Automation Engineer

Freelance IT Automation Engineer Location: Maastricht Area (80% Remote / 20% Onsite) Contract Type: Freelance Contract Duration: 1 year with option for extension Working Hours: 08:00 – 17:00 CET On-Call Requirement: 1-hour response time for critical incidents Role Overview Our client is seeking a highly experienced Freelance IT Automation Engineer to support enterprise cloud-native infrastructure and hybrid platform automation initiatives. The consultant will be responsible for lifecycle management, Infrastructure as Code implementation, GitOps deployment models, security hardening, and continuous platform evolution within a high-security, mission-critical environment. Key Responsibilities Maintain and perform lifecycle updates of OpenShift and MicroShift environments. Maintain and update bare-metal provisioning software and deployment engines. Administer and secure enterprise secrets management platforms (e.g., Vault). Maintain Kafka environments (Strimzi-based). Automate containerised workloads using GitOps principles (FluxCD). Execute hybrid cloud automation tasks across Nutanix AHV, VMware, and on-prem OpenShift environments. Assist with application containerisation and onboarding to OpenShift. Develop Infrastructure as Code coverage using Terraform and Ansible. Develop CI/CD automation pipelines using Tekton framework. Manage configuration deployments with Helm and Kustomize. Implement Kubernetes policies using policy engines (e.g., Kyverno). Harden OpenShift clusters (security, monitoring, observability, policy enforcement). Implement monitoring using Prometheus, Grafana, and OpenTelemetry. Manage logging stack using Elastic and Kibana. Manage load balancing using HAProxy and MetalLB. Build and manage container images using Podman. Support incident response and provide expert analysis for critical infrastructure components. Mandatory Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in ICT, Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent professional experience. Minimum 2 years demonstrated experience with OpenShift (enterprise level). Minimum 2 years experience with Nutanix AHV and/or VMware environments. Minimum 2 years hands-on experience with Terraform and Ansible (Infrastructure as Code). Minimum 2 years experience with GitOps frameworks (FluxCD preferred). Minimum 2 years experience with Kubernetes security tools (policy engines, Vault). Professional certifications obtained within the last 5 years: CKA, CKAD, CKS and/or LPI (or equivalent Linux certification). English language proficiency: Listening & Speaking C1; Reading & Writing B2. Security & Compliance Requirements Certificate of Good Conduct (maximum 6 months old, in EN/NL/DE). Must sign confidentiality agreement prior to assignment start. Must adhere strictly to internal security procedures.