Application Support Specialist (Infrastructure) Contract

Role: Application Support Specialist (Bawaba)
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Engagement: Contractual
Duration: 12 Months (Extendable, Long-term with Marc Ellis)

Job Summary:

The Application Support Specialist is responsible for ensuring the availability, stability, performance, and reliability of enterprise infrastructure services. This role requires hands-on expertise in supporting complex systems, managing day-to-day operations, and providing proactive and reactive support for applications and infrastructure components. The specialist plays a key role in identifying and resolving performance bottlenecks, ensuring optimal resource utilization, and driving cost-efficient, secure infrastructure management practices.

Education:

Degree, Postgraduate in Computer Science or related field
Java, Spring, OpenShift/Kubernetes and/or ITIL certification (Preferred)

Experience:

7+ years of experience at a relevant technical position in large organizations working Java and Spring Boot based microservices.
Banking domain and fintech background (Preferred)

Technical Skills: Mandatory

Integration & Middleware Platforms: Excellent knowledge and hands-on experience in Integration Platform Operations or Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) Platform Operations.

Infrastructure Troubleshooting & Optimization: Proven expertise in infrastructure troubleshooting, configuration, maintenance, performance tuning, and optimization across complex enterprise environments.

API & Microservices Support: Strong background in troubleshooting REST APIs and microservices, preferably within large-scale fintech or banking deployments.

Containerization & Orchestration Platforms: Solid experience supporting Red Hat OpenShift and Docker containers. Familiarity with Kubernetes, Amazon ECS, or Amazon EKS is a plus. Relevant certifications are an added advantage.

Linux Systems Expertise: Deep knowledge in Linux administration, support, and diagnostics. Holding a Linux certification (e.g., RHCSA/RHCE) is highly desirable.

Monitoring & Logging Tools: Hands-on experience with enterprise monitoring and observability tools such as AWS CloudWatch, Prometheus, ELK Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana), Splunk, or similar platforms.

Technical Skills: Good to Have

Strong understanding of security best practices including IAM, KMS, encryption, PKI, SSL, and TLS.
Administration or engineering experience with API gateways such as 3scale, APIGEE, WSO2, or similar platforms for managing microservices.
Hands-on experience developing REST APIs and microservices using Java/Spring Boot and/or Node.js.
Experience working with platforms like BMC Remedy, JIRA, or similar for incident and service management.
Familiarity with tools such as Jenkins, Artifactory, and Nexus for deployment automation and continuous integration.
Working knowledge of IT Service Management (ITSM) and ITIL processes, especially Incident, Problem, and Change Management.
Hands-on experience with Unix/Linux command line operations and shell scripting.
Good understanding of private cloud environments and associated infrastructure components.

Soft Skills:

Continuous Improvement mindset.
Excellent communication skills (verbal, written, and presentation).