Javier Sánchez Páez - Security & Site Reliability Specialist

About me

Hi! I'm Javier, and I'm passionate about the IT field. I'm experienced in cybersecurity, cloud architecture, automation and reliability best practices.

Throughout my career, I’ve participated in key projects such as:

- Migration of services to cloud environments.
- Implementation of observability and secure deployments.
- Security reinforcement through hardening guides and SSDLC practices.
- Supporting developers to enhance their autonomy in "Cross DevOps" environments.

I currently hold the Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) certification and I'm preparing for the AWS Solutions Architect.

On my training roadmap, I also have the CKS and AWS Security Specialty.

I believe in simple, effective solutions, well adapted to the real needs of the product and the team. I work hard to apply principles like KISS and to minimize technical debt, always with an open mindset and clear communication.

If you'd like to know more about me (or just want to say hi), feel free to connect with me via LinkedIn or send me an email. I'd be more than happy to hear from you.

Thank you for reading, I hope you have a great day.

Experience

DevSecOps Engineer - Santander Bank (2024 - Now) · Málaga

Santander Bank is one of the world's largest financial institutions, with a strong focus on technological innovation in banking. As part of its internal tech division, I contribute to the secure and efficient development and operation of cloud-native systems. Key responsibilities and achievements include:

⚓ Improve resiliency and performance of production Kubernetes/OpenShift clusters.
🐛 Promote security best practices: Vulnerability Management, Threat Modeling, OWASP, GRC.
📊 Implement and maintain observability using Grafana, Prometheus and the ELK Stack.
🤖 Automate infrastructure and operational tasks using Python/FastAPI and Bash.
💪 Drive Chaos Engineering and Cloud-Native initiatives to improve platform resilience.
🛡 Integrate automated security scanning into CI/CD pipelines with ArgoCD and GitHub Actions.
💼 Achieve FinOps and performance optimization across AWS/Azure environments.
🕸 Migrate legacy systems to microservices architecture.
⌨️ Manage Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and provisioning with version control.
👥 Mentor peers in SRE and Platform Engineering practices.

Site Reliability Engineer - Derivco (2023 - 2024) · Málaga

Derivco specializes in developing cutting-edge software for the gaming industry, enhancing player experiences through technology. During this period, I worked on the following tasks:

☁ Migrated large databases and web servers to the cloud
♾ Automated critical manual processes (like backups, reports and deployments)
🚀 Set up continuous deployments with Blue/Green and Canary strategies
🔗 Integrated tools and automation to improve SLAs
📈 Improved observability using tools like Grafana and the ELK stack
🌐 Managed load balancing using network and controller solutions
📩 Provided support to customers and developers

(Traineeship) DevOps Engineer - Kyndryl (2023) · Granada

Kyndryl is a leading IT infrastructure service provider formed from IBM’s infrastructure services spin-off. My tasks included:

⚓ Managed Kubernetes clusters, CI/CD and IaC tools
🌐 Automated networking processes
📊 Monitored network infrastructure and compute resources

Education

Certificate of Higher Education - Networked Computer Systems Administration · Granada

Grade: 8.46

📋 Relational databases (Microsoft SQL Server) queries and administration.
📊 Frontend (HTML, CSS), backend (PHP), data exchange (XML) and general-purpose (Python) development languages.
🖥️ Hardware/Software maintenance and scalability.
⚓ App containerization (Docker, Amazon Web Services)
🏢 Windows and Linux Server Administration (Batch & Bash scripting, LDAP, Active Directory, Printing Services).
⛲ System Virtualization (VirtualBox, ProxMox VE, VMWare).
💼 ERP Management (Odoo, Holded).
💡 Kanban/Scrum methodology (Todoist, Trello).
🌐 Networking (CCNA1, CCNA2) and server (DHCP, DNS, VSFTPD, HTTPD, SSH, Proxy) administration.
🐧 Linux (CentOS, Debian, Ubuntu) and Windows (Server 2019, 10) administration.
🧮 Version control driven development (Git/GitHub, Fossil).

Cisco CCNA1/CCNA2, Network & System Administration

Participation in CCNA 1 and 2 (Cisco Networking Academy) preparatory courses, covering networking fundamentals, switching and routing.

CCNA1 Badge
CCNA2 Badge

Licenses & Certifications

CKA: Certified Kubernetes Administrator

Earners of this designation demonstrated the skills, knowledge and competencies to perform the responsibilities of a Kubernetes Administrator. Earners demonstrated proficiency in Application Lifecycle Management, Installation, Configuration & Validation, Core Concepts, Networking, Scheduling, Security, Cluster Maintenance, Logging / Monitoring, Storage, and Troubleshooting.

EFSET English Certificate - C2 Proficient

READING: You can read both factual and literary texts with ease, recognizing differences in style and tone. You can understand complex technical writing on unfamiliar subjects.

- Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognize implicit meaning
- Can understand long and complex factual and literary texts, appreciating distinctions of style
- Can understand specialized articles and longer technical instructions, even when they do not relate to own field

LISTENING: You are comfortable in all situations, live or broadcast, that require full comprehension; you are almost never confused or searching for the meaning of words and phrases. You understand nuances of expression and tone, humor and emphasis in all live theatrical presentations, films or broadcast presentations.

- Can understand with ease any kind of spoken language, live or broadcast, even when delivered at fast native speed, provided with time to get familiar with any regional or other accent
- Can understand lectures and presentations with a high degree of colloquialism, regional usage and unfamiliar terminology
- Can follow complex interactions in group discussions and debates, even on abstract, complex and unfamiliar topics

AWS Solutions Architect - Associate (In Progress)

An AWS Solutions Architect Associate is responsible for designing and deploying scalable, highly available, and fault-tolerant systems on Amazon Web Services (AWS). They assess application requirements, select appropriate AWS services, and ensure systems are secure, cost-efficient, and reliable. The role includes defining architecture patterns, managing cloud infrastructure, optimizing resource usage, and ensuring seamless integration with other systems. Professionals with this certification are skilled in cloud migration, infrastructure automation, and disaster recovery planning, with a strong understanding of network architecture, data storage solutions, and security frameworks within the AWS ecosystem.

Interests and Hobbies

When I'm not immersed in my role, I enjoy a variety of activities. Here’s a glimpse into what keeps me good:

🎸 Playing instruments: I’ve been playing bass and guitar for 10 years, and I’m always looking for new ways to improve. Music is my go-to for disconnecting..
🎧 Music: My tastes range from rock and alternative to hip-hop. Always excited to talk about favorite artists, let me know yours!
🎮 Video games: My brother introduced me to gaming on the PS2, and since then, I’ve been interested on action games with deep stories, being The Last of Us my favorite one.
🚗 Cars: I have a passion for driving and anything related to motorsports. I love staying updated and attending car meets, they’re a great way to connect with others who share the same enthusiasm.
🏋️‍♂️ Gym: Working in tech means a lot of sitting, so I try to hit the gym (quite) regularly.
🌲 Hiking: There's nothing like spending time outdoors to reconnect with nature, something we often overlook and just take for granted in our busy lives.