DevOps Team Lead

Job title: DevOps Team Lead

Reporting to: Software Engineering Manager

Location: South Africa

What We Do:

Lula is an innovative and human-focused FinTech company on a mission to help small businesses optimize their cash flow. Our purpose is to help SMEs manage their businesses better, faster, and more simply, so they can spend more time doing what they love.

If you’re looking for a new place to call ‘home’ that believes in the potential of the broader SME landscape in South Africa and a place where you’ll work with awesome people - then Lula’s the place for you!

We’re making business banking fast, human, Lula!

CULTURE CODE

• We Embrace Curiosity- We continuously seek better ways to deliver value with a solutions-over-problems mindset.
• We win as One - We collaborate, build strong relationships and value diverse perspectives.
• We’re Driven by Purpose - We are passionate and committed to delivering the best products and services for SMEs.
• We Execute with Ambition - We set ambitious goals, embrace challenges, and deliver with focus and determination.

OVERALL PURPOSE

We’re looking for a Team Lead to head up our DevOps team, playing a key role in enhancing our software development and delivery capabilities. This role is central to building scalable, secure, and efficient DevOps pipelines and infrastructure — leveraging Azure DevOps, GitHub, and Terraform.

You’ll bring strong technical experience, a deep understanding of the SDLC, and a proven ability to lead a high-performing DevOps function. You'll work closely with product and engineering teams to ensure that automation, CI/CD, and infrastructure standards are upheld across the business, especially within the funding and business banking domain.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead a hybrid team of DevOps and Automation Engineers, providing mentorship, coaching, and day-to-day support
• Set clear OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) and monitor performance and career development
• Partner with Team Leads and Engineering Managers to define and implement DevOps best practices across teams
• Own and evolve infrastructure strategy, with a strong focus on CI/CD, DevSecOps, and infrastructure as code
• Drive delivery of secure, scalable cloud architecture within Microsoft Azure, aligned with the Azure Well-Architected Framework
• Collaborate with Product Managers and Team Leads to scope and plan infrastructure-related work
• Identify and mitigate risks related to infrastructure and delivery operations
• Champion automation, innovation, and continuous improvement across engineering
• Ensure full coverage and adoption of CI/CD and automated testing pipelines across all engineering teams
• Play an active role in the hiring and onboarding of new DevOps team members

Skills & Experience Required

• Matric certificate or equivalent (required)
• 5+ years of experience with Azure cloud architecture, implementation, and operations
• Proven experience managing secure CI/CD pipelines with Azure DevOps and GitHub
• 2+ years in a Team Lead or similar role in an agile delivery environment
• Deep knowledge of Infrastructure as Code and hands-on experience with Terraform
• Proficient in scripting languages such as PowerShell, Python, or Bash
• Strong understanding of containerization using Docker and orchestration with Kubernetes
• Familiarity with Agile and DevOps methodologies
• Experience with orchestration/data tools like Airflow and Airbyte (beneficial)
• Understanding of secure mobile app delivery environments (advantageous)
• Working knowledge of C# (beneficial)
• Azure certifications (e.g., Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate, Azure DevOps Engineer Expert) are a strong plus
• Background in SecOps or related security-focused infrastructure work is preferred

Please note that all appointments are subject to our background checking process, which may include Credit, Criminal and any other job inherent checks.