Senior / Staff Site Reliability Engineer - Remote /Europe

As a Senior / Staff Site Reliability Engineer at xLabs, you will manage compute infrastructure and ensure the smooth operation of decentralized applications. Your role involves problem-solving, documenting solutions, and communicating effectively within a distributed team. You'll also work with Infrastructure-as-Code, GitOps, and workload orchestration tools like Kubernetes or HashiCorp Nomad, focusing on enhancing system reliability.

To qualify for the Senior / Staff Site Reliability Engineer position at xLabs, candidates should possess a strong understanding of distributed systems and software design. Proficiency in at least one programming language is required, along with experience in running blockchains. Familiarity with Infrastructure-as-Code and orchestration tools is essential for success in this role.

At xLabs, the work culture is collaborative and supportive, emphasizing clear communication and teamwork. As a fully remote team, we value flexibility and a healthy work-life balance. Our generous vacation policy allows team members to take well-deserved breaks, ensuring that everyone remains productive and engaged.

While prior experience with blockchain technology is not mandatory for the Senior / Staff Site Reliability Engineer position at xLabs, it is considered a nice-to-have. Familiarity with running validators, remote signers, or multisig will certainly enhance your application and may provide you with a deeper understanding of our core systems.

At xLabs, we believe in fostering professional growth for our team members, including Senior / Staff Site Reliability Engineers. We provide opportunities for continuous learning through knowledge sharing, documentation, and access to valuable resources. Additionally, our collaborative work environment encourages sharing insights and skills with colleagues, supporting everyone’s growth journey.

When answering this question, focus on a specific example from your previous experience. Highlight the tools you used, your problem-solving approach, and the outcome of your efforts. Quantifying the improvements, such as reduced downtime or increased performance, can showcase your impact effectively.

Mention specific tools like Kubernetes or HashiCorp Nomad, and discuss the reasons behind your choice. Consider factors such as scalability, ease of use, community support, and specific use cases. Providing real-world examples of how you've utilized these tools can demonstrate your depth of knowledge.

Explain your approach to documentation, emphasizing tools and methods that work best in remote settings. Mention platforms like Confluence, GitHub wiki, or even collaborative documents that allow collective input. Share your philosophy on sharing knowledge and ensuring everyone on the team can benefit from past experiences.

Discuss critical factors such as version control, testing, and consistency across environments. Highlight any tools you’ve used, like Terraform or CloudFormation, and how you ensure that your Infrastructure-as-Code implementations are reliable, maintainable, and scalable.

Describe your step-by-step process for handling an outage. Start with assessing the situation, identifying the affected services, and communicating with the team. Explain how you would troubleshoot the issue, implement a fix, and later conduct a post-mortem to assess what went wrong and how to prevent similar issues.

Emphasize your familiarity with version control systems like Git. Discuss how they enable collaboration, track changes, and facilitate rollbacks in case of issues. Mention specific instances where version control was critical in maintaining system reliability and supporting team workflows.

List the programming languages you are skilled in, and provide examples of how you’ve utilized them to automate tasks, manage infrastructure, or analyze logs. Highlight any specific projects where your programming skills had a significant impact on system performance or reliability.

Mention specific cloud platforms you’ve worked with, such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud. Discuss how you leveraged their services for deploying, managing, and scaling applications. Provide examples of challenges you faced in these environments and how you overcame them to enhance system reliability.

Share the tools and practices you prefer for communication, such as Slack or video conferencing platforms. Emphasize the importance of regular check-ins, clear documentation, and creating a culture of openness where team members feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and concerns.

Discuss your commitment to continuous learning through online resources, forums, conferences, or workshops. Mention any communities you’re part of that focus on site reliability engineering, and share how you apply the latest trends and best practices in your work.