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Christoph Kieser

Systems & Automation Engineer

~/ckieser — bash
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Turning complex infrastructure into scalable, reliable, and fully automated platforms — with a decade of experience in the financial industry.

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10+ Yrs | 6+ at SIX | IaC Focused | RHEL Platform

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Christoph Kieser

// about

About Me

I'm an Automation & System Engineer with a passion for turning complex infrastructure into scalable, reliable, and fully automated platforms. Over the past decade — primarily in the financial industry — I've built and operated Linux-based environments and designed end-to-end automation solutions.

My work spans Terraform/OpenTofu provider and module development, Ansible & AAP automation, containerization, virtualization, and lifecycle management of large-scale Red Hat environments.

I enjoy creating clarity: standardised processes, clean architectures, strong documentation, and smooth collaboration across teams. Currently based in Zürich, Switzerland.

10+
Years Experience
6+
Years at SIX
IaC
Primary Focus
RHEL
Core Platform

// skills

Tech Stack

🏗️Infrastructure as Code
Terraform OpenTofu Provider Dev Module Design GitOps
🔧Configuration Management
Ansible AAP SaltStack CaC Idempotency
🐧Linux & Platform
RHEL Red Hat Satellite Patch Mgmt OS Lifecycle ITIL
📦Containers & Virtualisation
Podman Docker Red Hat Virtualisation Cisco UCS OpenShift
💻Scripting & Dev
Python Bash YAML HCL Jinja2
🔄DevOps Practices
CI/CD GitLab DevOps Architecture Review Documentation

// experience

Career

System Engineer Automation Current
SIX — Zürich
Jan 2024 – Present
  • Developed Terraform/OpenTofu modules for on-premises infrastructure at scale
  • Launched a pilot enabling Infrastructure as Code and Configuration as Code for SIX on-premises infrastructure
  • Contributed to shaping and reviewing architecture documents and establishing automation standards
  • Integrated DevOps best practices, enhancing dev–ops collaboration and improving infrastructure scalability
Linux System Engineer
SIX — Zürich
Sep 2019 – Jan 2024
  • Designed and implemented automation for OS deployment, patch management, and app configuration using Ansible, AAP, SaltStack, Python, and Bash
  • Managed the full Linux OS content lifecycle — planning, updates, and compliance — via Red Hat Satellite
  • Ensured stability, security, and performance of RHEL server infrastructure
  • Led incident, problem, change, and capacity management in alignment with ITIL best practices
  • Authored and maintained technical documentation for internal teams and external stakeholders
System Engineer
SWITCH — Zürich
Mar 2016 – Aug 2019
  • Built and operated a Cisco UCS and Red Hat Virtualisation-based server infrastructure for internal customers
  • Responsible for the operation and further development of the back-end of a web platform for internal and external sites
Junior System Engineer
btnet GmbH — Zürich
Jan 2011 – Apr 2012
  • Periodic maintenance of servers and clients; monitoring of data backups and server services
  • Installation and configuration of hardware and software; handling of warranty and repair cases

// education & certs

Qualifications

Education

🎓
Bachelor of Science ZFH in Informatik
Service Engineering
ZHAW School of Engineering · 2012 – 2015
📚
Fachmaturität
Kommunikation und Information
Freie Schule Zürich · 2007 – 2011

Languages

German
Native / Bilingual
English
Full Professional
French
Elementary

Active Certifications

🎓
Red Hat Certified OpenShift Application Developer
Red Hat Aug 2025 – Aug 2028 Active
🔷
DevOps Foundation
DevOps Institute Apr 2024 – Apr 2027 Active
🎓
Red Hat® Certified Engineer (RHCE®)
Red Hat Feb 2019 – Aug 2028 Active
🎓
Red Hat® Certified System Administrator (RHCSA®)
Red Hat Feb 2019 – Aug 2028 Active

Previously Held

🎓
Red Hat® Certified Specialist in Containers and Kubernetes
Red Hat Jan 2022 – Jan 2025 Expired
🎓
Red Hat® Certified Specialist in Deployment and Systems Management
Red Hat Sep 2020 – Sep 2023 Expired

// contact

Get In Touch

$ echo "Open to new connections"

Open to interesting conversations about automation, DevOps, infrastructure engineering, or new opportunities. Feel free to reach out.

linkedin.com/in/ckieser Zürich, Switzerland