Lead Migration Engineer

Role Summary

Key Responsibilities

• Lead hands-on discovery of the source estate with the client’s engineers: servers, applications, databases, scheduled jobs, network flows and every dependency on the shared file system. Document what is undocumented.
• Group applications into logical units (application, minimum OS version, database integration, file dependencies) and plan the migration waves.
• Plan and run the proof of concept and production pilot with the Google Cloud Platform Architect, and report go/no-go results to the client.
• Prepare applications for the move. Work with the developers to containerize Perl applications where they fit, redeploy and test them on the existing servers, and move the rest as VMs.
• Move MySQL databases as-is on VMs with their applications, with a tested backup, sync and rollback plan.
• Keep the shared file system working at the same paths in the target, and move scheduled jobs with their applications.
• Coordinate the move of the Strongmail email platform with the mail engineer.
• Write and own the cutover and rollback runbooks, and lead the rehearsals, weekend cutovers and hypercare.
• Support the decommissioning and data wipe of the source environment.
• Lead the offshore team day to day: set priorities, review their work, and keep risks and the schedule visible.
• Work closely with the client’s DevOps, DBA, security and network teams.

Technical Skills

• Linux: deep hands-on knowledge of the RHEL family, including end-of-life CentOS and Oracle Linux, and working knowledge of FreeBSD. Troubleshooting, performance tuning, and package and dependency management.
• Legacy applications: Perl 5, CPAN, Apache, cron and Make-based builds. Reading code to find hidden dependencies such as shared paths, hard-coded hosts and database endpoints.
• Virtualization and migration: VMware vCenter and VM migration tooling. Dependency mapping, wave planning, runbooks, rehearsals, weekend cutovers, rollback and hypercare.
• Storage: NFS and NetApp, including moving a shared file system without changing its paths.
• Databases: MySQL/Percona operations, replication, backup and restore, and moving databases with minimal downtime.
• Containers: Docker (building and running images for legacy applications) and working knowledge of Kubernetes (deployments, CronJobs, volumes).
• Networking: DNS, load balancers such as NetScaler, Cloudflare, firewall rules and IP allowlisting.
• Automation: Bash, Perl, Ansible and Packer; Git and GitLab CI/CD.
• AI-assisted engineering: AI coding assistants for code analysis and runbooks, with engineering review of every output.
• Leadership and communication: leading an offshore team, writing clear documentation, and working side by side with the client’s engineers.

Nice to Have

• Google Cloud experience: Compute Engine, GKE, Filestore / Google Cloud NetApp Volumes, Migrate to Virtual Machines and Migration Center.
• Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE), Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect or similar certification.

What Success Looks Like in the First 3 Months

• A dependency map and an agreed wave plan for every server in scope.
• A proof of concept showing a containerized application redeployed on the existing servers and running on Google Cloud Platform.
• A tested cutover and rollback runbook that the client signs off.
• A trusted working relationship with the client’s engineering team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field.