DevOps Engineer (Freelance)

Smile; Sint-Pieters-Woluwe; Hybrid; EUR 77,000 - 166,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Peer support

Continuous learning

Vibrant culture

Job summary

Smile seeks DevOps Engineers in Brussels on a hybrid, freelance basis. You will bridge development and operations to drive automation, reliability, and scalable cloud-native infrastructures while collaborating with major clients.

Junior to Senior levels welcome. You will design deployment pipelines, containerized environments, and secure, scalable platforms; mentoring peers may be part of senior roles.

Qualifications

• 1+ years of DevOps experience (Junior).
• 3+ years for Medior level and 5+ years for Senior level.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain automated CI/CD pipelines.
• Package and manage containerized environments with Docker/OpenShift.
• Implement and manage Infrastructure as Code workflows.
• Set up robust monitoring and logging (ELK Stack).
• Design cloud-native architectures for reliability and security.
• Collaborate with Frontend/Backend teams on infra needs.
• Secure API gateways and manage secrets across pipelines.
• Support AI model operations within the infra.

Skills

CI/CD

IaC

Monitoring

DevOps practices

API security

Development literacy

Tools

Docker

OpenShift

ELK Stack

Job description

Location: Brussels, Belgium (Hybrid: 2-3 days remote per week)

Type: Freelance

About Us: Why Smile! Passionate about tech, digital, and innovation? Join the 1,800 employees at Smile, the European leader in open-source integration, spread across 20 agencies in 9 countries. Collaborative spirit and knowledge sharing are at the heart of our DNA. Our experts push the boundaries of open source every day to build a smarter, more efficient, and more responsible digital world. Here, we don't just follow trends, we create them!

Join Smile in Brussels and take part in projects that truly matter!

• Peer Support: Our proximity management by peers fosters dialogue and the implementation of a tailored career path.
• Continuous Learning: Because the digital sector is in constant motion, Smile is committed to making you an expert in your field, thanks to a comprehensive training offer: access to an e-learning platform, financing of certifications, and robust knowledge-sharing tools.
• Vibrant Culture: Your year will be animated by group and agency events: our annual convention, participation in trade fairs, summer parties, and both formal & informal afterworks.

Role Overview

We are seeking talented DevOps Engineers (at Junior, Medior, or Senior levels) to join our team on behalf of one of our major strategic clients based in Brussels. In this role, you will bridge the gap between development and operations to drive automation, reliability, and scalability.

You will design and maintain robust deployment pipelines, manage containerized environments, and support the integration of advanced web applications and AI-driven services. Depending on your seniority, you will either assist in building solid automation foundations or act as a lead architect guiding the cloud-native strategy and mentoring your peers.

Key Responsibilities

• CI/CD Pipeline Automation: Design, build, optimize, and maintain automated CI/CD pipelines to ensure swift, reliable, and secure software delivery.
• Containerization & Orchestration: Package applications using Docker and manage container orchestration platforms, specifically OpenShift.
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Implement and manage infrastructure using modern IaC tools to ensure scalable, repeatable environment setups.
• Monitoring & Logging: Set up, configure, and maintain robust monitoring and logging solutions (such as ELK Stack) to ensure system health and rapid issue resolution.
• Cloud-Native Architecture: Collaborate on designing and maintaining highly available, secure, and resilient cloud-native infrastructures.
• Dev Integration Support: Collaborate closely with Frontend and Backend development teams to align infrastructure capabilities with application needs.
• Security First: Secure API gateways, manage secrets, and implement security best practices across all pipelines and cloud infrastructures.
• AI Integration Support: Support the operations side of AI models and LLM integrations, ensuring they are deployed efficiently and reliably within the infrastructure.

Your Profile

• Experience: 1+ years (Junior), 3+ years (Medior), or 5+ years (Senior) of dedicated experience in a DevOps engineering role.
• Container Expertise: Proven experience with Docker and enterprise orchestration platforms like OpenShift.
• CI/CD & IaC: Mastery of continuous integration tools and Infrastructure as Code workflows.
• Monitoring: Strong familiarity with log aggregation and performance tracking (specifically ELK or similar stacks).
• Development Literacy: Good understanding of Frontend/Backend development cycles and API security practices.
• Languages (Mandatory):
  • Professional proficiency (minimum 3/4) in Dutch (NL) OR French (FR).
  • Professional proficiency (minimum 3/4) in English (EN).

The Next Steps

• First Contact: A quick phone call with our recruitment team to discuss your aspirations, availability, and what we can offer you.
• Meeting: An opportunity to get to know each other better and deeply explore your professional background.
• Business Interview: A technical and practical discussion with one of our digital experts to assess your skills and align on your career goals.