Cloud Lead (GCP) / DevOps Lead – Technical Leadership & Cloud Architecture
Role Overview
Take ownership of the cloud engineering vision for high-impact client engagements, shaping the design and delivery of cloud-native systems on Google Cloud Platform. This role blends hands-on technical execution with leadership, requiring deep expertise in infrastructure automation, containerisation, and secure cloud architecture. You'll define engineering standards, guide architectural direction, and uplift team capabilities through coaching and collaboration.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the design and implementation of GCP-based solutions aligned with Google’s Well-Architected Framework and security best practices.
- Make strategic decisions on cloud infrastructure layout to balance performance, cost, and long-term maintainability.
- Conduct technical reviews and lead architecture discussions with both engineering teams and client stakeholders.
- Guide junior engineers through code reviews, pair programming, and structured knowledge-sharing sessions.
- Establish and enforce standards for infrastructure-as-code, deployment workflows, and cloud governance.
- Build and maintain automated CI/CD pipelines using Cloud Build, GitHub Actions, or GitLab CI for reliable, repeatable deployments.
- Develop modular, reusable Terraform configurations for multi-environment provisioning across dev, staging, and production.
- Deploy and manage containerised applications using Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) and Cloud Run.
- Design and implement VPC architectures, including firewall rules, Cloud NAT, and hybrid connectivity via Cloud Interconnect.
- Lead database modernisation efforts, migrating workloads to Cloud SQL, Cloud Spanner, or BigQuery using GCP Database Migration Service.
- Ensure data integrity and performance during migration through schema translation, validation, and optimisation.
- Implement monitoring, logging, and tracing using Cloud Monitoring, Cloud Logging, and Cloud Trace for full system observability.
- Drive cost optimisation initiatives using FinOps principles, resource tagging, and usage analysis.
- Enforce security controls using IAM policies, Secret Manager, VPC Service Controls, and Security Command Center.
- Set up alerting and incident response protocols to maintain system reliability in production.
- Ensure cloud deployments meet compliance standards such as PCI-DSS, ISO 27001, and POPIA.
Required Qualifications
- Minimum of 5 years in cloud or DevOps engineering, including at least 3 years in a leadership capacity.
- Proven experience with core GCP services: Compute Engine, GKE, Cloud Run, Cloud Functions, Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL, VPC, IAM, and monitoring tools.
- Strong command of Terraform for managing complex, multi-environment infrastructure.
- Ability to translate ambiguous requirements into secure, scalable technical designs.
- Expertise in Terraform (HCL), Python, and Bash for automation and scripting.
- Hands-on experience with Kubernetes and serverless platforms on GCP.
- Familiarity with CI/CD tools including Cloud Build, GitHub Actions, and GitLab CI.
- Working knowledge of GCP security services: IAM, Secret Manager, VPC Service Controls, Security Command Center.
- Experience with observability tools: Cloud Monitoring, Cloud Logging, Cloud Trace.
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent practical experience.
- Hold at least one Google Cloud certification—Professional Cloud Architect, Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer, or equivalent.
Technology Stack
Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Compute Engine, Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), Cloud Run, Cloud Functions, Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL, VPC, Cloud IAM, Cloud Monitoring, Terraform, GCP Deployment Manager, Python, Bash, Kubernetes, CI/CD, Cloud Build, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Secret Manager, VPC Service Controls, Security Command Center, Cloud Logging, Cloud Trace, Error Reporting, Cloud Spanner, BigQuery, GCP Database Migration Service
Work Environment
This role supports a hybrid working model, allowing flexibility between remote and office-based work. Locations include Cape Town, Gauteng, Johannesburg, and Nairobi, with arrangements based on client project needs.
Professional Growth & Impact
Collaborate with seasoned cloud professionals and contribute to transformative projects across South Africa and global markets. Use the latest tools in the GCP ecosystem to solve complex challenges while mentoring emerging engineers and shaping best practices in cloud engineering.
