Senior DevOps Engineer / AWS Cloud & Kubernetes – Freelance | Start 01.02.2027 | Remote

Project overview

Senior DevOps Engineer / AWS Cloud & Kubernetes – Freelance | Start 01.02.2027 | Remote | Long-term Project

For a long-term IT project within the Deutsche Bahn environment, we are looking for an experienced Senior DevOps Engineer / AWS Cloud & Kubernetes specialist to provide technical support for the operation, automation, and further development of a business-critical cloud application.

The focus is on a central platform for planning and controlling operational processes in railway traffic. The application is based on a microservice architecture in the AWS Cloud and is continuously being developed in terms of availability, stability, security, and automation.

The project is planned long-term until at least 2028 and offers the possibility of an extension.

Project Framework Data:

• Start: 01.02.2027
• Duration: Until 31.12.2027, with an option to extend until 2028
• Utilization: Full-time (approx. 200 project days in 2027)
• Location: Remote (Germany / European Economic Area)
• Project Location: Frankfurt am Main
• On-site deployments: Generally not planned, possible in justified exceptional cases
• Contract Type: Freelance project assignment
• Project Language: German (at least C1)

Responsibilities

4.1 Technically Mandatory Requirements (Must-Haves)

M1 Experience in the configuration and administration of production AWS cloud infrastructures. Proof: > 3 years of experience

M2 Experience with Kubernetes in the deployment, administration, and operation of containerized applications. Proof: > 3 years of experience

M3 Experience in the automated provisioning and configuration of cloud infrastructures using Terraform or OpenTofu. Proof: > 3 years of experience

M4 Experience in the operational management of production cloud applications, including monitoring, disruption analysis, and incident management. Proof: > 3 years of experience

M5 Experience in operating production IT applications for operational processes in railway traffic, including consideration of functional dependencies in disruptions and changes. Proof: > 3 years of experience

4.2 Further Technical Requirements (Evaluation Criteria / Should-Haves)

S1 Monitoring, logging, and technical error analysis, especially with Grafana and OpenSearch. Proof: Up to 3 years of experience / Weighting: 20%

S2 GitOps as well as deployment and release processes with Helm and Flux. Proof: Up to 3 years of experience / Weighting: 20%

S3 AWS security features and authorization management, especially IAM, Secrets Manager, and KMS. Proof: Up to 3 years of experience / Weighting: 15%

S4 Automation of operational and maintenance tasks with Python, AWS Lambda, or Renovate. Proof: Up to 3 years of experience / Weighting: 15%

S5 PostgreSQL on AWS RDS as well as analysis and optimization of database connections in production application operation. Proof: Up to 3 years of experience / Weighting: 10%

S6 Operation and configuration of Kafka infrastructures, especially Amazon MSK Serverless. Proof: Up to 3 years of experience / Weighting: 10%

S7 Kubernetes Node Scaling, especially with Karpenter, as well as optimization of cloud resources. Proof: Up to 3 years of experience / Weighting: 10%

• Technical consulting and operational support for the operation, monitoring, and optimization of production applications in the AWS Cloud
• Administration, configuration, and further development of Kubernetes clusters and containerized microservices
• Automation of infrastructure provisioning and configuration using Terraform or OpenTofu
• Support for deployment and release processes with Docker, Helm, and Flux (GitOps)
• Analysis and resolution of technical disruptions, incidents, and performance problems
• Analysis of security findings and planning and implementation of patch and update measures
• Configuration and optimization of AWS IAM, Secrets Manager, and AWS KMS
• Setup, connection, and optimization of PostgreSQL databases on AWS RDS
• Further development of monitoring and logging solutions with Grafana and OpenSearch
• Configuration and optimization of Kafka infrastructures based on Amazon MSK Serverless
• Optimization of Kubernetes Node Scaling using Karpenter
• Automation of maintenance and update processes with Renovate, Python, and AWS Lambda
• Consolidation, standardization, and automation of existing cloud infrastructures and operational processes
• Creation and maintenance of technical operational documentation, runbooks, and operating instructions
• Technical support in preparation for increased requirements for availability, fault tolerance, and operational stability (SLA Gold)

Project details

• Start: 2027-02
• Duration: 11 Monate
• Remote: remote
• Location: Frankfurt, Deutschland, DE
• Languages: German