Lead DevOps Engineer

Location: Wellington
Discipline: SaaS
Job type: Permanent
Salary: 150000 to 175000
Contact name: Shane Rangihaeata

Contact email: shane@placeme.nz
Job ref: 1688763
Published: 12 days ago
About the Role
This business is a business in cloud-based software solutions across New Zealand and Australia, processing over $4.5 billion annually.

A motivated, committed Lead DevOps Engineer is required to join the team in Wellington. This is a senior role taking full ownership of the AWS cloud strategy—focusing on cost optimisation, maintenance, observability, and overall platform reliability.

Beyond the technical side, this role acts as the direct line manager for a supportive team of 3–4 Junior and Intermediate DevOps Engineers. Reporting directly to the Hiring Manager, you'll work alongside the CIO/CISO, Product Team, and Development teams to ensure a mission-critical SaaS platform remains available, secure, and future-proof

What You’ll Be Doing
  • Own Cloud Strategy & Cost Optimization: Take charge of the AWS environment, keeping on top of proactive maintenance, cost efficiency, and infrastructure stability.
  • Lead & Mentor: Provide direct line management, guidance, and mentorship to 3–4 DevOps engineers, helping them learn, grow, and develop their careers.
  • Architecture & IaC: Define the infrastructure roadmap alongside the platform architecture team using Infrastructure as Code (CloudFormation, Terraform, Docker, CDK).
  • CI/CD & DevSecOps: Manage and build continuous integration systems (Jenkins, GitLab/GitHub) while embedding sound security and DevSecOps practices across the lifecycle.
  • Key Relationships: Manage internal connections across Dev, Product, and Security, as well as external relationships with third-party vendors and a dedicated AWS TAM via Enterprise Support.

What We’re Looking For
  • Solid AWS Expertise: Deep, practical experience across core AWS services and modern cloud architecture.
  • People Leadership: Proven capability or strong experience in direct line management and mentoring engineers.
  • Automation & IaC: Hands-on skill with CloudFormation, Terraform, CDK, Docker, and modern CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitHub, GitLab).
  • Networking & Security: Strong Linux administration skills, solid cloud networking (VPC, Security Groups), and secure system design capability.
  • Pragmatic Mindset: Excellent communication, strong problem-solving skills, an Agile approach (Kanban/Scrum), and a good sense of humor!
*Bonus points for experience with PostgreSQL, Python, or Java/development platforms.

Why Join This Team?
You will join a tight-knit team with a massive heart and a base of over 10,000 customers. There are no endless layers of management—the business operates with a flat structure where everyone’s ideas are welcomed and listened to. You’ll join a collaborative culture where people actually have fun while building great products.

Please note: Applicants MUST have NZ residency or a valid NZ work visa to be considered.

About placeMe IT
 
placeMe IT is all about connecting the right candidate with the right job in IT. We promote diversity in the workplace and have a human-first approach, striving for meaningful connections. If you feel like you don't cover every base for this role, that's fine and natural; we encourage you to apply anyway. It's rare that somebody ticks every box!