Senior Site Reliability Engineer

GoFundMe
Full_time$129k-193k/year (USD)

📍 Job Overview

  • Job Title: Senior Site Reliability Engineer
  • Company: GoFundMe
  • Location: San Diego, California, United States (Remote with in-office requirement 2-3x a week)
  • Job Type: Full-Time, Hybrid
  • Category: DevOps, Site Reliability Engineering
  • Date Posted: June 20, 2025
  • Experience Level: 5-10 years
  • Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

  • 📝 Enhancement Note: This role focuses on maintaining and improving the reliability and performance of GoFundMe's cloud infrastructure, ensuring high availability and minimal downtime for users.

  • GoFundMe is seeking a Senior Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) to join their team, responsible for the full system lifecycle including infrastructure provisioning, system configuration, monitoring, and incident response in production environments.

  • The ideal candidate will have a strong background in operating high-traffic SaaS environments and delivering high availability, with a passion for building fault-tolerant and secure platforms.

  • This role requires deep expertise in cloud orchestration on AWS, containerized infrastructure, and scripting, as well as strong communication skills to collaborate effectively with development teams and stakeholders.

💻 Primary Responsibilities

  • 📝 Enhancement Note: The primary responsibilities of this role revolve around ensuring the reliability, scalability, and performance of GoFundMe's platform and applications.

  • Design and build out cloud infrastructure: The SRE will be responsible for designing and implementing GoFundMe's cloud infrastructure, ensuring it is scalable, secure, and efficient.

  • Participate in software and system performance analysis: The SRE will work closely with development teams to analyze and optimize the performance of GoFundMe's applications and infrastructure.

  • Manage availability, scalability, security, and performance: The SRE will be responsible for ensuring that GoFundMe's platform and applications are highly available, scalable, secure, and performant.

  • Diagnose bottlenecks and provide recommendations: The SRE will identify and address performance bottlenecks in GoFundMe's infrastructure and applications, providing recommendations to mitigate and resolve issues.

  • Proactively review and implement changes: The SRE will periodically assess the monitoring requirements of GoFundMe's infrastructure and implement enhancements to meet or exceed changing business needs.

  • Use data analysis to identify trends: The SRE will use data analysis to identify trends and potential issues in GoFundMe's infrastructure before they become major problems.

  • Perform 24/7 on-call duties: The SRE will be responsible for handling on-call duties to ensure that GoFundMe's infrastructure and applications remain highly available and performant at all times.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: A BS in Computer Science or equivalent is required.

Experience: Candidates should have at least 3 years of experience in operating high-traffic SaaS environments and delivering high availability.

Required Skills:

  • Deep expertise in delivering high availability: Candidates should have a strong track record of delivering highly available systems in production environments.
  • Skills to build a fully automated, highly elastic cloud orchestration framework on AWS: The ideal candidate will have experience building and managing cloud infrastructure on AWS using tools like Terraform, Ansible, and Kubernetes.
  • Experience running containerized infrastructure in production: Candidates should have experience running containerized infrastructure in production using tools like Kubernetes and Docker.
  • Strong working knowledge of Linux and its underlying components: The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of Linux and its underlying components, including system statistics, performance tuning, filesystems, and IO.
  • Solid scripting skills: Candidates should have strong scripting skills in languages like Bash and Python.
  • Experience with performance diagnostics, performance tuning, capacity planning, and monitoring: The ideal candidate will have experience using tools like New Relic, Sumologic, and PagerDuty to diagnose and optimize the performance of complex systems.

Preferred Skills:

  • Building PCI compliant systems: While not required, experience building and managing PCI compliant systems would be a significant asset for this role.
  • Working with infrastructure for payment processing systems: Experience working with infrastructure for payment processing systems would be beneficial, as GoFundMe processes a large volume of transactions.
  • Developing high-volume transaction systems: Experience developing and managing high-volume transaction systems would be valuable for this role.

📊 Web Portfolio & Project Requirements

📝 Enhancement Note: While a portfolio is not explicitly required for this role, demonstrating relevant experience and expertise in cloud infrastructure, containerization, and scripting would be beneficial.

  • Portfolio Essentials:
    • Case studies demonstrating experience in designing, implementing, and managing cloud infrastructure on AWS.
    • Examples of performance tuning and optimization projects, highlighting the ability to diagnose and address bottlenecks.
    • Projects showcasing experience with containerized infrastructure and Kubernetes.
    • Documentation demonstrating experience with scripting and automation tools like Bash, Python, Ansible, and Terraform.

Technical Documentation:

  • Code quality and documentation: Candidates should provide examples of well-documented, high-quality code that adheres to best practices and standards.
  • Version control and deployment processes: Candidates should demonstrate experience with version control systems like Git and deployment processes using CI/CD pipelines.
  • Testing methodologies and performance metrics: Candidates should provide examples of testing methodologies and performance metrics used to ensure the reliability and performance of their systems.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: The total annual salary for this full-time position is $128,500 - $192,500 + equity + benefits. The salary range was determined by role, level, and possible location across the US. Individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

Benefits:

  • Equity: GoFundMe offers equity as part of its compensation package.
  • Comprehensive healthcare benefits: GoFundMe provides comprehensive healthcare benefits to its employees.
  • Financial assistance: GoFundMe offers financial assistance for things like hybrid work and family planning.
  • Generous parental leave: GoFundMe provides generous parental leave policies to support employees starting or growing their families.
  • Flexible time-off policies: GoFundMe offers flexible time-off policies to help employees maintain a healthy work-life balance.
  • Mental health and wellness resources: GoFundMe provides mental health and wellness resources to support the overall well-being of its employees.
  • Learning and development programs: GoFundMe offers learning and development programs to help employees grow and thrive in their careers.

Working Hours: The standard workweek for this role is 40 hours, with the expectation of being on-call for 24/7 support as needed.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: GoFundMe is a tech company operating in the social impact and fundraising space, with a mission to help people help each other.

Company Size: GoFundMe is a mid-sized company with a team of around 500 employees, providing ample opportunities for collaboration and growth.

Founded: GoFundMe was founded in 2010, with a strong commitment to its mission and values.

Team Structure:

  • Web technology team aspect 1 - team size and specialization areas: GoFundMe's SRE team is responsible for the reliability, performance, and scalability of the platform and its applications. The team consists of experienced SREs and works closely with development, design, and product teams to ensure that the platform meets the needs of its users.
  • Web technology team aspect 2 - reporting structure and hierarchy: The SRE team reports directly to the VP of Engineering, with a flat hierarchy that encourages collaboration and communication.
  • Web technology team aspect 3 - cross-functional collaboration with design, marketing, and business teams: The SRE team works closely with other teams within GoFundMe to ensure that the platform and its applications are user-friendly, accessible, and optimized for performance.

Development Methodology:

  • Development process 1 - Agile methodologies and sprint planning: GoFundMe uses Agile methodologies and sprint planning to manage its development processes, ensuring that teams can respond quickly to changing priorities and requirements.
  • Development process 2 - code review, testing, and quality assurance practices: GoFundMe places a strong emphasis on code review, testing, and quality assurance practices to ensure that its platform and applications are reliable, secure, and performant.
  • Development process 3 - deployment strategies, CI/CD pipelines, and server management: GoFundMe uses automated deployment strategies, CI/CD pipelines, and server management tools to ensure that its infrastructure and applications are highly available, scalable, and secure.

Company Website: GoFundMe

📝 Enhancement Note: GoFundMe's company culture is driven by its mission to help people help each other, with a strong focus on collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Web Technology Career Level: This role is at the senior level, with a focus on designing, implementing, and managing complex cloud infrastructure and systems.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Site Reliability Engineer reports directly to the VP of Engineering, with a flat hierarchy that encourages collaboration and communication.

Technical Impact: The Senior Site Reliability Engineer has a significant impact on the reliability, performance, and scalability of GoFundMe's platform and applications, ensuring that millions of users can access and use the platform without interruption.

Growth Opportunities:

  • Growth opportunity 1 - technical leadership and architecture decisions: The Senior Site Reliability Engineer has the opportunity to grow into a technical leadership role, making critical architecture decisions that shape the future of GoFundMe's platform and infrastructure.
  • Growth opportunity 2 - mentoring and knowledge sharing: The Senior Site Reliability Engineer has the opportunity to mentor and share knowledge with junior team members, helping them grow and develop their careers.
  • Growth opportunity 3 - emerging technology adoption: The Senior Site Reliability Engineer has the opportunity to stay up-to-date with emerging technologies and trends in cloud infrastructure, containerization, and scripting, driving innovation and improvement within GoFundMe's platform and infrastructure.

📝 Enhancement Note: GoFundMe offers significant opportunities for career growth and development, with a strong focus on mentoring, knowledge sharing, and emerging technology adoption.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: GoFundMe's office is a collaborative, open-plan workspace designed to foster communication, creativity, and innovation.

Office Location(s): GoFundMe's headquarters are located in San Diego, California, with remote work options available for many roles.

Workspace Context:

  • Workspace aspect 1 - collaborative web development environment impact: GoFundMe's office is designed to facilitate collaboration and communication between teams, with dedicated spaces for meetings, brainstorming, and team-building activities.
  • Workspace aspect 2 - development tools, multiple monitors, and testing devices available: GoFundMe provides its employees with access to the latest development tools, multiple monitors, and testing devices to ensure that they have the resources they need to succeed.
  • Workspace aspect 3 - web development team interaction and cross-functional collaboration opportunities: GoFundMe's office is designed to encourage interaction and collaboration between teams, with dedicated spaces for meetings, brainstorming, and team-building activities.

Work Schedule: The standard workweek for this role is 40 hours, with the expectation of being on-call for 24/7 support as needed. The role requires an in-office presence 2-3 days per week.

📝 Enhancement Note: GoFundMe's work environment is designed to be collaborative, innovative, and supportive, with a strong focus on communication, creativity, and growth.

📄 Application & Technical Interview Process

Interview Process:

  • Process step 1 - technical preparation recommendations and coding/configuration assessment focus: Candidates can expect a technical interview focused on their ability to design, implement, and manage complex cloud infrastructure and systems. The interview may include coding or configuration assessment exercises to evaluate the candidate's technical skills.
  • Process step 2 - web architecture expectations and system design discussion: Candidates can expect to discuss their approach to web architecture and system design, with a focus on scalability, performance, and reliability.
  • Process step 3 - problem-solving with live coding examples and debugging demonstrations: Candidates can expect to be presented with real-world problems and scenarios, requiring them to demonstrate their ability to solve complex technical challenges and optimize performance.
  • Process step 4 - final evaluation criteria and technical impact discussion: Candidates can expect a final evaluation based on their technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit. The interview may also include a discussion of the candidate's potential technical impact on GoFundMe's platform and infrastructure.

Portfolio Review Tips:

  • Portfolio tip 1 - specific tactical advice for cloud infrastructure portfolio curation: Candidates should highlight their experience designing, implementing, and managing cloud infrastructure on AWS, with a focus on scalability, performance, and reliability.
  • Portfolio tip 2 - project case study structure with user experience and technical implementation focus: Candidates should provide case studies that demonstrate their ability to balance user experience and technical implementation, with a focus on performance, accessibility, and scalability.
  • Portfolio tip 3 - code quality demonstration and responsive design standards for this role: Candidates should provide examples of well-documented, high-quality code that adheres to best practices and standards, with a focus on performance, scalability, and reliability.
  • Portfolio tip 4 - company-specific web technology considerations and performance optimization examples: Candidates should provide examples of their experience working with company-specific web technologies and optimizing performance for specific use cases.

Technical Challenge Preparation:

  • Challenge preparation 1 - typical web development exercise format and expectations: Candidates can expect technical challenges that focus on their ability to design, implement, and manage complex cloud infrastructure and systems, with a focus on scalability, performance, and reliability.
  • Challenge preparation 2 - time management and solution architecture for web challenges: Candidates should practice time management and solution architecture techniques to ensure that they can complete technical challenges within the given timeframe and provide scalable, performant, and reliable solutions.
  • Challenge preparation 3 - communication and technical explanation articulation for web concepts: Candidates should practice communicating complex technical concepts clearly and effectively, with a focus on articulating their thought processes, assumptions, and trade-offs.

ATS Keywords: [Comprehensive list of web development and server administration-relevant keywords for resume optimization, organized by category: programming languages, web frameworks, server technologies, databases, tools, methodologies, soft skills, industry terms]

📝 Enhancement Note: GoFundMe's interview process is designed to evaluate candidates' technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit, with a strong focus on cloud infrastructure, containerization, and scripting.

🛠 Technology Stack & Web Infrastructure

Frontend Technologies: Not applicable for this role.

Backend & Server Technologies:

  • Backend technology 1 - server-side development and API creation capabilities: GoFundMe's backend is primarily built using Node.js and Express.js, with a focus on scalability, performance, and reliability.
  • Server technology 2 - database integration and data management: GoFundMe uses a combination of MySQL and Aurora for its database needs, with a focus on scalability, performance, and data integrity.
  • Infrastructure tool 3 - deployment automation and server configuration: GoFundMe uses Terraform for infrastructure as code (IaC) and deployment automation, with a focus on scalability, performance, and reliability.

Development & DevOps Tools:

  • Development tool 1 - version control and collaborative development benefits: GoFundMe uses Git for version control and GitHub for collaborative development, with a focus on code quality, testing, and quality assurance.
  • DevOps tool 2 - CI/CD pipeline and automated deployment: GoFundMe uses CircleCI for continuous integration and deployment, with a focus on automation, scalability, and reliability.
  • Monitoring tool 3 - web performance tracking and server monitoring capabilities: GoFundMe uses New Relic for web performance tracking and server monitoring, with a focus on scalability, performance, and reliability.

📝 Enhancement Note: GoFundMe's technology stack is designed to be scalable, performant, and reliable, with a strong focus on automation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Web Development Values:

  • Web development value 1 - user experience focus and technical excellence expectations: GoFundMe places a strong emphasis on user experience and technical excellence, with a focus on scalability, performance, and reliability.
  • Web development value 2 - performance optimization and accessibility standards: GoFundMe places a strong emphasis on performance optimization and accessibility, with a focus on scalability, scalability, and reliability.
  • Web development value 3 - code quality approach and collaborative development practices: GoFundMe places a strong emphasis on code quality and collaborative development, with a focus on scalability, performance, and reliability.
  • Web development value 4 - innovation expectations and emerging technology adoption: GoFundMe places a strong emphasis on innovation and emerging technology adoption, with a focus on scalability, performance, and reliability.

Collaboration Style:

  • Collaboration approach 1 - cross-functional integration between developers, designers, and stakeholders: GoFundMe encourages cross-functional collaboration between developers, designers, and stakeholders, with a focus on communication, creativity, and growth.
  • Collaboration approach 2 - code review culture and peer programming practices: GoFundMe encourages a code review culture and peer programming practices, with a focus on code quality, testing, and quality assurance.
  • Collaboration approach 3 - knowledge sharing, technical mentoring, and continuous learning: GoFundMe encourages knowledge sharing, technical mentoring, and continuous learning, with a focus on collaboration, communication, and growth.

📝 Enhancement Note: GoFundMe's team culture is driven by its mission to help people help each other, with a strong focus on collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Technical Challenges:

  • Web development challenge 1 - modern web standards and browser compatibility solutions: Candidates should be familiar with modern web standards and browser compatibility solutions, with a focus on scalability, performance, and reliability.
  • Web development challenge 2 - performance optimization and scalability considerations: Candidates should be familiar with performance optimization and scalability considerations, with a focus on scalability, performance, and reliability.
  • Web development challenge 3 - user experience with accessibility and responsive design adaptation: Candidates should be familiar with user experience design principles, with a focus on accessibility, responsiveness, and scalability.
  • Web development challenge 4 - emerging web technologies with continuous learning and skill development approaches: Candidates should be familiar with emerging web technologies and continuous learning approaches, with a focus on scalability, performance, and reliability.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

  • Learning opportunity 1 - web technology skill advancement and specialization paths: GoFundMe offers opportunities for web technology skill advancement and specialization, with a focus on emerging technologies, cloud infrastructure, and containerization.
  • Learning opportunity 2 - conference attendance, certification, and community involvement: GoFundMe encourages conference attendance, certification, and community involvement, with a focus on continuous learning, collaboration, and growth.
  • Learning opportunity 3 - technical mentorship, leadership development, and architecture decision-making: GoFundMe offers technical mentorship, leadership development, and architecture decision-making opportunities, with a focus on collaboration, communication, and growth.

📝 Enhancement Note: GoFundMe offers significant opportunities for technical growth and development, with a strong focus on collaboration, communication, and continuous learning.

💡 Interview Preparation

Technical Questions:

  • Technical question 1 - cloud infrastructure design and implementation: Candidates can expect to be asked about their experience designing and implementing cloud infrastructure on AWS, with a focus on scalability, performance, and reliability.
  • Technical question 2 - containerization and Kubernetes: Candidates can expect to be asked about their experience with containerization and Kubernetes, with a focus on scalability, performance, and reliability.
  • Technical question 3 - scripting and automation: Candidates can expect to be asked about their experience with scripting and automation, with a focus on scalability, performance, and reliability.

Company & Culture Questions:

  • Technical question 4 - company-specific cloud infrastructure considerations: Candidates can expect to be asked about their understanding of GoFundMe's cloud infrastructure and how they would approach optimizing performance, scalability, and reliability.
  • Technical question 5 - Agile methodologies and sprint planning: Candidates can expect to be asked about their experience with Agile methodologies and sprint planning, with a focus on collaboration, communication, and growth.
  • Technical question 6 - user experience and accessibility: Candidates can expect to be asked about their understanding of user experience design principles and how they would approach optimizing accessibility, responsiveness, and scalability.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

  • Presentation strategy 1 - live cloud infrastructure demonstration and technical walkthrough methods: Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate their cloud infrastructure design and implementation skills, with a focus on scalability, performance, and reliability.
  • Presentation strategy 2 - code explanation techniques and architecture decision reasoning: Candidates should be prepared to explain their code, architecture decisions, and reasoning, with a focus on scalability, performance, and reliability.
  • Presentation strategy 3 - user experience showcase and responsive design demonstration methods: Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate their user experience design skills, with a focus on accessibility, responsiveness, and scalability.

📝 Enhancement Note: GoFundMe's interview process is designed to evaluate candidates' technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit, with a strong focus on cloud infrastructure, containerization, and scripting.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Site Reliability Engineer position at GoFundMe:

  1. Concrete preparation step 1 - cloud infrastructure portfolio customization with live demos and responsive examples: Candidates should customize their cloud infrastructure portfolio to highlight their experience with cloud infrastructure design, implementation, and management, with a focus on scalability, performance, and reliability.
  2. Concrete preparation step 2 - resume optimization for web technology roles with project highlighting and technical skills emphasis: Candidates should optimize their resume to highlight their experience with cloud infrastructure, containerization, and scripting, with a focus on project highlighting and technical skills emphasis.
  3. Concrete preparation step 3 - technical interview preparation with coding challenges and portfolio presentation: Candidates should prepare for the technical interview by practicing coding challenges, portfolio presentation, and architecture decision-making, with a focus on cloud infrastructure, containerization, and scripting.
  4. Concrete preparation step 4 - company research with cloud infrastructure focus and user experience understanding: Candidates should research GoFundMe's cloud infrastructure, user experience, and company culture to ensure that they are a strong fit for the role and the organization.

⚠️ 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.


Content Guidelines (IMPORTANT: Do not include this in the output)

Web Technology-Specific Focus:

  • Tailor every section specifically to web development, server administration, DevOps, and web infrastructure roles
  • Include web development methodologies, responsive design principles, and server management practices
  • Emphasize web portfolio requirements, live project demonstrations, and user experience considerations
  • Address web development team dynamics, cross-functional collaboration with designers and marketers
  • Focus on web technology career progression, emerging technology adoption, and technical specialization

Quality Standards:

  • Ensure no content overlap between sections - each section must contain unique information
  • Only include Enhancement Notes when making significant inferences about technical responsibilities, with specific reasoning based on role level and web technology industry practices
  • Be comprehensive but concise, prioritizing actionable information over descriptive text
  • Convert long paragraphs into bullet points for better readability
  • Maintain appropriate spacing between sections for visual clarity
  • Tailor technology stack proficiency to the specific role and company requirements
  • Provide specific, practical tips and detailed preparation advice for technical interviews
  • Ensure that each section is informative, detailed, and actionable, with significant depth and substance

Industry Expertise:

  • Include specific web technologies, server platforms, and infrastructure requirements prominently
  • Address web development career progression paths and technical leadership opportunities in web teams
  • Provide tactical advice for web portfolio development, live demonstrations, and project case studies
  • Include web technology-specific interview preparation and coding challenge guidance
  • Emphasize responsive design, performance optimization, accessibility standards, and user experience principles
  • Highlight the importance of collaboration, communication, and growth opportunities in web development teams

Professional Standards:

  • Maintain consistent formatting, spacing, and professional tone throughout
  • Use web development and server administration industry terminology appropriately and accurately
  • Include comprehensive benefits and growth opportunities relevant to web technology professionals
  • Provide actionable insights that give web development and server administration candidates a competitive advantage
  • Focus on web development team culture, cross-functional collaboration, and user impact measurement

Technical Focus & Portfolio Emphasis:

  • Emphasize web development best practices, responsive design principles, and performance optimization
  • Include specific portfolio requirements tailored to the web technology discipline and role level
  • Address browser compatibility, accessibility standards, and user experience design principles
  • Focus on problem-solving methods, performance optimization, and scalable web architecture
  • Include technical presentation skills and stakeholder communication for web projects

Avoid:

  • Generic business jargon not relevant to web development or server administration roles
  • Placeholder text or incomplete sections
  • Repetitive content across different sections
  • Non-technical terminology unless relevant to the specific web technology role
  • Marketing language unrelated to web development, server administration, or user experience

Generate comprehensive, web technology-focused content that serves as a valuable resource for web developers, server administrators, and infrastructure professionals seeking their next opportunity.

Application Requirements

Candidates should have 3+ years of experience in high-traffic SaaS environments and deep expertise in delivering high availability. Strong skills in cloud orchestration on AWS, containerized infrastructure, and scripting are also required.