Cloud Infrastructure Engineer (AWS/SaaS)

Black Pen Recruitment; Johannesburg; Remote; ZAR 600 000 - 800 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading software vendor in South Africa is seeking experienced software engineers to build and manage a critical managed service. The ideal candidate has strong Python skills, experience with cloud technologies, and proficiency in infrastructure as code. This remote role requires self-direction and effective time management while working within the South African time zone. Join a skilled team focused on performance and security in their cloud-hosted environment.

Qualifications

• Must have experience with Infrastructure as Code using Terraform or similar tools.
• Experience with configuration management tools like Ansible is required.
• Strong background in Python programming and Linux administration is crucial.

Responsibilities

• You will build and operate a complex managed service used by many users.
• Help maintain and evolve their cloud-hosted solution.
• Contribute to CI/CD pipelines and container orchestration.

Skills

Infrastructure as code (Terraform, Pulumi)

Configuration management with Ansible

Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure)

Containerization (Docker, Kubernetes)

CI/CD tooling (TeamCity, Jenkins)

Server monitoring systems (Prometheus, Grafana)

Strong Python programming skills

Linux administration

Understanding of security best practices

Experience with observability

Job description

Founded in 2003, our client is a South African specialist software vendor known for providing elegant solutions to complex business challenges, backed by deep technical and operational expertise. They provide managed investment administration platforms for financial institutions, integrating investor and portfolio management with compliance and reporting.

Job Type: Full Time

Workplace: Remote

Working Hours: Monday to Friday, 09:00-16:00 SAST

Role Overview

Our client is seeking experienced mid-to-senior software engineers or infrastructure specialists who are excited by the challenge of building and operating a complex, business-critical managed service used daily by hundreds of users.

You will join a highly skilled team and apply your expertise in infrastructure engineering, automation tooling, systems design, and operational resilience. Their environment offers opportunities to work on everything from CI/CD pipelines and container orchestration to configuration management, infrastructure as code, and observability tooling. While you may bring experience in specific tools or platforms, you will be expected to contribute broadly across our infrastructure landscape.

Our client’s core product is a comprehensive administration platform delivered as software-as-a-service to leading South African investment and wealth management firms. Their mission is to provide a platform that leads the market in accuracy, resilience, and functionality.

As a cloud-hosted solution, their stack includes modern tooling across CI/CD, containerization, monitoring, and cloud infrastructure. You will help build, maintain, and evolve this environment to meet high standards of performance, reliability, and security.

They make extensive use of automation tools such as Terraform and Ansible, alongside programming in Python. Their environments are entirely based on Ubuntu Linux. Experience with server monitoring software (e.g. Prometheus, Grafana, Zabbix, Datadog) and a solid understanding of security principles and best practices (including hardening, access control, auditing, and incident response) is highly valued.

This is a remote-first role, and they are looking for individuals who can thrive in a distributed work environment. You must be able to work independently, manage your time effectively, and take initiative in progressing your tasks. Clear communication and self-direction are essential.

Our client is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, but operates as a fully distributed team. You can work from anywhere with a timezone within 3 hours of South African Standard Time. You must be available during our core business hours (Monday to Friday, 09:00–16:00 SAST). The full team meets annually for planning and social events, with additional in-person collaboration among Johannesburg-based staff.

Requirements

• Infrastructure as code (Terraform, Pulumi)
• Configuration management with Ansible
• Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure)
• Containerization (LXC, LXD, Docker, Kubernetes)
• CI/CD tooling (TeamCity, Jenkins, GitHub Actions)
• Server monitoring and alerting systems (Prometheus, Grafana, Zabbix, Datadog)
• Strong Python programming skills
• Solid Linux administration and general networking knowledge
• Understanding of infrastructure security best practices, including secure configuration, identity and access management, and compliance controls
• Experience with monitoring, alerting, and system observability
• Background in financial services infrastructure is advantageous but not required