SMBC Group is a top-tier global financial group. Headquartered in Tokyo and with a 400-year history, SMBC Group offers a diverse range of financial services, including banking, leasing, securities, credit cards, and consumer finance. The Group has more than 130 offices and 80,000 employees worldwide in nearly 40 countries. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. (SMFG) is the holding company of SMBC Group, which is one of the three largest banking groups in Japan. SMFG’s shares trade on the Tokyo, Nagoya, and New York (NYSE: SMFG) stock exchanges.

In the Americas, SMBC Group has a presence in the US, Canada, Ireland, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Peru. Backed by the capital strength of SMBC Group and the value of its relationships in Asia, the Group offers a range of commercial and investment banking services to its corporate, institutional, and municipal clients. It connects a diverse client base to local markets and the organization’s extensive global network. The Group’s operating companies in the Americas include Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. (SMBC), SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc., SMBC Capital Markets, Inc., SMBC MANUBANK, JRI America, Inc., SMBC Leasing and Finance, Inc., Banco Sumitomo Mitsui Brasileiro S.A., and Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Co., Ltd.

This is a hybrid role, requiring the successful candidate to attend our Tralee office.

Role Description

SMBC is seeking a Senior Automation Engineer who has a strong passion for Infrastructure Automation and is interested in building a career at a fast growing and reputable Bank. The Senior Automation Engineer will play a pivotal role in driving automation excellence, with a strong focus on Ansible, DevOps practices, and scalable infrastructure solutions.

They will be given opportunities to be hands-on bring deep technical expertise in Ansible and a proven track record of delivering automation at scale.

This role will report to the Team Lead of Architecture and Engineering

Role Objectives: Delivery

Drive design, development, and implementation of enterprise-wide automation strategies using Ansible and other modern tools.
Architect and maintain scalable automation frameworks, including Ansible.
Automation Platform, Ansible Collections, and custom playbooks.
Drive DevOps adoption across teams, integrating automation into CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure provisioning workflows.
Collaborate with engineering, operations, and security teams to ensure automation aligns with business and compliance requirements.
Champion infrastructure-as-code (IaC) principles using tools like Terraform, Cutover, and n8n.
Oversee version control and collaboration workflows using Git.
Provide technical insight on large-scale automation projects, ensuring delivery on time and within scope.
Mentor and guide engineers, fostering a culture of innovation, ownership, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications and Skills

7+ years of experience in infrastructure automation, DevOps, or systems engineering.
Proven experience in a VP or senior engineering role within a large multinational organization.
Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, or related field (Master’s preferred).
Deep expertise in Ansible, including:
- Automation Platform usage
- Playbook and role development
- Creation and management of Ansible Collections.
Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
Knowledge of containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes).
Strong understanding of security, compliance, and access control in automated environments.
Excellent problem-solving, communication, and documentation skills.
Ability to work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
Strong programming skills, preferably in Python.
Hands-on experience with Git and platforms like GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket.
Experience with other automation tools such as Terraform, Cutover, n8n, etc.
Solid understanding of CI/CD pipelines and DevOps methodologies.
Experience working on large-scale infrastructure projects.
Possess a highly developed sense of personal accountability and follow-through with an ability to effectively prioritize multiple personal tasks, projects, and goals.

Additional Requirements

SMBC’s employees participate in a hybrid workforce model that provides employees with an opportunity to work from home, as well as, from an SMBC office. SMBC requires that employees live within a reasonable commuting distance of their office location. Prospective candidates will learn more about their specific hybrid work schedule during their interview process.

SMBC provides reasonable accommodations during candidacy for applicants with disabilities consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law. If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please let us know at accommodations@smbcgroup.com.

Senior Automation Engineer

Job Description