Daniel Shafer headshot

Daniel Shafer

DevOps & Site Reliability Engineer

Professional Summary

Senior Site Reliability Engineer with 15+ years of experience driving operational excellence across Fortune 500 companies including Apple, GoDaddy, and 20th Century Fox. Expert in cloud infrastructure automation, team leadership, and large-scale system optimization. Proven track record of reducing downtime by 90%, leading successful infrastructure migrations, and mentoring high-performing engineering teams. Specialized in Python development, Kubernetes orchestration, and implementing monitoring solutions that serve millions of users.

Recognition

Core Skills

  • Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) & DevOps
  • Cloud Platforms: AWS, OpenStack, CloudStack
  • Python Development & Automation Scripting
  • Infrastructure as Code: Terraform, Ansible, Chef
  • Monitoring: Prometheus, Grafana, Thanos, AlertManager
  • Containerization: Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD
  • Linux System Administration & Security
  • Team Leadership & Performance Management

Professional Experience

Apple logo Apple (ASE Cloud Compute Team)
Site Reliability Engineer (Contract)
Oct 2024 – Mar 2025
  • Enhanced infrastructure monitoring for CloudStack by implementing Apple's internal monitoring tools, improving system visibility and incident response times by 40%.
  • Developed comprehensive documentation and automated onboarding processes, reducing new engineer ramp-up time from 2 weeks to 3 days.
  • Designed and implemented end-to-end testing framework for cloud components, achieving 99.9% deployment success rate and eliminating production incidents.
GoDaddy logo GoDaddy
Site Reliability Engineer Supervisor
Jul 2022 – Mar 2024
  • Led migration of Domains monitoring infrastructure from Icinga 2 to Prometheus/Thanos/Grafana stack, improving system visibility by 60% and reducing alert fatigue.
  • Supervised team of 5 SREs, conducting performance reviews and facilitating professional development with 100% retention rate.
  • Managed sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and Jira board for effective project delivery, achieving 95% on-time completion rate.
GoDaddy logo GoDaddy
Site Reliability Engineer II
Jul 2020 – Jul 2022
  • Improved infrastructure performance by analyzing system metrics and implementing optimization strategies, reducing response times by 35%.
  • Automated repetitive tasks for Production Engineering team using Python and Ansible, increasing team efficiency by 50%.
  • Participated in 24/7 on-call rotation ensuring 99.95% uptime and rapid incident response within SLA targets.
A10 Networks logo A10 Networks Inc
Python Developer
Jan 2019 – Dec 2019
  • Developed automated testing environments for OpenStack infrastructure, improving deployment reliability by 85%.
  • Participated in Agile sprint planning and conducted code reviews for high-quality software delivery.
  • Enhanced server reliability through infrastructure automation and monitoring solutions, reducing downtime by 60%.
Previous Positions (2013-2018)
Site Reliability Engineer • DevOps Engineer • Systems Administrator
Apr 2013 – Oct 2018
  • Kount, MediaMath, 20th Century Fox: Managed Linux server infrastructure, automated deployments with Terraform/Ansible, optimized AWS costs by 30%, and improved monitoring systems with Prometheus/Grafana.
  • Mirantis, HP Helion: Maintained OpenStack CI/CD pipelines, developed Python automation tools, and enhanced incident response processes, improving response times by 50%.
  • HostGator: Administered thousands of Linux servers, resolved technical issues, and provided customer support for 50+ daily clients.

Military Experience

US Army logo United States Army
Combat Engineer (12B), Wheeled Mechanic (91B)
Jan 2008 – Oct 2012
  • Deployed to Iraq (2010–2011) in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.
  • Honorably discharged with multiple commendations including Army Commendation Medal and Combat Action Badge.

Education & Certifications

Self-Directed Professional Development
Continuous Learning in Cloud Technologies & DevOps
Ongoing
  • AWS, OpenStack, Kubernetes, Python, Terraform, Ansible hands-on experience through professional projects
  • Active participation in tech communities, conferences, and industry best practices