Application Engineer

Freelance Opportunity: Application Engineer / Administrator

Duration: Initial 220 working days, with potential extensions until 04/07/2029

Location: Remote / Proximity Service Provision (within 2 hours ground travel from The Hague)

Project Background

Our client is seeking an experienced Application Engineer / Administrator consultant to support ICT Operations and Infrastructure activities. The assignment focuses on application engineering, administration, support, maintenance, and operational excellence across application landscape.

The consultant will work within a team of 14 specialists and a line manager, following ITIL-based processes and operating in a matrix environment where Agile methodologies may be applied. The role supports critical ICT application systems and services through administration, automation, monitoring, troubleshooting, and continuous service improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Install, configure, and administer applications in production and non-production environments.
• Monitor application performance, tune systems, and drive continuous service improvements.
• Provide application support and maintenance, including incident, change, release, and problem management activities.
• Create, maintain, and validate application procedures, operational manuals, troubleshooting guides, backup procedures, and restore plans.
• Automate recurring administration activities and develop technical documentation.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of the ICT Operations knowledge base.
• Produce reports on application availability, performance, capacity, and usage metrics.
• Collaborate with technical stakeholders and deliver services with a high degree of autonomy and professionalism.

Required Profile & Qualifications

• Senior Application Engineer / Administrator (Expert Level).
• Minimum 6 years of experience in mid-to-large IT infrastructure environments, including deployment, support, and maintenance of applications.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in application administration.
• Minimum 2 years of experience with microservices, container orchestration, and containerized platforms such as Docker or Kubernetes.
• Minimum 2 years of experience administering and supporting Elasticsearch.
• Minimum 5 years of experience working with enterprise Microsoft or Linux server solutions.
• Experience working within ITIL-driven operational environments.
• Ability to work independently within a contractor-supervised engagement model.

Education & Experience

• University degree of at least 4 years plus a minimum of 9 years of relevant professional experience after graduation;

OR

• University degree of at least 3 years plus a minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience after graduation.

Technical Knowledge

Mandatory:

• Deployment and administration of Elasticsearch clusters.
• Microservices architecture and container orchestration.
• Kubernetes, Helm Charts, Docker, and Rancher.
• Configuration management technologies such as Puppet, Ansible, or Chocolatey.
• Shell scripting and/or PowerShell scripting.
• ITIL frameworks, including Incident, Change, and Release Management processes.
• Enterprise Microsoft Server or Linux Server administration.
• Application deployment, support, maintenance, and operational management.

Desirable:

• DevOps practices and methodologies.
• Public or Hybrid Cloud platforms (Microsoft Azure or AWS).
• Relational databases such as Microsoft SQL Server or PostgreSQL.
• Kong API Gateway.
• Certifications related to the technologies listed above.

Language

• Working knowledge of English (B2 level or higher).

Engagement Terms

• Freelance-based engagement.
• Full-time assignment (40 hours per week, 5 working days).
• Initial allocation of up to 220 working days.
• Possibility of extension(s) based on business needs and performance, potentially extending service delivery until 04/07/2029.
• Primarily remote delivery with onboarding onsite and occasional presence at client's premises as required.
• Participation in on-call rotations approximately every six weeks may be required.

Security Requirements

• Certificate of Good Conduct not older than 3 months.
• Proof of application for the required security clearance before service commencement.
• EU Confidential security clearance (or higher) required within 15 weeks from service start date.