Platform & Automation Engineer
Role details
Job location
Tech stack
Job description
The Research Tooling team, part of the IT department (LIS) at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), works closely with other LIS teams to support researchers across the university. We are a small, agile team responsible for several widely used digital platforms: GitLab and GitHub for version control, our Atlassian suite, and other specialized research tools such as Calira, Overleaf, and Cryptomator Hub. These platforms support key aspects of the research lifecycle, including collaboration, version control, application deployment, and lab management.
Beyond managing these platforms, we are implementing an AI Gateway within TU/e: a secure, policy-controlled entry point that gives researchers and staff access to AI models through one standardized API. We have both cloud and local providers for our LLMs, which we make accessible through the gateway. Our work covers both deploying these AI models and building the platforms and applications that make them possible, for example configuring guardrails, defining workflows, and onboarding new models. Compliance is an important aspect we're actively working on. As a service organization, we are of course also experimenting with AI ourselves, to explore how it can support our own work.
As a Platform & Automation Engineer in our team, you will be involved in both operational activities and project-based work. You will contribute to the development and maintenance of core infrastructure, as well as support experimental pilots and new initiatives that help shape the future of research tooling at TU/e.
Two things will make up the core of your work. First, you will contribute to the technical foundation of the AI Gateway and related AI initiatives, including hosting LLMs and applications on our Kubernetes platform. Second, you will work on automating and improving the operational management of the applications we're responsible for, from workflow automation and reporting to monitoring, both within the Atlassian platform and beyond, for example using Python and microservices.
We are looking for a colleague with a flexible and solution-oriented mindset, who enjoys working within the team as well as with other teams and domains. This is a medior-level position: you take ownership of your own work while collaborating closely with our lead engineer and your team members, who are there to support you.
The Research Tooling team offers plenty of opportunities for personal development and growth. You will play a key role in shaping platforms that researchers, students, and staff across the university depend on every day, while working with infrastructure that is still evolving and helping define its future direction. We are therefore looking for people who are proactive, eager to take initiative, and excited to play a pioneering role in the development of our services., * A pre-employment screening (e.g. knowledge security check) can be part of the selection procedure. For more information on the knowledge security check, please consult the National Knowledge Security Guidelines.
- Important for non-EU applicants: Please be aware that for this position, specific residence permit requirements apply. If you are a non-EU national, you may not be eligible to legally work in this role under current Dutch immigration regulations. We strongly advise you to contact our Staff Immigration Team (staffimmigration@tue.nl) before applying to check your eligibility and to receive further guidance.
- Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.
Requirements
You are a hands-on engineer who takes ownership of your work, and who can:
- Navigate ambiguity comfortably, staying effective as priorities shift and we gain new insights
- Turn a rough idea into a concrete, working process
- Feel comfortable enough to suggest an alternative when you think a proposed approach won't hold up
- Work in a structured, agile way, keeping your own tasks and priorities clearly organized
You complement this with the following experience and skills:
- A solid understanding of infrastructure concepts and operational management of applications
- Experience with cloud platforms, preferably Microsoft Azure, or a willingness to learn.
- Familiarity with infrastructure as code, ideally using Terraform/OpenTofu
- Experience with or willing to learn containerisation technologies, in particular Docker and Kubernetes, including running and scaling production workloads, or a willingness to learn
- Experience with GitOps practices for managing deployments would be valuable
- Experience designing and implementing secure API integrations
- Experience automating operational workflows and processes, for example through ticketing/ITSM tooling, scripting, or microservices
- Ability to write and maintain automation scripts, preferably in Python
- Proficiency in git-based version control workflows
- Able to work on-site at the TU/e campus at least three days per week and reside within reasonable commuting distance. Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this position
Benefits & conditions
Pulled from the full job description
- Sabbatical
- Pension plan, * A monthly salary of minimum € 3.546,- to maximum € 6.433,- gross for full-time employment, depending on your knowledge and experience (scale 10/11 Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities).
- In addition to vacation pay, a structural end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.
- A favorable arrangement for more holidays or a sabbatical.
- A selection model for additional fringe benefits.
- Working hours in consultation for an optimal work-life balance.
- Scope for your talent with advancement prospects and excellent development opportunities such as mentoring, workshops and coaching.
- Partially paid parental leave and reimbursement for commuting expenses, working from home and the internet.
- A generous employer contribution to the favorable ABP pension plan.
- Unlimited access to the modern on-campus TU/e Student Sports Center at an exceptionally affordable rate.