At a Glance
- Tasks: Build and operate a reliable, scalable platform while improving developer experience.
- Company: Join Fonoa, a forward-thinking tech company focused on solving real customer problems.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible work environment, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Diverse and inclusive team with a focus on continuous learning and improvement.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by innovating with modern technologies in a collaborative team.
- Qualifications: Proficient in English, automation mindset, and programming skills in at least one language.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
About Engineering At Fonoa. Engineering is central to how we build the business. We focus on solving real customer problems, not just shipping features. We work in small, high-trust teams, with full ownership across the lifecycle, from design to production and beyond.
We value:
- Ownership – engineers own what they build end-to-end
- Simplicity – we break down complex problems into clear solutions
- Thinking Big – we innovate with modern technologies (LLMs, AI Agents, etc.) to solve meaningful problems
- Quality – scalable, maintainable systems are non-negotiable
- Speed & iteration – we ship fast, learn, and improve continuously
- Collaboration – we win as a team, not as individuals
Position Overview: As Fonoa continues to scale globally, we are looking for an Infrastructure Engineer to help us build and operate a reliable, scalable, and self-service platform that enables engineering teams to move fast with confidence. This role sits at the core of how engineering operates at Fonoa. You will work to improve the reliability, observability, scalability, and operational maturity of the systems powering our products, while building tooling and infrastructure that make developers' lives easier across the company.
This is not a traditional “ops” role focused on manual infrastructure maintenance. We are looking for engineers who think in systems, automate relentlessly, and care deeply about developer experience, operational excellence, and long-term maintainability. You will work closely with product engineering teams to improve platform capabilities, evolve our Kubernetes and cloud environments, strengthen observability and reliability practices, and help teams fully own and operate their services in production.
We are looking for someone who thrives in fast-moving environments, enjoys solving operational and systems challenges at scale, and is excited about building infrastructure that stays reliable, simple, and delightfully boring as the company grows.
What Will You Do:
- Continuously iterate on our platform, building self-service tooling and services consumed by internal customers (engineering teams).
- Help improve our products' observability, availability, security, and latency, so we can always keep our customers happy.
- Participate in an on-call schedule, taking care of the services the team owns.
- Define and continuously improve our SLIs, SLOs, and SLAs as part of our ever-present effort to achieve operational excellence.
- Help all engineering teams adopt site reliability.
What We Are Looking For:
- You are fully proficient in English. Written and spoken, as we are a bunch from around the world, and we work in English.
- You communicate effectively and asynchronously.
- You have an automation mindset focused on streamlining daily operations.
- You manage infrastructures with code; it doesn't exist if it's not in git.
- You have programming skills in at least one language, or can learn more if the opportunity arises.
- You strongly favour simplicity over complexity.
- You solve problems with other people; you are a team player, not a hero. We share the knowledge (and sometimes the pain).
- You prefer data to opinions when making decisions. And are ok with finding the data yourself when it's missing.
- You have a strong sense of ownership, care about what you build, and build the right thing that serves your customers.
- You are a builder at heart. You like the opportunity to have tons of exposure, make things work for a company long-term, and have an entrepreneurial attitude for anything that comes your way.
- You are comfortable with changes in priorities, goals, and deadlines. You see this more as an opportunity than a hurdle. You are also comfortable challenging the status quo and pushing for change yourself.
What Success Looks Like:
- Help us keep our Kubernetes runtime across cloud providers boring, reliable, and delightfully uneventful, using Terraform, CRDs, and common sense.
- Evolve our API gateway layer as product and customer needs grow, ensuring the path between services remains reliable, scalable, and slightly less terrifying.
- Automate, operate, and troubleshoot our data storage platforms, so teams can safely spawn and run their own Postgres and Elasticsearch instances without summoning an SRE every time.
- Keep our observability platform lean and useful across Grafana, Prometheus, and Datadog, empowering engineers to fully own their services rather than merely stare at dashboards in despair.
API Documentation: You can explore our API and how we build products here: https://docs.fonoa.com/
Tech Stack:
- Backend: Node.js, Go
- Frontend: React, TypeScript
- Infrastructure: GCP, k8s, Terraform, Postgres
Note: If you don’t think you have the full experience we’re looking for, but you could be a fit and are willing to learn, do apply anyway! We are building a diverse and inclusive team.
As part of the recruitment process at Fonoa, we process your personal data in accordance with our Privacy Notice for Job Applicants. This notice explains how and why your data is collected and used, and how you can contact us if you have any concerns.
Senior/Staff Site Reliability Engineer employer: Fonoa
Fonoa is an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of ownership, collaboration, and innovation, making it an ideal place for a Senior/Staff Site Reliability Engineer. With a focus on meaningful problem-solving and a commitment to employee growth, Fonoa offers opportunities to work with cutting-edge technologies in a supportive environment that values simplicity and operational excellence. Located in a dynamic and fast-paced industry, employees benefit from a diverse team and the chance to make a significant impact on the company's success while enjoying a healthy work-life balance.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior/Staff Site Reliability Engineer
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to current employees at Fonoa on LinkedIn or other platforms. Ask them about their experiences and any tips they might have for the interview process. This insider info can give you a leg up!
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for technical interviews by brushing up on your coding skills and system design principles. Practice common SRE scenarios and be ready to discuss how you've tackled similar challenges in the past. We want to see your problem-solving skills in action!
✨Tip Number 3
Show off your passion for automation and reliability! During interviews, share specific examples of how you've improved systems or processes in previous roles. Highlight your ownership mentality and how it aligns with Fonoa's values.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you're genuinely interested in joining our team at Fonoa!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior/Staff Site Reliability Engineer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Ownership:When writing your application, make sure to highlight your sense of ownership. We love engineers who take pride in what they build and can demonstrate how they've owned projects from start to finish.
Keep It Simple:Remember, simplicity is key! Break down your experiences and skills into clear, concise points. We want to see how you tackle complex problems with straightforward solutions.
Be a Team Player:We value collaboration, so share examples of how you've worked with others to solve problems. Show us that you're not just a lone wolf but someone who thrives in a team environment.
Apply Through Our Website:Don't forget to apply through our website! It's the best way for us to keep track of your application and ensure it gets the attention it deserves. We can't wait to hear from you!
How to prepare for a job interview at Fonoa
✨Understand the Company Culture
Before your interview, dive deep into Fonoa's values and culture. They focus on ownership, simplicity, and collaboration. Be ready to discuss how your personal work style aligns with these principles and share examples of how you've embodied them in your previous roles.
✨Showcase Your Automation Skills
Since this role requires an automation mindset, prepare to discuss specific projects where you've automated processes or improved systems. Bring examples of code you've written or tools you've built that demonstrate your ability to streamline operations and enhance developer experience.
✨Prepare for Technical Questions
Brush up on your knowledge of Kubernetes, Terraform, and cloud infrastructure. Expect technical questions that assess your problem-solving skills and understanding of system reliability. Practise explaining complex concepts in simple terms, as clarity is key in a collaborative environment.
✨Emphasise Team Collaboration
Fonoa values teamwork, so be prepared to discuss how you've worked effectively with others in the past. Share stories that highlight your ability to solve problems collaboratively and how you’ve contributed to team success, especially in fast-paced environments.