, with tools like GitHub Actions, Ansible, or Terraform.
- Observability tools, with tools like ELK, Grafana, Prometheus, or OpenTelemetry.
- Alerting & on-call experience, with tools like Nagios, PagerDuty, or incident.io.
- Strong knowledge of development, operations, networking, storage, or security.
- Proficiency in at least one programming language such as Python, Go, Rust, Java, or Bash.
- Systematic approach to problem-solving and a strong sense of ownership, accountability, and communication.
Preferred Skills:
- Experience deploying and managing observability solutions in Kubernetes, containerized environments, or standalone VMs.
- Understanding of modern IT infrastructure (Kubernetes, containers, service mesh, standalone VMs).
- Expertise in defining and implementing SLOs, KPIs, and error budgets following SRE principles.
- Familiarity with FinOps practices and tools like OpenCost for cost optimization.
- Proficiency with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like Terraform or Ansible for maintaining observability infrastructure.
- Ability to quickly learn and adopt emerging technologies, methodologies, and solutions.
- Knowledge of distributed tracing tools (e.g., APM, OpenTelemetry, Jaeger, Zipkin) and their application in complex architectures.
📊 Web Portfolio & Project Requirements
Portfolio Essentials:
- Demonstrate your proficiency in observability tools and alerting mechanisms through relevant projects.
- Showcase your ability to analyze telemetry data and provide actionable insights with real-world examples.
- Highlight your experience in driving FinOps initiatives and optimizing observability-related costs.
Technical Documentation:
- Provide documentation on your approach to designing and implementing telemetry solutions.
- Explain your methods for enabling root-cause analysis and enhancing system resilience.
- Include any reports or presentations you've created for IT management on system health and incident trends.
💵 Compensation & Benefits
Salary Range: CHF 90,000 - 120,000 per year (based on experience and market research)
Benefits:
- Competitive salary and bonus structure.
- Comprehensive health insurance and pension plan.
- Flexible working hours and remote work options.
- Access to cutting-edge technologies and continuous learning opportunities.
- A dynamic, innovative, and multicultural work environment.
Working Hours: Full-time (40 hours/week), with flexible working hours and maintenance windows as needed.
🎯 Team & Company Context
Company Culture
- Industry: Financial Services and Technology.
- Company Size: Medium (1,001-5,000 employees).
- Founded: 1996.
Team Structure:
- The IT Observability & Performance team is responsible for delivering situational awareness via telemetry, detection, and forecasting.
- The team collaborates cross-functionally with IT management and other teams to collect actionable telemetry data and empower metric-driven decision-making.
- The team follows SRE principles outlined in the SRE Handbook to ensure high-performing and reliable IT systems.
Development Methodology:
- The team follows Agile/Scrum methodologies for development and deployment.
- They use GitHub Actions for CI/CD pipelines and Git for version control.
- The team employs a collaborative approach to code review, testing, and quality assurance.
Company Website: www.swissquote.com
📈 Career & Growth Analysis
Web Technology Career Level: Mid-Senior level (2-5 years) Platform Engineer, responsible for designing, implementing, and managing advanced telemetry solutions to ensure the reliability and efficiency of financial systems.
Reporting Structure: Reports directly to the IT Observability & Performance Team Lead and collaborates with IT management and cross-functional teams.
Technical Impact: This role has a significant impact on the reliability, performance, and cost-efficiency of Swissquote's IT infrastructure. The Platform Engineer's work enables data-driven decision-making, enhances system resilience, and optimizes observability-related costs.
Growth Opportunities:
- Technical Growth: Develop expertise in emerging observability tools and SRE best practices, with opportunities to lead projects and mentor junior team members.
- Leadership Growth: Gain experience in defining and implementing SLOs, KPIs, and error budgets, with potential career progression into a team lead or architecture role.
- Career Transition: Build a strong foundation in observability and SRE principles, opening up opportunities to transition into related roles such as Site Reliability Engineer or DevOps Engineer.
🌐 Work Environment
Office Type: Modern, open-plan offices with collaborative workspaces and state-of-the-art technology.
Office Location(s): Gland, Vaud, Switzerland.
Workspace Context:
- The office provides multiple monitors, testing devices, and development tools to support observability and performance analysis.
- The workspace encourages collaboration and knowledge sharing among team members and cross-functional teams.
- The work environment is dynamic, innovative, and multicultural, with a flexible dress code and work-life balance.
Work Schedule: Full-time (40 hours/week), with flexible working hours and maintenance windows as needed. Some on-call responsibilities may be required.
📄 Application & Technical Interview Process
Interview Process:
- Technical Phone Screen (30 minutes): Discuss your experience with observability tools, alerting mechanisms, and SRE principles. Prepare for questions on your approach to problem-solving and system analysis.
- Technical Deep Dive (60 minutes): Demonstrate your proficiency in designing and implementing telemetry solutions. Be prepared to discuss your experience with data analysis and performance optimization.
- Behavioral and Cultural Fit Interview (30 minutes): Discuss your approach to collaboration, communication, and continuous learning. Prepare for questions on your experience working in a dynamic, multicultural environment.
- Final Interview with Hiring Manager (30 minutes): Discuss your long-term career goals and how this role can help you achieve them. Prepare for questions on your understanding of Swissquote's business and industry trends.
Portfolio Review Tips:
- Highlight your experience with observability tools and alerting mechanisms.
- Showcase your ability to analyze telemetry data and provide actionable insights.
- Include any reports or presentations you've created for IT management on system health and incident trends.
- 📝 Enhancement Note: Tailor your portfolio to demonstrate your understanding of Swissquote's business and the specific challenges faced by the IT Observability & Performance team.
Technical Challenge Preparation:
- Brush up on your knowledge of observability tools, alerting mechanisms, and SRE principles.
- Familiarize yourself with Swissquote's tech stack and industry trends.
- Prepare for questions on your approach to problem-solving, data analysis, and performance optimization.
ATS Keywords: Observability, Telemetry, FinOps, SRE, Infrastructure as Code, GitOps, ELK Stack, Grafana, Prometheus, Alerting, Python, Go, Rust, Java, Bash, Kubernetes, Agile, Scrum, Git, GitHub Actions, CI/CD, Code Review, Testing, Quality Assurance, Site Reliability Engineering, Incident Management, Performance Optimization, Cost Optimization, Data Analysis, Reporting, Teamwork, Collaboration, Communication, Problem-Solving, System Analysis, Continuous Learning, Dynamic Environment, Multicultural Team.
📌 Application Steps
To apply for this Platform Engineer - Observability & Performance position:
- Update Your Resume: Highlight your experience with observability tools, alerting mechanisms, and SRE principles. Emphasize your problem-solving skills and approach to data analysis and performance optimization.
- Prepare Your Portfolio: Tailor your portfolio to demonstrate your understanding of Swissquote's business and the specific challenges faced by the IT Observability & Performance team. Include relevant projects and case studies that showcase your technical skills and achievements.
- Research Swissquote: Familiarize yourself with Swissquote's business, industry trends, and tech stack. Prepare for questions on your understanding of the company and its mission.
- Prepare for the Interview: Brush up on your knowledge of observability tools, alerting mechanisms, and SRE principles. Prepare for questions on your approach to problem-solving, data analysis, and performance optimization. Practice your communication and collaboration skills to ensure a strong cultural fit.
⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.
Content Guidelines (IMPORTANT: Do not include this in the output)
Web Technology-Specific Focus:
- Tailor the role summary, primary responsibilities, and skills & qualifications sections to highlight the Platform Engineer's focus on observability, telemetry, and SRE principles.
- Include specific observability tools, alerting mechanisms, and programming languages relevant to the role.
- Address the Platform Engineer's impact on Swissquote's IT infrastructure, system resilience, and cost-efficiency.
- Provide detailed guidance on portfolio requirements, technical interview preparation, and ATS keywords specific to observability and SRE roles.
Quality Standards:
- Ensure no content overlap between sections and maintain a consistent, professional tone throughout the document.
- Only include Enhancement Notes when making significant inferences about the role, company culture, or web technology industry standards.
- Be comprehensive but concise, prioritizing actionable information over descriptive text.
- Strategically distribute web technology and SRE-related keywords throughout all sections naturally.
- Provide a realistic salary range based on location, experience level, and market research for observability and SRE roles.
Industry Expertise:
- Include specific observability tools, alerting mechanisms, and SRE best practices relevant to the role.
- Address the Platform Engineer's role in driving FinOps initiatives and optimizing observability-related costs.
- Provide tactical advice for portfolio development, live demonstrations, and project case studies specific to observability and SRE roles.
- Include web technology-specific interview preparation and coding challenge guidance for observability and SRE roles.
- Emphasize the Platform Engineer's role in enhancing system resilience, performance, and cost-efficiency through data-driven decision-making.
Professional Standards:
- Maintain consistent formatting, spacing, and professional tone throughout the document.
- Use observability, SRE, and web technology industry terminology appropriately and accurately.
- Include comprehensive benefits and growth opportunities relevant to observability and SRE professionals.
- Provide actionable insights that give observability and SRE candidates a competitive advantage.
- Focus on the Platform Engineer's role in driving IT forward with resilience, transparency, and data-driven decision-making.
Technical Focus & Portfolio Emphasis:
- Emphasize the Platform Engineer's role in designing, implementing, and managing advanced telemetry solutions.
- Include specific portfolio requirements tailored to observability and SRE roles, such as demonstrating proficiency in observability tools, alerting mechanisms, and data analysis.
- Address the Platform Engineer's role in enabling root-cause analysis, enhancing system resilience, and optimizing observability-related costs.
- Focus on problem-solving methods, performance optimization, and scalable IT architecture.
- Include technical presentation skills and stakeholder communication for observability and SRE projects.
Avoid:
- Generic business jargon not relevant to observability, SRE, or web technology roles.
- Placeholder text or incomplete sections.
- Repetitive content across different sections.
- Non-technical terminology unless relevant to observability, SRE, or web technology roles.
- Marketing language unrelated to observability, SRE, or web technology roles.
Generate comprehensive, web technology-focused content that serves as a valuable resource for observability and SRE professionals seeking their next opportunity and preparing for technical interviews in the web development industry.
Application Requirements
Candidates should have a BS/MS in Computer Science or a related field, along with hands-on experience in observability tools and Infrastructure as Code principles. Proficiency in at least one programming language and a systematic approach to problem-solving are essential.