Principal DevOps Engineer

Reperio Human Capital · Recruitment agency

Full-time•DevOps•€80k-100k/year (EUR)•Ireland · Remote within Ireland

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TechJobs.ie Job Insights

At a glance

Employment type: Full-time
Location: Ireland · Remote within Ireland
Workplace: Remote
Salary: €80k-100k/year (EUR)
Category: DevOps

Technologies & skills

Primary technologies

Python

Cloud & infrastructure

Kubernetes CI/CD Linux

Other technical skills

PostgreSQL Prometheus LLMs

What you'll be doing

Principal DevOps Engineer at a fast-growing AI-driven data analytics company. Own platform infrastructure from design to production, working remotely with occasional Galway office visits. Individual contributor role reporting to CTO, influencing technical direction and supporting cloud, on-premise, and air-gapped deployments.

Build and run all environments as infrastructure-as-code, from CI through to production
Design and operate Kubernetes clusters, both in the cloud and on-premise
Build and maintain an offline installer for air-gapped customer deployments
Own the CI/CD pipelines and keep local developer environments consistent with production
Run secure private networks with controlled egress
Manage self-hosted observability: monitoring, logging, tracing and alerting
Deploy and operate AI model endpoints and inference serving, including GPU capacity planning
Support customer IT teams during installations and upgrades

Key requirements

Must-have

Extensive experience running production Kubernetes, both in the cloud and on-premise
Track record of owning infrastructure end to end
Strong Linux administration, networking and troubleshooting skills
Infrastructure-as-code and CI/CD experience
Scripting ability in Bash, Python or similar
Experience with self-hosted observability tools such as Prometheus, Loki or similar
Clear technical writing and excellent spoken and written English
Experience working directly with customer IT teams on on-prem installs

Nice-to-have

Experience delivering software into air-gapped environments
Experience with RKE2/K3s
Experience with Postgres, ClickHouse, OpenSearch, Temporal and S3-compatible storage
Experience with LLM and model serving, such as vLLM, Ray Serve or similar

Role signals

Technical focus: DevOps/Infrastructure
Architecture / system design: Indicated in the listing
Hands-on vs management: Hands-on

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Full job description

Principal DevOps Engineer

A fast-growing, venture-backed software company building an AI-driven data analytics platform. Its clients are government, security and financial-services organisations. The platform runs in the cloud, on-premise and in fully air-gapped environments.

The role
You'll be a senior, hands-on engineer who owns the platform's infrastructure from design through to production. You'll report directly to the CTO and work alongside a small DevOps team. This is an individual contributor role with real influence over technical direction. Most of your time will be remote, with 1-2 days a month in the Galway office.

What you'll do

Build and run all environments as infrastructure-as-code, from CI through to production
Design and operate Kubernetes clusters, both in the cloud and on-premise
Build and maintain an offline installer for air-gapped customer deployments
Own the CI/CD pipelines and keep local developer environments consistent with production
Run secure private networks with controlled egress
Look after self-hosted observability: monitoring, logging, tracing and alerting
Deploy and operate AI model endpoints and inference serving, including GPU capacity planning
Support customer IT teams during installations and upgrades
Keep architecture docs, a decision log and runbooks up to date
What you'll bring
Extensive experience running production Kubernetes, both in the cloud and on-premise
A track record of owning infrastructure end to end
Strong Linux administration, networking and troubleshooting skills
Infrastructure-as-code and CI/CD experience
Scripting ability in Bash, Python or similar
Experience with self-hosted observability tools such as Prometheus, Loki or similar
Clear technical writing and excellent spoken and written English
Experience working directly with customer IT teams on on-prem installs

Nice to have

Experience delivering software into air-gapped environments
RKE2/K3s
Postgres, ClickHouse, OpenSearch, Temporal and S3-compatible storage
LLM and model serving, such as vLLM, Ray Serve or similar
Interested? Apply now or get in touch for a confidential conversation.

Reperio Human Capital acts as an Employment Agency and an Employment Business.

Interview prep pack

Grounded in this listing. Use it to prepare examples before you apply.

Your interview focus

Based on this listing, the Principal DevOps Engineer role is a senior, hands-on position responsible for designing, building, and operating infrastructure across cloud, on-premise, and air-gapped environments for an AI-driven data analytics platform.

Kubernetes (cloud and on-premise)·Medium
Infrastructure-as-Code & CI/CD·High
Linux administration & networking·High
Self-hosted observability·High

Only have 30 minutes?

Follow a focused preparation plan based on this job.

Start 30-minute prep

Your 30-minute plan

Review Kubernetes and On-Premise Deployments
0–8 min
List and reflect on your most relevant Kubernetes projects, especially those involving both cloud and on-premise clusters.
Summarize IaC and CI/CD Experience
8–15 min
Prepare concise stories about automating infrastructure and maintaining CI/CD pipelines, highlighting tools and outcomes.
Document Observability Implementations
15–20 min
Recall specific examples of deploying and operating self-hosted monitoring and logging solutions.
Prepare for Air-Gapped and Secure Deployment Questions
20–25 min
Gather details on any experience with offline installers, secure networking, or restricted environments.
Draft Questions for the Interviewer
25–30 min
Select and tailor 2-3 questions from the provided list to ask during your interview.

Likely questions

Expand all

Priority reflects how strongly this topic is emphasised in the job listing, not whether it will be asked.

1Can you describe a time when you designed and operated a Kubernetes cluster in both cloud and on-premise environments?High
Why they may ask
To assess your practical experience with Kubernetes across different deployment models.
Prepare to discuss
- Detail the architecture and tooling used for both environments.
- Explain challenges unique to each (e.g., networking, storage, upgrades).
- Discuss how you ensured consistency and reliability.
- Highlight any automation or monitoring implemented.
Tip: Use a specific example and quantify impact where possible.
2How have you implemented infrastructure-as-code and managed CI/CD pipelines for complex environments?High
Why they may ask
To evaluate your automation skills and ability to maintain consistency from development to production.
Prepare to discuss
- Describe the tools and languages used (e.g., Terraform, Ansible, Jenkins, GitLab CI).
- Explain how you handled environment drift and rollback strategies.
- Share how you kept developer environments aligned with production.
- Mention any security or compliance considerations.
Tip: Focus on your decision-making process and lessons learned.
3What strategies have you used to deploy and maintain observability tools like Prometheus or Loki in a self-hosted environment?High
Why they may ask
To determine your experience with monitoring and alerting in environments without managed services.
Prepare to discuss
- Outline your deployment and configuration process.
- Discuss alerting, logging, and dashboarding setup.
- Explain how you ensured high availability and scalability.
- Share how you responded to incidents using these tools.
Tip: Highlight any customizations or integrations you implemented.
4Describe your experience supporting customer IT teams during on-premise installations or upgrades.Medium
Why they may ask
To assess your ability to collaborate with external teams and manage complex deployments.
Prepare to discuss
- Share a specific scenario involving customer interaction.
- Explain how you prepared documentation and runbooks.
- Discuss troubleshooting and communication approaches.
- Mention any feedback or improvements made post-deployment.
Tip: Emphasize your communication and problem-solving skills.
5Have you built or maintained offline installers for air-gapped environments? What were the main challenges and solutions?Medium
Why they may ask
To gauge your experience with secure, restricted deployments.
Prepare to discuss
- Describe the process for packaging and distributing software offline.
- Explain how you handled dependencies and updates.
- Discuss security and verification measures.
- Share lessons learned from real-world deployments.
Tip: If you lack direct experience, relate similar secure deployment work.
6How do you approach technical documentation and decision logging for infrastructure projects?Medium
Why they may ask
To evaluate your ability to communicate and maintain clarity in complex environments.
Prepare to discuss
- Describe your documentation process and tools used.
- Explain how you keep docs up to date and accessible.
- Share examples of decision logs and their impact.
- Highlight feedback from team members or stakeholders.
Tip: Showcase your attention to detail and clarity.
7What is your experience with deploying and operating AI model endpoints, including GPU capacity planning?Lower
Why they may ask
To assess your familiarity with AI/ML infrastructure and resource management.
Prepare to discuss
- Explain the types of models and serving frameworks used.
- Discuss GPU provisioning and scaling strategies.
- Share monitoring and troubleshooting approaches.
- Mention any performance optimization techniques.
Tip: Relate to listed technologies if possible (e.g., vLLM, Ray Serve).

Talking points

End-to-End Infrastructure Ownership
Prepare examples where you have designed, implemented, and maintained infrastructure, demonstrating your ability to take full responsibility for reliability and scalability.
Kubernetes Cluster Design and Operations
Showcase your experience managing Kubernetes in both cloud and on-premise settings, including challenges faced and solutions implemented.
Infrastructure-as-Code and CI/CD Pipelines
Be ready to discuss how you have automated environment provisioning and maintained consistency between development and production using IaC and CI/CD tools.
Self-Hosted Observability Solutions
Provide examples of implementing and maintaining monitoring, logging, and alerting systems (e.g., Prometheus, Loki) to ensure platform reliability.
Supporting Air-Gapped and Secure Environments
If applicable, describe your experience with offline installers, secure networking, and deployments in restricted or air-gapped environments.
Technical Communication and Documentation
Demonstrate your ability to produce clear technical documentation and communicate complex concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

What to research

Production Kubernetes Operations
Review your experience managing Kubernetes clusters in both cloud and on-premise environments, focusing on architecture, upgrades, and troubleshooting.
Infrastructure-as-Code and CI/CD Tools
Refresh your knowledge of IaC tools (e.g., Terraform, Ansible) and CI/CD pipelines, including strategies for environment consistency and automation.
Self-Hosted Observability Stack
Prepare to discuss your setup and maintenance of monitoring and logging tools like Prometheus and Loki, including alerting and incident response.
Supporting Air-Gapped and Secure Deployments
Gather examples of working with offline installers, secure networking, and deployments in restricted environments.

Questions to ask

What are the main challenges your team faces with on-premise and air-gapped deployments?
Why ask this? To understand the technical and operational pain points you would help address.
How is technical direction and architectural decision-making handled within the DevOps team?
Why ask this? To clarify your influence and collaboration with the CTO and peers.
What observability and monitoring stack is currently in use, and are there plans for future changes?
Why ask this? To assess the maturity of the monitoring setup and potential areas for improvement.
How do you support customer IT teams during installations and upgrades, especially in secure environments?
Why ask this? To gauge expectations for customer interaction and support processes.
What is the roadmap for AI model serving and GPU infrastructure within the platform?
Why ask this? To understand the direction and scale of AI/ML infrastructure work.
How is documentation and knowledge sharing managed across the DevOps and engineering teams?
Why ask this? To learn about documentation standards and collaboration practices.

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Apply NowApply before: 26 Oct 2026

Principal DevOps Engineer

TechJobs.ie Job Insights

At a glance

Technologies & skills

What you'll be doing

Key requirements

Role signals

Similar jobs

Full job description

What you'll do

Nice to have

Interview prep pack

Your interview focus

Only have 30 minutes?

Your 30-minute plan

Likely questions

Talking points

What to research

Questions to ask

Register now to upload your CV

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