DevOps Engineer

About Nearfield Instruments

Nearfield Instruments (NFI) is a fast-growing scale-up high-tech company. We design, develop, integrate, market and service advanced metrology machines. Our machines enable our customers - the world’s leading chipmakers – to increase the production yields, and thus, functionality of their microchips, which in turn leads to smaller, more powerful consumer electronics.

Founded in 2016, we bring together the most creative minds (approx. 370 employees) in science and technology and develop a one-of-a-kind, revolutionary high throughput Scanning Probe Microscopy system.

What will you be doing?

We are building the entire software stack for our advanced machine platforms, ranging from low-level embedded control systems to high-level user interfaces and complex factory communication protocols. We are developing a new, unified software control framework and are looking for a skilled DevOps Engineer to join our team.

Your primary mission will be to design, secure, configure, and manage a robust, high-performance CI/CD environment that serves our software development team's unique needs. You will be instrumental in securing the final equipment and defining the release and secure upgrade strategies for remote equipment deployed at client sites globally.

Responsibilities include:

As a DevOps Engineer, you will be the backbone of our software delivery pipeline, focused on automation, reliability, and security.

Architecture & Automation

• Design and build a scalable DevOps infrastructure architecture to fully realize Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) for the Software team.

• Improve and maintain CI/CD pipelines (focusing on GitLab CI/CD) to maximize efficiency and reliability.

• Manage and ensure the smooth operation of the entire SW department's infrastructure: CI/CD pipelines, Source Control, Artifact Management, and supporting systems.

• Set up, maintain, and continuously improve the company's Cloud Infrastructure (AWS).

• Identify and eliminate manual processes through automation scripting (Python/Bash/PowerShell).

• Develop robust tools and integration software to reduce errors, improve code quality, and interface with internal back-end systems.

Security & Reliability

• Enhance and enforce SW and company IT infrastructure security protocols across all environments.

• Responsible for securing the production equipment itself, implementing a robust least-privilege model.

• Perform root cause analysis (RCA) for production issues, investigating and resolving complex technical errors swiftly.

• Coordinate operational processes between development and operations teams to ensure smooth system uptime and high availability.

 Continuous Improvement

• Proactively initiate and champion new ideas and technologies for continuous improvement across the entire software delivery lifecycle.

• Work effectively both independently and as a collaborative team member in a fast-paced, sometimes global, environment

Why is the position interesting for you?

• End-to-end impact: Work across the full software stack, from embedded systems to cloud infrastructure and directly shape how advanced machines operate worldwide.

• High-tech challenge: Tackle complex DevOps architecture, automation, and security problems in a cutting-edge environment where performance and reliability truly matter.

• Global innovation: Join a passionate, international team developing the next generation of unified software control frameworks for high-end industrial platforms.

What are we looking for?

A scale up can provide phenomenal learning and development opportunities but can also be a hectic environment at times. You must fit in such a climate and don’t mind to constantly implementing changes and process improvements, and to go the extra mile on a regular basis and feel comfortable with some uncertainty.

Furthermore, you need to recognize yourself in the profile as described below.

• Education: M.Sc., B.Sc., or B.A. degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.

• Experience: 5+ years of progressive experience in DevOps, IT infrastructure, Cloud Engineering, Virtualization, or SW Testing/Integration roles and at least 32 hours per week available.

• Knowledge: Deep understanding of Key DevOps Concepts, Code Management, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Security Protocols, and Cloud Infrastructure principles.

• Advantage: Experience in the Semiconductor industry or similarly regulated/enterprise environments is a significant plus.

Core Technical Skills:

• AWS & Cloud platforms

• Containers (Docker, Kubernetes, ECS)

• Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Ansible)

• Linux/Windows administration

• CI/CD (GitLab CI/CD, pipeline design, automation)

• Proficiency in Python, Bash, or PowerShell

• Process and Tracking: Agile/Scrum, Jira

Advanced knowledge of:

• AWS networking (VPC, subnets, routing, security groups, Transit Gateway)

• Security hardening (IAM, least privilege, secrets management)

• Networking fundamentals (DNS, load balancing, reverse proxying)

• Artifact management (Artifactory / Nexus)

• Databases (NoSQL / relational)

• Troubleshooting complex systems

Who are you?

• A true team player with excellent interpersonal skills and a focus on quality delivery.

• Self-driven and capable of quickly mastering new technical domains through documentation and on-the-job learning.

• Proactive, hands-on problem-solver with a strong sense of urgency.

• Possess strong written and oral communication skills, and a commitment to achieving results on time.

• You are fluent in the English language (written and spoken).

What can you expect from us?

Getting on board now is a great opportunity to grow with the company from a technical, personal, and financial perspective. Nearfield's momentum is energetic and promising!

Our starting point is of course to pay someone a fair and competitive salary and besides this we offer you:

• 30 holidays per calendar year (based on 40 hours);

• 8% holiday allowance;

• Commuting allowance;

• Discount on your health insurance;

• We are here to support one another, and colleagues are there to help you.

• Besides a challenging role where you can utilize the full extent of your professional knowledge.