Open source is our beating heart and it’s something that fuels our work and our culture. It’s where we began. It’s where we’ll always be. Our vision is to become the trusted open source data platform for everyone. We are a Cast of over 400 individuals (‘Crabs’) located across the globe. Why Crabs? Because we believe in thinking sideways. And right now, we’re looking for sideways-thinking Site Reliability Engineer.

The Engineering team at Aiven lies at the core of our organization. This is a great opportunity to become an integral member of the team as a Site Reliability Engineer. We look for engineers who can work around problems by finding new angles. Thinking sideways. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with world-class tech people solving the toughest problems, where almost every project you work on is more complex and technically challenging than the previous one. If you relish pushing your technical boundaries, come join us. Because if you can truly think sideways, you’ll never look back.

Who we are

So, how do we become the trusted open source data platform for everyone? By listening closely to our customers and taking action to ensure they achieve their business goals. You see, the software we create is merely a means of delivering value. Our thinking is customer-first. That’s why our customers are at the front and center of all we do. And in the spirit of sideways thinking, we’re by their side as well. Actively helping them solve their challenges. Collaborating. Sharing. And innovating. In other words, it really isn’t just about who we are. It’s about who our customers are – and where they want to be.

Our values

We want individuals who can embody our values of ownership, courage, and openness.

What does that mean in practice?

We take ownership of the problems we solve. What we do is about improving life for our customers, enabling them to meet their goals. So we own our decisions and mistakes. Sometimes that takes courage. But we don’t falter – we take on challenges with confidence. And right at our heart is openness. We’re always open to new ideas – from wherever and whoever they come.

The Role

We are looking for a Site Reliability Engineer to work on our cloud data platform, turning the best open-source technologies into trusted, frustration-free cloud services. In this role you can either work remotely in USA or in hybrid Toronto, Canada.

You will be part of a team working on the Aiven cloud platform, improving its scalability, reliability, observability, and ensuring the systems are able to scale with our growing global customer base. This team champions our platform’s reliability: we apply our experience running the platform to make it more resilient, both for ourselves, and for our customers. On-call duties are involved, and we use a follow-the-sun model so that on-call duties are not overnight. Depending on your interests, you may also participate in new feature development and help extend our product portfolio of open-source data technologies.

We are looking for candidates that have skills in software development with Python, and in Linux systems administration. Long-term success in this role does require both software engineering and Linux systems administration skills; we expect candidates to be proficient software engineers, and have the basics of system administration. Critical for the role are a debugging mindset and analytical problem-solving skills — we have the mandate to dive into our codebase and fix bugs in the normal course of events.

We actively grow our employees’ skills to help them reach the next level. Please don’t hesitate to apply even if you are unsure if your experience matches — we will adjust accordingly.

How we roll

Our philosophy is to automate everything and to avoid repetitive manual work. Our own backend systems are mostly implemented in Python. We offer and operate the following complex open-source database and data management systems on behalf of our customers: PostgreSQL, MySQL, Kafka, Flink, OpenSearch, Cassandra, Redis, ClickHouse, and Grafana. The Aiven platform automates the bootstrapping and maintenance of these technologies across various cloud providers, including AWS, Azure, GCP, and several others. In true startup fashion, Aiven itself runs on the Aiven platform. Joining Aiven is a fantastic learning opportunity to grow your skills and gain experience with these exciting and in-demand technologies.

What you’ll enjoy:

• Growth opportunities — our SRE team operates all of our services on nearly all of our platforms, and we support team members becoming subject-matter experts on one or more of the services we provide
• Working with all of the major cloud providers, and many smaller ones as well
• Learning how services behave and are kept running and available, regardless of what kind of problems are thrown at them
• Mastering the development and operation of large-scale cloud services
• Working with Open-Source technologies, and contribute back to the huge global community that allows companies like Aiven to exist
• Learning from colleagues who are world-class in their domain
• A pragmatic, evidence-driven workplace

Key skills for success in this role include:

• Experience as a Site Reliability Engineer or similar role
• Hands-on experience operating one or more of the following: Apache Kafka, Apache Cassandra, Apache ZooKeeper, PostgreSQL, MySQL, or Opensearch/Elasticsearch. We do not require that you have experience with all of them!
• Experience with Cloud Service Providers like AWS and Azure.
• Experience in systems automation
• Demonstrable expertise in software development in Python

What we also value:

• Good understanding of IT security
• Distributed systems knowledge
• Analytical problem-solving skills
• Strong communication skills in documenting technical work and decisions

Our Offer

If you ask us what’s the best thing about working for Aiven, many will probably say it’s the high concentration of talent from around the world that we have here. Enjoy the agile environment of a hyperscale scale-up where you can truly make an impact and have fun while at it.

We invest in you

• Participate in Aiven’s equity plan.
• Dreaming of flexible work arrangements? Look no further. Work in one of our hubs, fully remote, or anything in between.
• Get the equipment you need to set yourself up for success.
• Step up your career game with real employer support (use one of our learning platforms, annual learning budget, and more).
• Get holistic wellbeing support through our global Employee Assistance Program.

Make a difference at Aiven

• Contribute to open source projects that you find meaningful outside of work - and get paid for it! Our Plankton program recognizes extra work to the open source ecosystem for developers and non-developers alike.
• Use up to 5 days per year to volunteer for a good cause of your choice.
• Join one of our team member resource groups - empower yourself and others in missions that resonate with you.

What else

• Need insurance? We’ve got you covered - benefit from our: Comprehensive health insurance options including dental and vision benefits and Life and AD&D insurance
• Your wellbeing matters: we provide you with a health savings account with Aiven contributions, as well as short and long term disability plans that protect you if you’re unable to work
• Looking after your future: you’re covered by 401(k) and roth 401(k) retirement plans

Amazing, What’s next

If you think Aiven is the place for you, send us your CV and we’ll get in touch.

E-verify

Aiven participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. More information about our participation in e-verify can be found here.

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Equal Opportunities

Aiven provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for employment without regard to age, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, physical and mental ability, marital and family status or without regard to any other similar personal attributes. Aiven complies with applicable local laws governing inclusivity in employment in every location in which the company operates. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, training and any other terms and conditions related to employment.

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