Software Engineer - Cloud - Intermediate
Electrum is a next-generation payment software technology company.
Since 2012, we've delivered trusted, enterprise-grade, cloud-native software to optimise financial transaction processing. Our deep expertise has established us as a respected partner in high-volume, low-value payment schemes, enabling clients to deliver services to millions of South Africans daily.
At Electrum, we are grounded in impact – designing solutions that matter, acting with urgency, and continuously learning as we scale. We believe in creating together – working side by side with our clients and teams to build meaningful, lasting solutions. We prioritise making it safe – encouraging open communication, smart risk-taking, and trust so that creativity and alignment thrive. And we back empowered strong teams – hiring brilliant people, collaborating hard, and holding each other to high standards while leading with empathy and kindness.
When you join the Electrum team, you’ll get to:
- Be part of the entire journey — from the spark of an idea to the final product launch.
- Grow your skills through world-class training and hands-on learning every day.
- Receive mentorship and guidance from industry leaders who are invested in your success.
- Work in a dynamic, innovative workplace where collaboration and creativity thrive.
- Tackle real-world customer challenges and see the impact of your work firsthand.
- Explore plenty of opportunities to grow your career and expand your expertise.
- Gain valuable experience in a leading FinTech environment, contributing to meaningful, high-impact projects.
The Role
As an Intermediate Cloud Engineer (with a background in Software Engineering), you will not be a traditional cloud support admin reacting to support tickets or clicking through the AWS console. Instead, you will treat our cloud infrastructure as a product, and our internal developers as your customers.
Your mission is to make the right path the easiest path by balancing a simple cloud experience with the discipline required to scale safely. You will be responsible for automating the management of the infrastructure that underpins Electrum's platform, and for building the self-service tooling that empowers our stream-aligned product teams to deploy secure cloud infrastructure autonomously. We are transitioning to a fully automated, "hands-off" cloud operation where guardrails are favoured over gatekeeping, and state enforcement replaces manual patching.
Responsibilities
- Architecting, deploying, and managing AWS cloud-based production systems strictly through Infrastructure as Code, driving our IaC strategy via AWS CDK and CloudFormation.
- Building, automating, and maintaining foundational networking across the estate (Legacy IPSec Tunnels, AWS Networking, routing, etc).
- Building automated guardrails and self-service tooling that ensure the availability, performance, and scalability of AWS production systems - without acting as a manual gatekeeper.
- Developing Java and Python software that eliminates operational toil (e.g., zero-downtime upgrades, automated maintenance, fleet-wide patch management).
- Deep system troubleshooting across the cloud infrastructure stack, specifically diagnosing complex Linux connectivity and networking issues.
- Enforcing infrastructure state and preventing configuration drift across many environments using IaC constructs.
- Driving FinOps initiatives by implementing automated cost-optimisation frameworks, rightsizing lifecycles, and financial governance.
- Consolidating and modernising secure access (e.g., moving from legacy VPNs to Zero Trust architecture) by leveraging best practices and cloud security solutions.
- Definition, deployment, and management of automated metrics, logging, monitoring, and alerting to enable system self-reporting.
Requirements
- Minimum of 3+ years’ experience working with AWS infrastructure in a DevOps, SRE, Platform, or Cloud Engineering role.
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
- AWS Certifications are beneficial (e.g. AWS Certified Solutions Architect or SysOps Administrator).
- Strong coding and object-oriented programming skills, with proven experience automating cloud operations, including hands-on development in Java and Python.
- Strong no-console Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) mindset with hands-on expertise driving AWS CDK and CloudFormation (Terraform experience is also valued).
- Deep understanding of building AWS Networking fundamentals (VPC architecture, CIDR subnetting, Transit Gateways, Network basics) and strong Linux system administration.
- Understanding of Kubernetes and hands-on experience with kubectl, OpenLens, and Argo CD (or similar CI/CD tooling).
- Experience embedding observability (e.g., CloudWatch, Prometheus, Grafana, ELK) directly into infrastructure design.
- Strong awareness of cloud economics, with the ability to execute cost monitoring and optimisation strategies in AWS.
- Familiarity with security best practices in cloud environments.
Benefits
Why Join Electrum?
- We believe in a People First approach, ensuring a culture where you can thrive and make a real difference
Your Career & Culture
- Career Growth: Delivering world-class financial software is challenging, but your effort will earn you hands-on experience with products used by millions, accelerating your career.
- Strong Teams: We keep teams small, focused, and collaborative to maximize impact.
- Transparency: We openly discuss strategy, finances, and salaries. Mistakes are viewed as learning opportunities that we actively discuss.
- Autonomy: We trust you. You're expected to seek out the data needed for informed decisions and manage your own time—knowing when to focus and when to recharge.
- Shared Vision: You'll have the power to shape the vision of how we build the future of financial services.
Practical Perks
- Here's how we support our culture:
- Flexible Work: Office-first environment with flexible hours.
- Generous Leave: Starting at 20 days per year.
- Office Perks (Cape Town): Fully-stocked kitchen and daily catered lunch.
- Social Life: Regular team activities like hikes, getaways, and dinners