What do you do as a cloud engineer?
We build cloud-based solutions with and for clients. Usually we sit alongside their Platform, SRE, or Cloud Centre of Excellence team to improve the platform and the developer experience on top of it. The work covers landing zones, IAM, security tooling, and the supporting layer: CI/CD, integrations, the glue that makes those parts work together.
The point is to make releasing and running software easier, faster, and more consistent for in-house development teams: while staying inside the customer’s business and security policies. Day to day, that’s a lot of structured problem-solving inside organisational and technical boundaries.
A recent example of that?
This week we worked around the limits of standard Azure AD sync. We needed Azure AD group membership reflected on the AWS platform within minutes so we could grant temporary permissions; the default sync runs on a 40-minute interval, which is too slow for the developers. We built a small AWS Lambda function to trigger the sync more often.
Across customers, a few habits stay the same. If something can be automated, scripted, or codified, we do it: partly because we want to repeat and iterate, partly because we work in teams and “works on my machine” isn’t good enough. Solutions live in Git and are deployed through pipelines so a teammate can review before anything reaches prod. And yes, we like Terraform.
You’re also Tech Lead at The Factory. What does that involve?
I’m new in the role, together with Yonathan. We wrote the role description together and have two starting goals.
The first is supporting juniors. New engineers often join without a clear longer-term goal for themselves and end up figuring everything out alone. So when a junior joins, one of the Tech Leads helps them shape a path and looks at how The Factory can support it.
The second is more technical. We see overlapping needs across customers, so we’re building reusable solutions: AWS and Azure landing zones to start: that mature over time. That gives customers a stronger starting point and lets us deliver faster.
You’ve been here for over two years. What’s the part you value most?
Almost three years now. Every year I plan where I want to go and how to get there. For me, the engagement has to match that plan, and so far all four engagements have. Every one has pushed me a little past what I could already do, and added something new.
And outside work?
Gardening. I try to grow as many different edible and ornamental plants as I can. Usually it starts with a recipe using a plant I can’t find at the supermarket, so I grow it myself. When it’s ready, it goes to the kitchen.
More importantly, I just became a father. If there’s still time left after that, you’ll find me on the windsurf board, playing board games, or working on something in the house.