Senior Infrastructure Engineer

VALR; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1,000,000 - 1,600,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Professional development allowance

Discretionary bonuses

Tier 5 trading fees (preferential)

Lunch at Johannesburg Head Office

Home office stipend

Job summary

VALR, Johannesburg, is seeking a Platform Engineer to design, build, and maintain secure cloud infrastructure with production Kubernetes. You will implement IaC, GitOps, and CI/CD, improving reliability and observability for the VALR platform.

The role requires hands-on cloud, container, and automation expertise in a fast-paced crypto exchange environment. You will collaborate with Engineering and Security teams, automate processes, and contribute to post-incident reviews while ensuring security

Qualifications

• Extensive hands-on experience with infrastructure, platform engineering, DevOps, or site reliability engineering; production-ready systems.
• Strong experience with at least one major public cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure).
• Hands-on Kubernetes in production; Docker-based environments; Helm/Kustomize templating.
• GitOps tooling (Argo CD/ Flux) and infrastructure-as-code (Terraform/Pulumi).
• CI/CD design with GitLab/GitHub; Linux fundamentals; network, TLS, load balancers, firewalls.
• Observability with Prometheus/Grafana; incident response with PagerDuty; scripting with Bash.
• Security focus: IAM, secrets management, access controls, least privilege; AI tooling awareness.
• Independent, owner-centric mindset with cross-team collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain secure, scalable cloud infrastructure.
• Manage and improve production Kubernetes environments.
• Implement infrastructure-as-code, GitOps, and CI/CD practices.
• Improve reliability, performance, resilience, and observability of VALR’s platform.
• Automate infrastructure operations and reduce manual tasks.
• Participate in on-call rotation and post-incident reviews.
• Troubleshoot complex infra, networking, security, and deployment issues.
• Apply security best practices across infrastructure and access controls.
• Collaborate with Engineering and Security teams to deliver reliable software.
• Document standards and provide technical guidance to teammates.

Tools

AWS

GCP

Azure

Kubernetes

Docker

Helm

Kustomize

Argo CD

Flux

Terraform

Pulumi

GitLab CI/CD

GitHub Actions

Linux

Networking

Prometheus

Grafana

PagerDuty

Bash

IAM

Secrets management

Access controls

Codex/Claude

Job description

Job Description

About Us

Founded in 2018, headquartered in Johannesburg, and backed by leading investors including Pantera Capital, Coinbase Ventures and Fidelity’s F-Prime Capital, VALR is a global crypto exchange offering a comprehensive suite of products—including Spot Trading, Spot Margin, Perpetual Futures, Staking, Lending, Borrowing, OTC services, VALR Invest, Crypto Bundles, and VALR Pay. Licensed by South Africa’s FSCA, with regulatory approval in Europe, VALR serves over 1.7 million registered users and 2,000 corporate and institutional clients worldwide. The exchange is dedicated to advancing a just financial future that upholds human dignity and the unity of mankind. For more information, visit valr.com.

Our Vision

To establish VALR as a global institution that advances the economic life of human civilisation through a borderless, inclusive, and empowering financial ecosystem.

Our Mission

To contribute towards a global financial system that upholds justice, fosters human dignity, and reflects the oneness of humanity, by serving the financial needs of individuals, communities, and institutions through innovative financial technologies.

Job Requirements

• Extensive experience working in infrastructure, platform engineering, DevOps, site reliability engineering, or a related field.
• Strong experience with at least one major public cloud platform, such as AWS, Google Cloud Platform, or Microsoft Azure.
• Extensive hands‑on experience running and supporting Kubernetes in production.
• Strong understanding of Docker and container‑based environments.
• Experience with Kubernetes templating and configuration tools such as Helm and Kustomize.
• Practical experience with GitOps principles and tools such as Argo CD or Flux.
• Strong experience using infrastructure‑as‑code tools such as Terraform or Pulumi.
• Experience designing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines using GitLab, GitHub, or similar platforms.
• Strong knowledge of Linux systems and command‑line tools.
• A solid understanding of networking fundamentals, including DNS, TCP/IP, HTTP, TLS, load balancing, proxies, and firewalls.
• Experience with monitoring and observability tools such as Prometheus and Grafana.
• Experience participating in incident response and on-call processes using tools such as PagerDuty.
• Strong automation and scripting skills, particularly using Bash or similar languages.
• A good understanding of infrastructure security, including IAM, secrets management, access controls, and least‑privilege principles.
• Proficiency in using AI tools such as Claude or Codex to support technical work, with an understanding of the security and verification considerations involved.
• Strong troubleshooting and problem‑solving abilities, particularly within complex production environments.
• Ability to work independently, take ownership of technical outcomes, and collaborate effectively across teams.

Job Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain secure, scalable, and highly available cloud infrastructure.
• Manage and continuously improve production Kubernetes environments.
• Implement and maintain infrastructure‑as‑code, GitOps, and CI/CD practices.
• Improve the reliability, performance, resilience, and observability of VALR’s platform.
• Automate infrastructure operations and eliminate repetitive manual processes.
• Participate in the on‑call rotation, respond to production incidents, and contribute to post‑incident reviews.
• Troubleshoot complex infrastructure, networking, security, and deployment issues.
• Apply security best practices across infrastructure, access controls, and secrets management.
• Collaborate with Engineering and Security teams to support reliable and secure software delivery.
• Improve infrastructure standards, documentation, and processes while providing technical guidance to other team members.

Job Benefits

• Innovative Work Environment
  • Engage with the latest blockchain technologies and tools in a rapidly evolving industry.
  • Work from anywhere with secure, stable internet connectivity, allowing you to create your ideal workspace.
• Career Development
  • Benefit from an annual professional development allowance alongside scheduled company training sessions to keep you at the forefront of the crypto industry.
• Competitive Compensation
  • Competitive salaries that align with industry standards.
  • When you contribute to our success, you’ll be rewarded with discretionary bonuses, recognising your impact on VALR’s growth.
  • Receive preferential Tier 5 trading fees on VALR, with no monthly trading volume required.
• Diversity and Inclusion
  • A commitment to fostering a diverse workforce with initiatives that promote equity and belonging.
• Wellness
  • Employees are encouraged to strive for coherent and wholesome lives, fulfilling their work, personal, social, physical and spiritual goals to the best of their abilities.
  • Compliance with statutory leave required by individual countries, in addition to flexible leave options.
  • Enjoy lunch on us when working from our Johannesburg Head Office, one of the ways we support wellbeing and connection in the workplace.
• Impact and Contribution
  • At VALR, we believe in a financial system that recognises the oneness of humanity. Our mission is to break down financial barriers and promote universal values of courage, ethical integrity, and the intrinsic worth of every individual.
  • Engage in initiatives that promote education and awareness about cryptocurrencies, ensuring that everyone has the tools and knowledge to participate in the evolving financial landscape.
• Dynamic Team Culture
  • Open communication and teamwork across departments, fostering innovation and creativity.
  • Enjoy social gatherings outside of work to strengthen team bonds and boost morale.
• Global Exposure
  • Work with colleagues from around the world.
  • Exposure to diverse perspectives and practices in the crypto space.
• Recognition and Rewards
  • Regular acknowledgement of employee accomplishments, fostering a culture of appreciation and motivation.
  • Join us for retreats that blend professional development with team bonding in inspiring locations.
• Tools for Success
  • Receive a Mac laptop and a discretionary allowance to purchase all the extras needed for a productive home office—yours to keep after three years (terms and conditions apply).