Application Guide

How to Apply for DevOps Engineer

at Velo3D

🏢 About Velo3D

Velo3D is at the forefront of metal additive manufacturing, enabling the production of complex, high-performance parts for clean energy and efficient transportation. Their innovative technology solves long-standing challenges in 3D printing, making them a leader in an industry poised to transform manufacturing.

About This Role

As a DevOps Engineer at Velo3D, you'll bridge software development and manufacturing by maintaining critical infrastructure for 3D printing systems. Your work directly impacts customer deployments and the reliability of production environments, ensuring that cutting-edge hardware operates seamlessly with software.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might start with a standup to align with software and manufacturing teams on deployment priorities. You could then work on automating a CI pipeline for a new printer software release, followed by a troubleshooting session with a customer experiencing integration issues. The afternoon might involve provisioning a new server for machine learning workflows and reviewing infrastructure logs to preemptively address bottlenecks.

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Interview Prep

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🎯 Who Velo3D Is Looking For

  • Has deep Python expertise for building automation tools and infrastructure, not just scripting. They can develop robust, maintainable code for CI/CD pipelines and system management.
  • Thrives in cross-functional collaboration, working effectively with software engineers, manufacturing teams, IT, and external customers to troubleshoot and deploy systems.
  • Possesses hands-on experience with AWS, Linux, and CI/CD tools like Jenkins, and understands how to optimize build systems (e.g., CMake) and databases (e.g., PostgreSQL) for performance.
  • Is comfortable with the ambiguity of supporting both internal teams and external customers, and can adapt quickly to fast-changing priorities in a high-tech manufacturing environment.

📝 Tips for Applying to Velo3D

1

Highlight specific Python projects where you automated infrastructure tasks, such as provisioning servers or managing CI pipelines. Include links to code if possible.

2

Emphasize any experience deploying and supporting software in customer production environments, especially in manufacturing or hardware-related industries.

3

Showcase your knowledge of metal 3D printing or additive manufacturing in your cover letter or resume to demonstrate genuine interest in Velo3D's mission.

4

Tailor your resume to include keywords like 'Jenkins', 'AWS', 'CMake', 'PostgreSQL', and 'distributed systems' exactly as mentioned in the job description.

5

Prepare a brief portfolio or summary of infrastructure projects you've led, detailing how they improved reliability, deployment speed, or collaboration across teams.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

["Express enthusiasm for Velo3D's mission to revolutionize metal 3D printing for clean energy and transportation, and connect your skills to enabling that vision.", 'Detail your experience with Python automation and CI/CD pipelines, providing specific examples of how you improved deployment processes or system reliability.', 'Demonstrate your ability to communicate with diverse stakeholders, including engineers, manufacturing teams, and customers, by citing past cross-functional projects.', 'Mention any experience with manufacturing or hardware-software integration, as this is a key differentiator for the role.']

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Read about Velo3D's Sapphire printer and its unique SupportFree technology to understand the hardware-software integration challenges.
  • → Look into Velo3D's recent partnerships or customer case studies (e.g., in aerospace or energy) to see how their technology is applied.
  • → Review Velo3D's engineering blog or technical publications to understand their approach to software and infrastructure.
  • → Check Velo3D's investor relations or news section for updates on growth and new markets, which may impact infrastructure demands.

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 How would you design a CI/CD pipeline for software that controls 3D printing hardware? Consider safety and reliability constraints.
2 Describe a time you had to troubleshoot a production issue at a customer site. How did you coordinate with engineering and the customer?
3 Explain your experience with Python for infrastructure automation. Give an example of a tool you built from scratch.
4 How do you manage configuration drift across multiple servers running different OS (Linux, Windows, macOS)?
5 What metrics would you monitor to ensure the health of a 3D printing system's software infrastructure?
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⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Don't focus solely on cloud infrastructure without mentioning experience with on-premises or hybrid environments, as this role involves customer deployments.
  • Avoid generic statements about teamwork; instead, provide concrete examples of collaborating with manufacturing or customer-facing teams.
  • Don't overlook the importance of Python expertise. Emphasize it clearly, as it's a primary requirement, not just a nice-to-have.

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Velo3D!

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