Team Lead – Site Reliability Engineering (f/m/d)
Apply for the role at Orbem.
Orbem is an impact‑driven deep‑tech scaleup with global reach, founded in Munich, Germany and now expanding internationally with our newest office in Houston, Texas. We develop fast, accurate, and accessible imaging solutions that provide access to otherwise unattainable sources of knowledge. We seek to make a difference – and develop solutions to sustainably feed the world, accelerate the transition to a green economy, and transform disease detection.
Job Details
Start date: As soon as possible
Yearly Salary: €90,000 – €100,000 (fixed range, annual gross)
ESOP: €40,000 – €80,000
Benefits: Up to €5,000 annually
Work model: Full‑time, hybrid (based in Munich)
Your Role
As the Team Lead for Site Reliability Engineering, you’ll be the driving force behind Orbem’s mission‑critical infrastructure — ensuring our systems run flawlessly across a complex network of on‑premises and edge environments. You’ll lead a talented team of SREs, blending hands‑on technical expertise with strong people leadership to uphold world‑class uptime, performance, and reliability standards. In this pivotal role, you’ll shape the backbone of Orbem’s technology — keeping the platforms that power our Data, Machine Learning, and Software teams resilient, scalable, and efficient. Your leadership will set the tone for operational excellence, fostering a culture of reliability, collaboration, and continuous improvement that enables innovation at every level of the organisation.
Day‑to‑Day Responsibilities
People Management
* Handle all core people‑management duties, including one‑on‑ones, performance reviews, career progression, promotions, and conflict resolution.
* Set the technical and architectural direction for the team.
* Organise and manage the team’s life and processes, ensuring the team operates without blockers.
Technical Direction & Execution
* Assist the team with technical planning and ticket writing to ensure clarity of expectations and architectural alignment.
* Maintain and enhance the production infrastructure to achieve and sustain high uptime, prioritising stability over new features.
* Help manage and resolve escalated support and production issues.
* Collaborate with stakeholders (with eventual support of a Product Manager) to gather requirements and manage technical alignment.
* Instrumentally ensure reliability, scalability, and efficiency of our infrastructure, supporting development teams and troubleshooting complex issues.
* Collaborate with various stakeholders, contribute to architectural decisions, and drive continuous improvement initiatives to optimise performance and reduce costs.
* Require deep understanding of edge computing principles, networking, security, and automation.
Job Requirements
Fit to Our Values
* We own every challenge: we enjoy complexity and thrive under uncertainty.
* We strive for better: we seize any opportunity for growth and challenge the status quo. We are constantly learning and improving.
* We imagine new frontiers: we think beyond “doable” and “reasonable”. We design a sustainable and healthy future together.
Technical Skills and Experience
* Container Orchestration: Super proficient in maintaining Kubernetes on edge machines.
* Programming: Fluency in at least one modern language, such as Golang or Python.
* Monitoring: Deep understanding of concepts and tools such as Prometheus and Grafana.
* Terraform is a native language to you.
* Linux & Server Expertise: Deep proficiency in Linux‑based systems and experience with server hardware, including components like RAID controllers, BIOS, and booting.
* DevOps: Good understanding of release systems and proficiency with GitOps tools like Argo CD.
* Security Management: Proficient in security concepts like certificate management (issuing, lifecycles, etc.).
What Makes You Stand Out From Other Candidates
* Holistic Data Center Engineering Expertise: Deep understanding of low‑level hardware like routers, switches, servers, BIOS, and TPM modules.
* Bare‑Metal Automation: Proven experience designing and implementing automation for bare‑metal infrastructure provisioning.
* Modern Kubernetes & CI/CD Architect: Moves beyond basic deployments to architect sophisticated, automated, and resilient delivery pipelines using cutting‑edge GitOps and Kubernetes‑native tooling.
* Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Mastery: Expert‑level proficiency with Terraform to build version‑controlled, repeatable, and scalable environments.
Behavioural Competencies
* Strategic & Visionary Thinker: Develop a clear vision and strategic roadmap for internal platforms, thinking of long‑term health, scalability, and usability.
* Empathetic Communicator & Collaborator: Build strong relationships with development teams, proactively gather feedback, clearly communicate changes, and champion the "why" behind initiatives.
* High Degree of Ownership: Take end‑to‑end ownership of developer experience and team output, ensuring reliability, documentation, and continuous improvement of internal toolchain.
* Conflict Resolution Expertise: Proven ability to manage core people‑management duties, effectively handling conflict and team dynamics.
* Performance and Growth Management: Demonstrated experience with one‑on‑ones, performance reviews, career progression, and promotions.
* Data‑Driven Prioritisation: Use data (metrics on build times, deployment frequency, support requests) to make informed decisions and focus on high‑value initiatives.
* Customer‑Obsessed: Place developer experience at the forefront of planning and execution, actively seeking to understand pain points and create a frictionless engineering environment.
What We Offer
International Environment: Join a team with 40+ nationalities across 5 continents, all driven by a shared purpose: shedding light on the world’s toughest challenges.
Attractive Compensation Package
* Stock Options: Share in Orbem’s success.
* Visa & Relocation Support: Seamless support for your move to Germany.
* Learning & Development: €1,750 annual budget for personal growth.
* Fitness Membership: Access to Urban Sports Club or Wellpass.
* Childcare Reimbursement: Support for Kita/Kindergarten fees.
* Deutschland Ticket: Full coverage of public transportation.
Work‑Life Integration
* Flexible Hours & Home Office: Work when and where it suits you.
* 30 Days Paid Leave: Plenty of time to recharge.
* Personal Leave: Flexibility for life’s important moments.
* Work from Anywhere: Experience new cultures and environments for up to 60 days per year.
Make a Difference: Join an ambitious, fast‑growing team working on breakthrough technology. In our scale‑up environment, you’ll have the freedom to lead your projects and make an impact. We provide a platform for you to explore, innovate, and define your vision for the future. At Orbem, we’re committed to helping you discover your strengths, and while we aim to teach you, we also want to learn from you.
Your Team
As a Team Lead, SRE, you become part of our diverse and international team. Learn more about the team members, their work, and challenges here: https://orbem.ai/company/
At Orbem, we're committed to building a smart, diverse team, and we recognize that self‑doubt can prevent talented individuals from applying. If you feel you don't meet every requirement, we'd love to hear from you anyway!
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