Building.
Automating.
Scaling. Securing.
Principal Infrastructure Engineer with 15+ years architecting cloud-native, containerized infrastructure at enterprise scale.
What I Build
Reliable infrastructure engineered for performance, security, and scale.
Cloud Infrastructure
AWS & Azure architecture — EC2, S3, Lambda, EventBridge, Secrets Manager, KMS. Infrastructure as Code with CloudFormation & CDK.
Automation & APIs
Python-driven automation with FastAPI and Django. Identified and automated 30+ processes — cutting management overhead by 20%.
Containers & K8s
Enterprise-grade containerization with Docker and Kubernetes. Serverless architectures for cost-efficient, event-driven workloads.
Security & Reliability
Least-privilege IAM, KMS encryption, and AWS Backup. Secure, high-availability, audit-ready infrastructure from day one.
Core Technology Stack
The tools I work with every day
Ready to automate your infrastructure?
Let's discuss how I can help your team build reliable, scalable, and cost-efficient infrastructure.
Principal Engineer.
Problem Solver.
15+ years turning complex infrastructure challenges into elegant, automated solutions.
David Spera
Southern NH, US
Hi, I'm David
I'm a Principal Infrastructure Engineer with over 15 years of experience designing, automating, and optimizing enterprise-grade cloud and on-premise infrastructure. My career has been defined by a passion for identifying inefficiencies and building automation that delivers measurable business value.
At Liberty Mutual, I've led initiatives that saved over $1M annually through strategic automation — deploying FastAPI applications for streamlined data collection, and automating 30+ existing processes to cut infrastructure management time by 20%.
I specialize in cloud-native architectures on AWS and Azure, container orchestration with Docker and Kubernetes, and Python-based automation tooling using Django and FastAPI. I believe infrastructure should be code-first, security-aware, observable, and continuously improving.
Beyond the technical work, I mentor junior engineers and interns — sharing the knowledge accumulated from building resilient, scalable systems at enterprise scale across two major organizations.
How I Approach Infrastructure
The principles that guide every architecture decision I make
Automate Everything
Manual processes are technical debt. Infrastructure as code, repeatable deployments, and automated workflows are non-negotiable from day one.
Secure by Design
Security isn't an afterthought. Least-privilege IAM, encryption at rest and in transit, and compliance-first architecture decisions on every project.
Observe & Improve
Monitoring, dashboards, and data-driven decisions keep infrastructure moving forward. You can't improve what you can't measure.
Work History
15+ years delivering infrastructure excellence at enterprise scale
Principal Infrastructure Engineer
Liberty Mutual Insurance
Lead the identification and automation of processes for managing on-premise and public cloud infrastructure. Develop and deploy applications to collect infrastructure data and drive automation at scale. Mentor interns and new engineers on team norms, tools, and best practices.
Responsibilities
- Deploy AWS resources (EC2, S3, Lambda, EventBridge, Secrets Manager, AWS Backup, KMS) for cloud and on-premise infrastructure automation
- Develop automation applications using Django, Serverless framework, and Python — deployed on Kubernetes
- Created centralized Python library standardizing reusable code patterns across team projects
Key Achievements
Identified and automated 30+ existing processes, resulting in a 20% reduction in infrastructure management time
Implemented FastAPI application to streamline infrastructure data collection, saving $1M+ annually
Built Django application to centralize and schedule automation on a recurring basis, reducing operational complexity
Principal Systems Administrator
Liberty Mutual Insurance
Evaluated all storage and backup products at Liberty Mutual, recommending solutions to reduce cost and improve performance. Met with vendors, ran proof-of-concepts, performed cost-benefit analysis, presented solutions to management, and trained operations teams on new products.
Responsibilities
- Evaluated NAS and block storage technologies; led lifecycle management of legacy arrays and assessed all-flash solutions for high-performance workloads
- Developed storage dashboards providing leadership with accurate capacity growth trends
- Performed cost analysis for cloud backups and provisioned S3 buckets via Bamboo pipeline
- Evaluated converged and hyperconverged technologies from EMC, HP, VMware, and Nutanix
Key Achievements
Led Rubrik backup appliance POC — modernized legacy backup infrastructure, reducing technical debt and improving performance
Implemented IBM Cloud Object Storage for low-cost, highly available storage in domestic data centers
Principal Systems Administrator
PC Connection
Part of the operations team responsible for server, storage, and backup infrastructure in the datacenter. Responsibilities included hardware installation, lifecycle planning, and L2/L3 support including on-call rotation.
Responsibilities
- Maintained enterprise storage arrays: IBM DS8100, DS4700, XIV, V7000 Unified, VNX 5300 — SAN fiber network with 2, 4, and 8GB FC switches
- Collaborated with Enterprise Architect on storage virtualization using IBM SAN Volume Controller
- Migrated file services from a 6-node Microsoft cluster to unified storage array, improving performance and reliability
- Deployed MobileIron MDM to secure mobile devices and eliminate legacy management systems
- Connected on-premise Exchange environment to Office 365 using Exchange 2013 hybrid configuration
Key Achievements
Implemented WAN Acceleration reducing data transmission by 40% — saving $500K annually by eliminating remote site infrastructure
Redesigned email platform to Exchange 2013 on local disk — reduced complexity and saved $50K/year
Systems Administrator
PC Connection
Responsibilities
- Supported 400 physical and 200 virtual servers in an enterprise data center
- Managed software lifecycle upgrade projects — Symantec Antivirus, SDE, HP Test Director
- Managed SAN environment with 4 enterprise class arrays and fiber channel network
Key Achievement
Redesigned corporate email system and upgraded to Exchange 2007, significantly improving reliability and uptime
Technical Expertise
A deep breadth of infrastructure, cloud, and development skills built over 15 years
Cloud & Infrastructure
Public cloud platforms and IaC tooling
Containers & Orchestration
Container platforms and deployment at scale
Languages & Frameworks
Programming languages and web frameworks
CI/CD & DevOps
Pipeline automation and project tooling
Systems & Enterprise Storage
Data center hardware and storage infrastructure
Let's Connect
Open to discussing new opportunities, consulting engagements, or interesting infrastructure challenges.
Direct Contact
Currently Available
Open to Senior / Principal Infrastructure Engineer and Staff-level DevOps/Platform Engineer roles. I typically respond within 24 hours.
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