Senior Platform DevOps Engineer

ZEN8 (Stealth Rebrand) / Connected Swim Training
📍 Lisbon | Full-time - Permanent 

Competitive salary based on experience, with stock options for high-impact results.

About ZEN8 Sports

In a world where cycling, running, and rowing have gone virtual, swimmers have been left behind. We’re changing that.

With over 20,000 athletes already training with our first product, we’ve proven the demand. Now we’re building the world’s first Connected Swim Training platform,  merging smart equipment, real-time performance data, and the thrill of gaming to make swim training accessible, engaging, and exciting for everyone.

We’re currently in stealth, finalizing our next-generation product and closing our Seed round to launch in the coming months. What we’re building will change how millions train, compete, and connect.

Role Overview

As our Senior DevOps & Infrastructure Engineer, you’ll play a critical role in scaling and securing the systems that power the world’s first Connected Swim Training Platform. You’ll design and operate the cloud infrastructure that keeps thousands of athletes connected in real time—delivering data, insights, and performance feedback with minimal latency and maximum reliability.

This is a hands-on role for a builder who thrives in high-growth, fast-moving environments. You’ll work across AWS, CI/CD, and automation to ensure our backend, mobile, and gameplay systems run smoothly, securely, and efficiently at scale.

We’re looking for someone who can blend strong DevOps engineering with backend awareness: someone who understands how infrastructure choices affect data consistency, user experience, and system performance. You’ll collaborate closely with full-stack and gameplay engineers in Lisbon, shaping our technical foundation as we grow globally.

If you love solving complex scaling challenges, automating everything possible, and building infrastructure that just works, you’ll fit right in.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect, implement, and maintain AWS infrastructure (ECS/Fargate, EC2, Lambda, CloudFront, Terraform, CloudFormation) to deliver scalable, high-performance systems.
• Build, optimize, and maintain CI/CD pipelines for web, backend, and mobile applications (React Native, Node.js), ensuring seamless releases and rapid iteration.
• Implement and manage Cloudflare, CloudFront, and S3 Origin configurations to enable global distribution, caching, and low-latency asset delivery.
• Design for scalability, reliability, and uptime, applying redundancy, auto-scaling, and failover strategies.
• Collaborate with backend engineers to optimize databases (PostgreSQL, DynamoDB, MySQL), ensuring data integrity, consistency, and high throughput.
• Enhance security and compliance through encryption, IAM policies, access control, and adherence to GDPR, CCPA, and SSDL (Secure Software Development Lifecycle) principles.
• Integrate monitoring, logging, and alerting systems (Datadog, CloudWatch, Grafana) to maintain full observability and proactive detection.
• Use AI-assisted tools (Claude, Copilot, Cody) and automation platforms (n8n, Zapier, Make) to streamline workflows and accelerate problem-solving.
• Continuously evaluate cost efficiency, optimizing AWS resource allocation for sustainable scaling.
• Ensure interoperability with external systems by adhering to open standards, managing API rate limits, and optimizing bandwidth usage.
• Support the development and release of mobile apps, ensuring build pipelines are stable, performant, and secure.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams in Lisbon (engineering, design, product) to deliver reliable, low-latency experiences to athletes worldwide.

Required Skills

• 5+ years in DevOps, infrastructure, or backend engineering roles.
• Strong experience with AWS (ECS/Fargate, Lambda, CloudFormation, Terraform).
• Proficient in Node.js, TypeScript, and scripting languages (Python, Bash).
• Proven experience managing and scaling databases (PostgreSQL, DynamoDB, MySQL).
• Deep understanding of CI/CD pipelines, container orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes), and serverless architectures.
• Hands-on experience configuring Cloudflare, CloudFront, and S3 Origin for global content delivery.
• Familiar with monitoring, alerting, and logging tools (Datadog, New Relic, CloudWatch, Grafana).
• Experience applying SSDL principles and integrating security checks into pipelines.
• Proficient in using AI-assisted coding and automation tools (Claude, Copilot, n8n, Zapier, Make).
• Strong collaboration, documentation, and problem-solving skills in fast-paced environments.

Additional Skills

• Experience with CI/CD pipelines for mobile and web (GitHub Actions).
• Familiarity with testing frameworks (Jest, Cypress, Playwright).
• Experience building and maintaining real-time data pipelines (Kafka, Pub/Sub, Kinesis).
• Familiarity with mobile build automation (Fastlane, EAS, TestFlight, Play Console).
• Knowledge of networking, VPC configuration, and load balancing.
• Understanding of cost monitoring, resource optimization, and cloud budgeting.
• Experience supporting multiplayer or Unreal Engine environments is a plus.
• Comfortable working with cross-functional teams including product, design, and hardware.

Nice to Have

• Experience supporting multiplayer, real-time, or Unreal Engine environments.
• Background in IoT or connected device ecosystems, especially involving Bluetooth, sensor data, or telemetry.
• Experience with AI-driven observability, predictive scaling, or automated incident response.
• Knowledge of edge computing and CDN-level optimization for global performance (Cloudflare Workers, Lambda Edge).
• Familiarity with ISO 27001 or SOC 2 compliance frameworks.
• Experience implementing or auditing SSDL practices at scale across multiple teams.
• Contributions to open-source DevOps or infrastructure projects.
• Passion for triathlon, swimming, endurance sports, or human performance, or you deeply understand what drives athletes to train, improve, and stay consistent.
• Knowledge of game telemetry, analytics, or live balancing pipelines to support iterative tuning.

Experience optimizing mobile performance, packaging, and build pipelines for Android and iOS.

Our Values

• We take ownership.  We dive in with purpose and care, owning our lane and our results.
• We move fast. We keep moving, test new strokes, and keep pushing the pace forward.
• We back each other. We swim as a team, share the water, and lift each other when the waves get tough.
• We keep leveling up. We stay curious, train our minds and skills, and chase better every week for the team and the community.
• We enjoy the ride. We love the journey, from warm-up to podium, and we celebrate every win together.

Benefits & Perks

• 27 paid vacation days because rest and recovery matter as much as performance.
• Performance-based rewards where real results bring real rewards.
• Equity Options for high-impact results giving ownership to those who help shape the future.
• Meal allowance to fuel focus and performance.
• Fitness partner discounts that support an active lifestyle.
• Direct collaboration with elite athletes bringing real performance insight into how we build and improve.
• Free access to everything we are building so you can train, test, and improve with the product.
• Flexible hours for training and recovery because we trust you to perform your best in and out of work.

• Team and community events where we train, have fun or celebrate wins together.

   

We work in a hybrid setup, typically three days in the office and two from home, with flexibility depending on role and sprint cycles.