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Experience

Senior cloud and platform experience, stated with context.

Nico Smuts has held Head of DevOps and Lead DevOps Engineer roles across AWS, Amazon EKS, Kubernetes, infrastructure automation, DevSecOps, observability, and cloud cost optimization.

  • Western Cape, South Africa
  • 8+ years remote delivery
  • AWS · Kubernetes · Platform engineering
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Overview

Operational experience without inflated claims.

Figures below are historical, approximate where noted, and do not describe current client spend or imply certification status.

8+ yearsRemote infrastructure deliveryRemote technical leadership and platform delivery experience.
USD 100k+Historical AWS estate scaleApproximate operating scale from selected prior employment, not current client spend.
~USD 50k/monthHistorical AWS cost reductionApproximate collaborative reduction from about USD 140k/month to below USD 90k/month.
SeniorDevOps and platform leadershipExperience includes Head of DevOps and Lead DevOps Engineer roles.

Career timeline

Recent roles in reverse chronological order.

This page publishes only verified professional history and omits earlier history until source material is available.

August 2025 to May 2026

Remote infrastructure and platform delivery

Lead DevOps Engineer

Mama Money

Led practical platform operations across AWS development, production, and tooling accounts, with attention to Kubernetes operations, delivery automation, observability, cloud security, cost visibility, and incident response.

  • Supported AWS development, production, and tooling account operations with repeatable infrastructure patterns.
  • Worked with Amazon EKS, Argo CD, Helm, GitHub Actions, and self-hosted Kubernetes runners to improve platform delivery paths.
  • Contributed to observability foundations using Prometheus, Grafana, and Loki for more practical operations and incident response.
  • Improved platform standardization, access review, offboarding, secrets handling patterns, and cloud or identity security practices.
  • Supported on-call, incident response, cost visibility, and remote collaboration across infrastructure and application delivery concerns.
AWSAmazon EKSKubernetesTerraformArgo CDHelmGitHub ActionsSelf-hosted Kubernetes runnersKarpenterPrometheusGrafanaLokiVaultRDSRedis

November 2022 to May 2025

Remote infrastructure leadership

Head of DevOps

Floward

Led DevOps and platform work for a sizeable AWS and Amazon EKS estate, with emphasis on infrastructure leadership, modernization, delivery reliability, cost optimization, security tooling, and operational review.

  • Helped operate and improve an AWS environment with historical monthly scale around or above USD 100k.
  • Contributed to a collaborative cost-reduction effort that moved approximate AWS monthly spend from about USD 140k to below USD 90k.
  • Worked on modernization and reliability improvements across Kubernetes, infrastructure automation, and delivery workflows.
  • Addressed database scalability, deployment, SDLC, and platform reliability concerns with practical infrastructure and process changes.
  • Used tools including Terraform, Vault, Kong, and SonarQube as part of platform, infrastructure, and delivery-quality work.
AWSAmazon EKSKubernetesTerraformVaultKongSonarQubeCI/CDObservability

Selected achievements

The work pattern: cost control, platform clarity, and operational reliability.

Cloud cost optimization at meaningful scale

Historical AWS work includes an approximate monthly reduction of ~USD 50k/month, from about USD 140k/month to below USD 90k/month, delivered collaboratively in a prior employment context.

Kubernetes and EKS platform leadership

Experience spans Amazon EKS operations, GitOps delivery, Helm-based deployment, Kubernetes runners, platform standardization, and operational support.

Infrastructure modernization and reliability

Work has included Terraform-based infrastructure, secrets patterns, deployment workflow improvement, observability, incident response, and reliability-focused review.

Leadership style

Hands-on technical leadership with clear delivery ownership.

Direct accountability

Nico remains directly responsible for architecture, review, delivery quality, and client communication in consulting work.

Practical modernization

The emphasis is on useful operating improvements: clearer ownership, safer deployments, cost visibility, and infrastructure that teams can maintain.

Security-aware delivery

DevSecOps, secrets patterns, identity review, offboarding, and access hygiene are treated as operating concerns rather than separate ceremony.

Capability matrix

Technical areas that show up repeatedly in the work.

Cloud and modernization

AWS environments, account structure, modernization planning, cloud cost review, and production operating foundations.

AWSAmazon EKSRDSRedisCloud cost review

Kubernetes and platforms

Kubernetes platform engineering, EKS operations, GitOps, deployment standardization, scaling, and platform handover.

KubernetesAmazon EKSArgo CDHelmKarpenterDocker

Infrastructure and delivery

Infrastructure as code, CI/CD, self-hosted runners, release reliability, and SDLC workflow improvement.

TerraformGitHub ActionsCI/CDLinux

Security and observability

Secrets patterns, DevSecOps foundations, access review, offboarding hygiene, monitoring, logging, and incident response support.

VaultSonarQubePrometheusGrafanaLokiKong

Operating model

How experience translates into consulting delivery.

  1. Client-owned infrastructure

    Accounts, repositories, cloud assets, and operational knowledge should remain understandable and client-owned unless a different arrangement is explicitly agreed.

  2. Evidence before claims

    Published experience uses verified, conservative wording. Approximate figures are marked as approximate and placed in historical context.

  3. Small systems, clear ownership

    Prefer clear interfaces, repeatable automation, and documented handover paths over complex tooling that creates dependency without improving operations.

  4. Remote by default

    The working model is remote-first, with communication and delivery organized around clarity, review, and operational visibility.

Next step

Review the experience, then start with the problem.

Use a short conversation to clarify the environment, risk, timeline, and whether advisory work or a scoped delivery project is the right fit.

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