Juan is available for hire
Hire JuanJuan Manuel Vera
Verified Expert in Engineering
DevOps and Automation Developer
Málaga, Spain
Toptal member since November 12, 2024
Bio
Juan is a DevOps and automation expert with a decade of experience in infrastructure as code (IaC) and Kubernetes, alongside two decades of systems expertise. He leverages advanced automation and container orchestration to help teams expedite deliveries and reduce costs. Juan specializes in transforming traditional environments into efficient, (IaC) solutions.
Portfolio
kevin.
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Apache Kafka, CockroachDB, Kubernetes, Amazon EKS...
An Online Freelance Agency
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Terraform, Terraform Cloud, GitHub, GitHub Actions...
EY
Elastic, Adobe Analytics, Azure, Ansible Tower, Elastic Cloud...
Experience
- GitLab CI/CD - 10 years
- Terraform - 8 years
- Helm - 8 years
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC) - 8 years
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) - 8 years
- Kubernetes - 6 years
- Argo CD - 4 years
- Crossplane - 1 year
Availability
Full-time
Preferred Environment
Kubernetes, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Terraform, Crossplane, Argo CD, Helm, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
The most amazing...
...things I've achieved involve helping teams solve problems, reduce time, and cut costs through automation.
Work Experience
Senior DevOps Engineer
2023 - 2024
kevin.
- Headed a successful transition from an AWS Native solution to a cloud-agnostic infrastructure, enabling greater scalability and flexibility across cloud providers.
- Replaced AWS SQS and SNS with Apache Kafka and implemented Kafka on AWS to streamline messaging and enhance real-time data processing.
- Utilized Kubernetes with Crossplane to deploy and manage Apache Kafka and CockroachDB, establishing a robust, portable infrastructure compatible with multiple cloud platforms.
- Reduced dependency on AWS services, paving the way for a more adaptable and cost-efficient infrastructure tailored to dynamic business needs.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Apache Kafka, CockroachDB, Kubernetes, Amazon EKS, Crossplane, Terraform, Cloudflare, Argo CD, Helm, GitLab CI/CD, Atlantis
Senior DevOps Engineer
2021 - 2023
An Online Freelance Agency
- Collaborated with a 14-member operations engineering team across six countries to drive infrastructure improvements.
- Developed and maintained Terraform code using Terraform Enterprise and GitHub for seamless infrastructure management.
- Wrote and tested Chef code by implementing unit and kitchen tests to ensure configuration reliability.
- Migrated services to Kubernetes by creating Helm charts and deploying via ArgoCD and ArgoWorkflow to modernize CI/CD pipelines.
- Managed Cloudflare integrations, ensuring network security and performance daily.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Terraform, Terraform Cloud, GitHub, GitHub Actions, Chef, Argo CD, Argo Workflows, Cloudflare, Kubernetes
Solutions Architect
2022 - 2022
EY
- Integrated Elastic Stack, Adobe Analytics, and an Azure-based solution into a unified observability platform.
- Designed an alternative observability solution to Elastic Cloud, reducing costs by 30% and manual work by 20% through automation.
- Collaborated with a cross-functional, four-member team to develop a cost model for clearer insights into client consumption.
- Supported the product team with client presentations, focusing on technical insights for engineering teams.
- Headed technical interviews, contributing to hiring two team members for increased team capacity.
- Developed cost management tools for PaaS services, applying FinOps principles to improve cost-effectiveness.
Technologies: Elastic, Adobe Analytics, Azure, Ansible Tower, Elastic Cloud, Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes (ECK), Cloud FinOps, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Kubernetes, Ansible Playbooks
Senior DevOps Consultant
2019 - 2022
Xcapit
- Drove DevOps adoption within a team of 20 developers, fostering a collaborative and automation-focused culture.
- Spearheaded a rehosting project from IBM Cloud to AWS, cutting consumption costs by 20%.
- Built new infrastructure with IaC using Terraform and GitLab CI, enhanced with Checkov for code scanning and reporting.
- Implemented GitLab CI/CD pipelines with Aqua Trivy security scans, static analysis, and code coverage, achieving up to 90% coverage across services.
- Migrated workloads to Kubernetes, reducing costs by 50% and deployment time by 75% through automated pipelines with Helm charts and security scans.
- Boosted observability with Prometheus by collaborating with developers to create Python, Node.js, and AngularJS service metrics.
- Established continuous testing for PostgreSQL and InfluxDB backups, ensuring data consistency and reliability.
- Contributed to ISO 27001 certification, achieving compliance without any findings or observations.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Kubernetes, Amazon EKS, Terraform, GitLab, GitLab CI/CD, Python, PostgreSQL, ISO 27001, InfluxDB, DevSecOps, Helm
Senior DevOps Engineer
2018 - 2021
EY
- Delivered automated deployment solutions across six projects using Ansible, Azure ARM, Python, and Helm for streamlined Kubernetes deployments.
- Developed end-to-end automation for SAP Hana/S4 installation, reducing working hours by 80% while boosting reliability and traceability.
- Created production-scale Helm charts for a custom logs management solution on Kubernetes in preparation for transitioning to a solutions architect role.
- Operated in a 100% Azure environment, leveraging AKS, Azure SQL, CosmosDB, Redis, App Service, VMs, storage, Azure Key Vault, and Azure DevOps for comprehensive cloud solutions.
Technologies: Kubernetes, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Azure, Azure Cosmos DB, Terraform, Ansible Tower, Ansible Playbooks, Azure SQL, Helm, Python
DevOps Engineer
2016 - 2018
Globant
- Reduced Elasticsearch cluster costs by 10% while significantly improving response times.
- Led log management transformation, implementing ELK stack for centralized AWS logs across 800 services, achieving 15% cost savings and enhanced log usability.
- Collaborated as part of a three-person team in managing business operations and maintaining infrastructure for a K12 company.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), ELK (Elastic Stack), Chef, Python
Global Unix Subject Matter Expert (SME)
2010 - 2016
IBM
- Provided Unix and Linux systems engineering support for large-scale clients, ensuring high availability and performance across enterprise environments.
- Utilized PowerVM, PowerHA, GPFS, and Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) to manage and optimize systems on Red Hat for IBM POWER architecture.
- Oversaw incident and configuration management, maintaining system reliability and minimizing downtime.
- Managed a team of 25 people, overseeing project execution and service delivery while ensuring operational excellence.
Technologies: Linux, AIX, IBM PowerHA SystemMirror, IBM PowerVM, IBM GPFS, IBM Tivoli Storage Manager
Experience
Tech Article | Using Crossplane, Argo CD, and LocalStack in the Local Testing Environment
https://medium.com/@verajm/crossplane-argo-cd-and-localstack-for-local-testing-17c34109411fThe article discusses setting up a local testing environment using Crossplane, Argo CD, and LocalStack. It demonstrates how these tools can simulate cloud resources and streamline the testing of cloud-native applications locally, improving development efficiency before deployment to production.
Tech Article | Team Collaboration Using DevContainers
https://medium.com/@verajm/reducing-team-collaboration-friction-with-devcontainers-a2106f8b1b90The article covers how DevContainers can reduce collaboration friction by ensuring consistent development environments. It explains how using containerized development environments can eliminate "works on my machine" issues, enhance team productivity, and streamline onboarding. The approach promotes uniformity and easier collaboration across diverse development setups, making it easier to manage dependencies and configurations.
Tech Article | Using DevPod for Codespaces
https://medium.com/aws-tip/codespaces-with-devpod-a8aecc2c803fThe article discusses how Codespaces can be enhanced with DevPod for a more efficient cloud-based development experience. It explains how DevPod integrates with Codespaces to offer a customizable, containerized environment that simplifies development workflows and boosts team collaboration. The setup reduces friction in managing development environments, improving productivity, and streamlining the process for developers.
Tech Article | Crossplane, Keycloak and ArgoCD
https://medium.com/devops-dev/playing-with-crossplane-keycloak-and-argocd-f8986a6177d8The article covers the integration of Crossplane, Keycloak, and ArgoCD for managing resources, security, and deployment automation. It demonstrates how these tools work together to provide a scalable and secure cloud-native infrastructure, improving deployment workflows and governance.
Skills
Libraries/APIs
Jenkins Job DSL
Tools
Terraform, Helm, ELK (Elastic Stack), GitLab CI/CD, Ansible Tower, Amazon EKS, GitHub, Chef, Elastic, Adobe Analytics, Ansible, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), GitLab, IBM PowerHA SystemMirror, Keycloak
Platforms
Kubernetes, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, Apache Kafka, Linux, AIX, LocalStack
Languages
Python 3, Python
Frameworks
Crossplane
Paradigms
DevSecOps
Storage
CockroachDB, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure SQL, PostgreSQL, InfluxDB
Other
Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Argo CD, Prometheus, Ansible Playbooks, Atlantis, GitHub Actions, Cloudflare, Terraform Cloud, Argo Workflows, Elastic Cloud, Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes (ECK), Cloud FinOps, ISO 27001, IBM PowerVM, IBM GPFS, IBM Tivoli Storage Manager, DevContainers, Collaboration, DevPod, GitHub Codespaces
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