📍 Job Overview

Job Title: (Senior) Platform Engineer (f/m/d) - Site Reliability
Company: SAP LeanIX
Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia
Job Type: Full-Time, Hybrid (3 days on-site per week)
Category: DevOps, Site Reliability Engineering
Date Posted: 2024-09-02
Experience Level: 2-5 years
Remote Status: Hybrid (remote work available, with on-site requirements)

🚀 Role Summary

Key Responsibilities: Optimize visibility and reliability, drive proactive incident response, enhance logging systems, and manage data stores with a focus on security and disaster recovery.
Key Technologies: Microsoft Azure, Kubernetes, Istio, Argo CD, GitHub Actions, Terraform, Ansible, Instana, Grafana, Fluent Bit, PagerDuty, Java, Kotlin, PostgreSQL, Event Streaming, Redis, Elasticsearch, Kafka, REST, GraphQL.
Team Context: Collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams to develop scalable and secure microservices and APIs, working in two-week sprints based on Scrum.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role requires a strong customer-centric mindset and a drive to take on ownership over product capabilities or technical components. The Platform teams have a wide range of topics, with a focus on optimizing visibility, reliability, and cultivating a 'shift-left' approach.

💻 Primary Responsibilities

Optimize Visibility and Reliability: Elevate observability by enabling engineering teams with sophisticated Application Performance Monitoring (APM), Real User Monitoring (RUM), and Infrastructure Monitoring. Enhance and streamline alerting systems, driving towards a proactive and actionable incident response paradigm.
Enhance Logging Systems: Implement and upgrade efficient logging systems, always maintaining stringent security and privacy standards.
Manage Data Stores: Manage and optimize primary data stores alongside secure and efficient disaster recovery (DR) mechanisms.
Collaborate and Share Knowledge: Contribute to cross-team knowledge building and sharing, with explicit options to share knowledge across the entire company and beyond, such as on conferences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role involves working with various teams and contributing to their success by providing reliable and scalable infrastructure. It requires strong communication skills and the ability to understand and address the needs of different stakeholders.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field. Relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.

Experience: 3 to 5 years of working experience in a similar role, with a strong preference for experience with Azure.

Required Skills:

Proficiency in administrating Kubernetes and container orchestration.
Experience with Application Performance Monitoring (APM), Real User Monitoring (RUM), Infrastructure Monitoring, and other observability tools.
Deep understanding of public cloud providers, with a strong preference for experience with Azure.
Experience in building and maintaining distributed services with Java or Kotlin.
Familiarity with cloud automation tools like Terraform.
Working knowledge of PostgreSQL.
Experience in managing secure secrets with tools like HashiCorp Vault or Azure Key Vault.

Preferred Skills:

Experience with Argo CD, GitHub Actions, Ansible, Instana, Grafana, Fluent Bit, and PagerDuty.
Familiarity with event streaming, Redis, Elasticsearch, Kafka, REST, and GraphQL.
Strong problem-solving skills and a customer-focused mindset.
Ability to work in a product and customer-focused team, taking ownership and driving topics.

📊 Web Portfolio & Project Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

Demonstrate a strong understanding of Kubernetes and container orchestration with live examples or projects.
Showcase experience with observability tools, such as APM, RUM, and infrastructure monitoring, with relevant project case studies.
Highlight proficiency in cloud automation tools like Terraform, with examples of infrastructure as code (IaC) projects.
Display a solid understanding of data stores and disaster recovery mechanisms, with relevant project examples.

Technical Documentation:

Provide clear and well-commented code, demonstrating a commitment to code quality and maintainability.
Include documentation on version control, deployment processes, and server configuration.
Showcase testing methodologies, performance metrics, and optimization techniques used in previous projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio should emphasize the candidate's ability to optimize visibility, reliability, and proactively manage incidents. It should also demonstrate a strong understanding of cloud providers, preferably Azure, and a commitment to security and privacy standards.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: €45,000 - €65,000 per year (gross salary, based on experience and qualifications). This range is estimated based on market research and regional adjustments for the Slovenian job market.

Benefits:

Flexible working hours and remote work options.
A modern and well-equipped working environment, with options to work from home or on-site.
Access to the latest tools and technologies.
Opportunities for professional development and growth.
A well-rested and well-rounded team with interests outside their job.
A hybrid work mode that allows for a healthy work-life balance.

Working Hours: Full-time (40 hours per week), with flexible hours and remote work options available.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is estimated based on market research and regional adjustments for the Slovenian job market. Actual salary offers may vary depending on the candidate's qualifications and experience.

🎯 Team & Company Context

Company Culture:

Industry: Software as a Service (SaaS), Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM).
Company Size: Medium to large (700+ employees across multiple locations).
Founded: SAP LeanIX was founded in 2012 and became part of SAP in November 2023.
Team Structure: The company has cross-functional engineering teams that develop scalable and secure microservices and APIs. The Platform teams have a wide range of topics, with a focus on optimizing visibility, reliability, and cultivating a 'shift-left' approach.
Development Methodology: The company uses Scrum for project management, with two-week sprints and a focus on continuous improvement and collaboration.

Company Website: https://www.leanix.net/en/company/career

📝 Enhancement Note: SAP LeanIX values open access to leadership, transparent communication, personal development, and a high degree of automation. The company prioritizes continuous improvement, collaboration, and sharing knowledge, with a focus on empowering product teams and rewarding outcomes rather than just output.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Web Technology Career Level: Senior Platform Engineer - Site Reliability. This role requires a high level of technical expertise and experience in managing and optimizing infrastructure for scalability, reliability, and performance. It involves working with various teams and contributing to their success by providing reliable and scalable infrastructure.

Reporting Structure: The role reports directly to the Engineering Manager of the Platform team. The Platform teams work closely with cross-functional engineering teams, contributing to their success by providing reliable and scalable infrastructure.

Technical Impact: The role has a significant impact on the reliability, scalability, and performance of the company's products and services. It requires a strong understanding of the company's technology stack and the ability to make informed decisions about infrastructure management.

Growth Opportunities:

Technical Growth: Opportunities for technical specialization and leadership within the Platform team or other engineering teams.
Mentoring: Opportunities to mentor junior team members and contribute to their professional development.
Architecture Decisions: Opportunities to influence architecture decisions and drive the evolution of the company's technology stack.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role offers significant opportunities for technical growth and leadership. It requires a strong understanding of the company's technology stack and the ability to make informed decisions about infrastructure management.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Modern, well-equipped offices with options to work from home or on-site.

Office Location(s): Bonn, Germany; Ljubljana, Slovenia; Berlin, Germany; Dresden, Germany.

Workspace Context:

Collaborative Workspace: The company encourages cross-functional collaboration and knowledge sharing, with dedicated spaces for team meetings and workshops.
Development Tools: The company provides access to the latest tools and technologies, with multiple monitors and testing devices available for web development and infrastructure management.
Team Interaction: The company fosters a culture of open communication and collaboration, with regular team meetings and one-on-one sessions.

Work Schedule: Hybrid work mode, with 3 days on-site per week and flexible hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's work environment is designed to support collaboration, knowledge sharing, and professional development. It offers a healthy work-life balance with flexible hours and remote work options.

📄 Application & Technical Interview Process

Interview Process:

Technical Preparation: Familiarize yourself with the company's technology stack, with a focus on Microsoft Azure, Kubernetes, and Istio. Brush up on your knowledge of observability tools, cloud automation, and data store management.
Online Assessment: Complete an online assessment to evaluate your technical skills and problem-solving abilities.
Technical Deep Dive: Participate in a technical deep dive to discuss your approach to optimizing visibility, reliability, and incident response. Be prepared to share your experience with cloud providers, preferably Azure, and your understanding of security and privacy standards.
Final Evaluation: Participate in a final evaluation to discuss your cultural fit and long-term potential within the company.

Portfolio Review Tips:

Portfolio Structure: Organize your portfolio with a clear and concise structure, highlighting your most relevant projects and accomplishments.
Project Case Studies: Include detailed case studies that demonstrate your ability to optimize visibility, reliability, and proactively manage incidents. Highlight your understanding of cloud providers, preferably Azure, and your commitment to security and privacy standards.
Code Quality: Ensure your code is well-commented, well-documented, and demonstrates a commitment to maintainability and best practices.

Technical Challenge Preparation:

Challenge Format: Familiarize yourself with the company's preferred coding challenge format and prepare accordingly.
Time Management: Practice time management skills to ensure you can complete the challenge within the given time frame.
Communication: Prepare to communicate your thought process and technical decisions clearly and concisely.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to evaluate the candidate's technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit. It requires a strong understanding of the company's technology stack and a commitment to optimizing visibility, reliability, and incident response.

🛠 Technology Stack & Web Infrastructure

Frontend Technologies: N/A (not applicable for this role)

Backend & Server Technologies:

Microsoft Azure: Proficiency in Azure is required, with a strong preference for experience with Azure.
Kubernetes: Proficiency in Kubernetes and container orchestration is required.
Istio: Familiarity with Istio is preferred.
Argo CD: Familiarity with Argo CD is preferred.
GitHub Actions: Familiarity with GitHub Actions is preferred.
Terraform: Proficiency in Terraform is required.
Ansible: Familiarity with Ansible is preferred.
Instana: Familiarity with Instana is preferred.
Grafana: Familiarity with Grafana is preferred.
Fluent Bit: Familiarity with Fluent Bit is preferred.
PagerDuty: Familiarity with PagerDuty is preferred.
Java: Proficiency in Java is required.
Kotlin: Proficiency in Kotlin is required.
PostgreSQL: Working knowledge of PostgreSQL is required.
Event Streaming: Familiarity with event streaming is preferred.
Redis: Familiarity with Redis is preferred.
Elasticsearch: Familiarity with Elasticsearch is preferred.
Kafka: Familiarity with Kafka is preferred.
REST: Proficiency in REST is required.
GraphQL: Familiarity with GraphQL is preferred.

Development & DevOps Tools:

Version Control: Familiarity with Git is required.
CI/CD Pipelines: Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines is preferred.
Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Proficiency in IaC tools like Terraform is required.
Monitoring Tools: Familiarity with monitoring tools like Instana, Grafana, Fluent Bit, and PagerDuty is preferred.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack is designed to support the company's focus on optimizing visibility, reliability, and incident response. It requires a strong understanding of cloud providers, preferably Azure, and a commitment to security and privacy standards.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Web Development Values:

Customer-Centric Mindset: The company prioritizes a customer-centric mindset, with a focus on optimizing visibility, reliability, and incident response.
Proactive Incident Response: The company values a proactive approach to incident response, with a focus on preventing issues before they occur.
Security and Privacy Standards: The company is committed to maintaining stringent security and privacy standards, with a focus on data protection and compliance.
Continuous Improvement: The company values continuous improvement, with a focus on collaboration, knowledge sharing, and learning from failures.
Empowered Product Teams: The company empowers product teams to make decisions and drive outcomes, rather than just executing a roadmap.

Collaboration Style:

Cross-Functional Integration: The company encourages cross-functional collaboration between developers, designers, and stakeholders.
Code Review Culture: The company values a culture of code review and peer programming, with a focus on knowledge sharing and learning.
Knowledge Sharing: The company prioritizes knowledge sharing and mentoring, with a focus on continuous learning and professional development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's culture is designed to support collaboration, knowledge sharing, and continuous learning. It requires a strong customer-centric mindset and a commitment to optimizing visibility, reliability, and incident response.

🌐 Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Technical Challenges:

Optimizing Visibility: Develop and implement sophisticated Application Performance Monitoring (APM), Real User Monitoring (RUM), and Infrastructure Monitoring solutions to empower engineering teams and drive proactive incident response.
Enhancing Alerting Systems: Streamline and optimize alerting systems to drive a proactive and actionable incident response paradigm.
Implementing Logging Systems: Design and implement efficient logging systems that maintain stringent security and privacy standards.
Managing Data Stores: Manage and optimize primary data stores alongside secure and efficient disaster recovery (DR) mechanisms.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

Technical Skill Development: Opportunities for technical specialization and leadership within the Platform team or other engineering teams.
Conference Attendance: Opportunities to attend industry conferences and events to learn from experts and share knowledge.
Mentoring: Opportunities to mentor junior team members and contribute to their professional development.
Architecture Decisions: Opportunities to influence architecture decisions and drive the evolution of the company's technology stack.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role offers significant opportunities for technical growth and leadership. It requires a strong understanding of the company's technology stack and the ability to make informed decisions about infrastructure management.

💡 Interview Preparation

Technical Questions:

Technical Question 1: Describe your experience with optimizing visibility and reliability in a cloud environment, with a focus on Azure.
Technical Question 2: Walk us through your approach to enhancing alerting systems and driving proactive incident response.
Technical Question 3: Explain your experience with implementing logging systems and maintaining stringent security and privacy standards.

Company & Culture Questions:

Company Question 1: How do you approach working in a cross-functional team and collaborating with stakeholders to drive customer value?
Company Question 2: Describe your experience with continuous improvement and driving outcomes in a product-focused environment.
Company Question 3: How do you handle failures and learn from them to drive continuous improvement and growth?

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

Strategy 1: Organize your portfolio with a clear and concise structure, highlighting your most relevant projects and accomplishments.
Strategy 2: Include detailed case studies that demonstrate your ability to optimize visibility, reliability, and proactively manage incidents. Highlight your understanding of cloud providers, preferably Azure, and your commitment to security and privacy standards.
Strategy 3: Prepare to communicate your thought process and technical decisions clearly and concisely, with a focus on problem-solving and collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to evaluate the candidate's technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit. It requires a strong understanding of the company's technology stack and a commitment to optimizing visibility, reliability, and incident response.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Platform Engineer (f/m/d) - Site Reliability role at SAP LeanIX:

Submit Your Application: Click on the application link provided and submit your application through the join.com platform.
Prepare Your Portfolio: Customize your portfolio to highlight your most relevant projects and accomplishments, with a focus on optimizing visibility, reliability, and incident response. Ensure your code is well-commented, well-documented, and demonstrates a commitment to maintainability and best practices.
Optimize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight your technical skills and experience with the company's technology stack, with a focus on Microsoft Azure, Kubernetes, and observability tools. Include relevant project highlights and achievements.
Prepare for Technical Challenges: Familiarize yourself with the company's preferred coding challenge format and prepare accordingly. Practice time management skills to ensure you can complete the challenge within the given time frame. Prepare to communicate your thought process and technical decisions clearly and concisely.
Research the Company: Familiarize yourself with the company's technology stack, culture, and values. Prepare to discuss your fit within the company and your long-term potential in the role.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and web development/server administration industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

(Senior) Platform Engineer (f/m/d) - Site Reliability