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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for a Technology Engineer

💰 $85,000 - $140,000

Information TechnologyEngineeringInfrastructureCloud ComputingDevOps

🎯 Role Definition

A Technology Engineer is the architect and custodian of an organization's core technology infrastructure. This role is a dynamic blend of systems administration, network engineering, and cloud innovation. The individual in this position ensures the reliability, scalability, and security of the systems that power the business. They are hands-on problem-solvers, responsible for everything from designing new cloud environments to automating operational tasks and responding to critical incidents. Success in this role means enabling the entire organization to operate efficiently and securely, leveraging technology as a competitive advantage.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • IT Support Specialist / Help Desk Tier 2-3
  • Junior Systems Administrator
  • Network Technician

Advancement To:

  • Senior Technology / Infrastructure Engineer
  • Cloud Architect / Solutions Architect
  • IT Infrastructure Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • DevOps Engineer
  • Site Reliability Engineer (SRE)
  • Cybersecurity Engineer

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Design, deploy, and manage scalable, highly available, and fault-tolerant systems on cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or GCP.
  • Administer and maintain server environments, including Windows and Linux-based systems, ensuring optimal performance, security, and uptime.
  • Develop and implement automation scripts using languages like Python, PowerShell, or Bash to streamline repetitive tasks and reduce manual intervention.
  • Manage and evolve Infrastructure as Code (IaC) deployments using tools such as Terraform, Ansible, or CloudFormation to ensure consistent and repeatable environments.
  • Build and maintain continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines to enable rapid and reliable software delivery.
  • Implement and manage robust monitoring and alerting solutions (e.g., Datadog, Prometheus, Grafana) to proactively identify and address system issues.
  • Conduct regular security assessments, patch management, and system hardening to protect against vulnerabilities and ensure compliance with industry standards.
  • Configure and troubleshoot complex network infrastructure, including firewalls, load balancers, VPNs, and DNS settings.
  • Plan, test, and execute disaster recovery and business continuity strategies to ensure data and service resilience.
  • Perform root cause analysis for production incidents and implement preventative measures to avoid recurrence.
  • Manage containerized applications and orchestration platforms, particularly Docker and Kubernetes, from deployment to ongoing operation.
  • Oversee identity and access management (IAM) systems, ensuring proper permissions and security controls are enforced across all platforms.
  • Evaluate new technologies, tools, and software, providing recommendations to leadership for improving the technology stack.
  • Create and maintain comprehensive documentation for system configurations, processes, and service records.
  • Act as a key escalation point for complex technical issues, providing expert-level support to internal teams.
  • Lead and participate in technology projects from conception and planning through to implementation and post-launch support.
  • Monitor cloud resource utilization and implement cost-optimization strategies to manage the infrastructure budget effectively.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
  • Provide mentorship and technical guidance to junior members of the IT and engineering teams.
  • Engage with third-party vendors for support, procurement, and an ongoing partnership to resolve issues and improve services.
  • Participate in an on-call rotation to provide after-hours support for critical system incidents and emergencies.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Cloud Computing Platforms: Deep expertise in at least one major cloud provider (AWS, Azure, GCP), including core services like EC2, S3, VPC, IAM, and their equivalents.
  • Operating Systems: Proficient administration of both Linux (e.g., Ubuntu, RHEL, CentOS) and Windows Server environments.
  • Scripting & Automation: Strong scripting ability in a language such as Python, PowerShell, or Bash for automating system administration tasks.
  • Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Hands-on experience with tools like Terraform, Ansible, Puppet, or CloudFormation to manage infrastructure programmatically.
  • Containerization & Orchestration: Practical knowledge of Docker for container creation and Kubernetes (or a managed equivalent like EKS, AKS, GKE) for orchestration.
  • CI/CD Tooling: Experience building and managing pipelines using tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI, Azure DevOps, or CircleCI.
  • Networking Fundamentals: Solid understanding of TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP, SSL/TLS, routing, and firewall management in both traditional and cloud-native contexts.
  • Monitoring & Observability: Proficiency with monitoring tools like Datadog, Prometheus, Grafana, or Nagios to track system health and performance.
  • Security Principles: Knowledge of security best practices, including identity management (e.g., Active Directory, Okta), vulnerability scanning, and system hardening.
  • Database Knowledge: Familiarity with managing and troubleshooting relational (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL) and/or NoSQL (e.g., MongoDB, Redis) databases.

Soft Skills

  • Analytical Problem-Solving: The ability to systematically diagnose complex technical issues, often under pressure, and develop effective, long-term solutions.
  • Strong Communication: Capable of clearly articulating technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences, both verbally and in writing.
  • Collaboration & Teamwork: A proactive team player who works effectively with developers, security analysts, and business stakeholders to achieve common goals.
  • Adaptability: A continuous learner who stays current with the rapidly evolving technology landscape and can quickly master new tools and platforms.
  • Ownership & Accountability: A self-starter who takes responsibility for the health and performance of their systems and sees projects through to completion.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

A Bachelor's degree in a relevant field or equivalent practical experience demonstrated through a robust work history and/or relevant certifications.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related engineering discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Computer Science
  • Information Systems
  • Network Engineering
  • Software Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3-7 years of hands-on experience in a systems administration, infrastructure engineering, or DevOps-related role.

Preferred:

Experience in a cloud-first environment, particularly with a proven track record of automating infrastructure and supporting production applications at scale. Relevant certifications (e.g., AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate, CKA) are highly regarded.

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