Expert Site Reliability Engineer - Edge Infrastructure (f/m/d)

Description

We see the potential inside everything and everyone. Starting with you.

Orbem uses AI to industrialize MRI, delivering non-invasive insight into everything from fruits to eggs to the human body. We are transforming what is becoming the world's largest biological dataset into actionable intelligence to reduce waste, increase quality, and accelerate the shift toward a more sustainable and healthier future.

Headquartered and founded in Munich, Germany, with an office now in Houston, Texas, our world-class team is scaling inside-out technology to transform how humanity sees and understands biological matter.

Help us see what's possible. Join us.

Responsibilities

• Orbem’s AI-powered MRI systems run on edge infrastructure deployed directly at customer sites, such as hatcheries and food processing plants. As an Expert Site Reliability Engineer, you will own the reliability, availability, and performance of this growing global fleet.
• You are the team’s deepest technical authority on the on-premise platform, setting architecture and standards through hands-on expertise. You will own the hardware, network, operating system, and Kubernetes layers that power teams like Data, Machine Learning, and Software.
• Your Day-to-Day
• As an Individual Contributor on the expert track, your responsibilities center entirely on deep technical ownership and execution:
• Edge Infrastructure Ownership
• Own the reliability and lifecycle of our edge racks: server hardware, network equipment, custom Linux-based OS, and the GPU-enabled Kubernetes layer running our AI classification services.
• Design and improve automation for provisioning our growing fleet (50+ edge clusters and counting) using tools like Terraform, BMC/IPMI, and router APIs.
• Maintain the secure network connecting edge deployments to our central cloud, and the tooling that enables safe software delivery to the fleet.
• Reliability & Incident Management
• Participate in the rotation of support on weekdays and own triage and resolution for escalated production issues.
• Lead post-incident reviews and turn findings into lasting, automated fixes.
• Define and monitor SLOs/SLIs/SLAs for physical edge systems running unattended in the field.
• Extend our observability stack (Prometheus, custom hardware exporters, Grafana, Datadog) to catch issues proactively, often before customers notice.
• Architecture, Collaboration & Craft
• Set technical direction for edge infrastructure projects and contribute to technical planning and ticket writing.
• Mentor fellow engineers through pairing, design/code reviews, and knowledge sharing, raising the technical bar without formal management authority.
• Act as the top-level technical escalation point, personally helping resolve the most complex support and production issues.
• Collaborate with stakeholders (with the eventual support of a Product Manager) to gather requirements and manage technical alignment.
• Automate away repetitive manual work, applying the same rigor to internal tooling as to a customer-facing product.
• Your Experience and Skills
• 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.) and secure network tunnels (e.g., IPSec/VPN).
• What Makes You Stand Out
• Holistic Data Center Engineering Expertise : Deep understanding of how to deal with 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 architecting 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.
• Behavioral competencies
• Strategic Thinker: You develop a clear vision and roadmap for the edge platform, considering its long-term health, scalability, and usability.
• Strong Communicator: You build strong relationships with development teams and other stakeholders, communicate changes clearly, and secure buy-in.
• High Ownership: You take end-to-end ownership of your technical output, including reliability, documentation, and continuous improvement.
• Data-Driven: You use metrics on uptime, incidents, and support requests to prioritize the work that delivers the most value.
• Customer-Focused: You keep developer and end-customer experience front of mind in your planning and execution.
• 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.

Benefits

• 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.
• Comprehensive Benefits:
• Stock Options: Share in Orbem’s success.
• 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: Monthly subsidy towards public transportation costs.
• Work-Life Integration:
• Flexible Hours & Home Office: Work when and where it suits you.
• WFH Perks: Get €185 to upgrade your home office + an external monitor on us!
• 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:
• You'll 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!