SENIOR DEVOPS ENGINEER · ISRAEL

DevOps, platform engineering, and secure automation. Nir Vaknin.

DevOps & Platform Engineer

I build developer platforms, cloud automation, and secure integrations for engineering teams. My latest work is an internal MCP broker for Jira, Confluence, Jenkins, and other internal tools, with security policies, token and secret controls, and OpenTelemetry metrics and logs.

Explore my experience Contact on LinkedIn
Platform engineering Secure automation CI/CD & observability
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

A career built on making systems work.

My work centers on cloud automation, CI/CD, developer productivity, and reliable delivery.

APRIL 2022 — PRESENT

Senior DevOps Engineer

Palo Alto Networks · IdiraFormerly CyberArk · continuous tenure since April 2022

I work across cloud infrastructure, infrastructure as code, CI/CD, and internal developer platforms. My practical toolkit includes AWS, Terraform, Jenkins, GitHub, Datadog, and Grafana.

LATEST WORK PROJECT

Internal MCP broker

Internal MCP broker providing secure access to Jira, Confluence, Jenkins, and other internal tools. Combines security policies and controls for tokens and secrets with OpenTelemetry metrics and logs for observability.

MCP integrationsSecurity policyTokens & secretsOpenTelemetry

  1. CloudOps / Automation Engineer · Imperva

    February 2020 — April 2022

    Managed AWS and GCP environments, automated deployments with Python and Terraform, maintained internal deployment tooling, and built a pytest-based test framework.

  2. Linux System Administrator · SQream Technologies

    October 2018 — February 2020

    Automated infrastructure operations with Python and Bash, deployed Prometheus and Grafana monitoring, and maintained server and network infrastructure.

  3. QA Engineer · Imperva

    February 2018 — October 2018

    Created and executed test plans, worked with Oracle, MySQL, and PostgreSQL environments, and reproduced customer issues in dedicated test environments.

  4. Integration & System Administrator · Elbit Systems

    May 2013 — February 2018

    Set up complex server and testing environments for QA and R&D, developed automation scripts, and investigated production issues alongside engineering teams.

SELECTED INDEPENDENT PROJECTS

Engineering beyond the day job.

Independent projects exploring security boundaries, automation, and maintainable systems.

01

MCPatch

Experimental · pre-alpha

A capability broker that lets agents use authenticated browser sessions through named, typed, origin-bound tools—instead of unrestricted browser automation.

RustTypeScriptMV3Policy
CORE PROOF Permission ceilings, single-use approvals, lifecycle revocation, and audit-safe logging.
02

Trading System

Personal-use system

A human-in-the-loop trading platform coordinating market data, strategy checks, Telegram workflows, and approved paper orders.

PythonFastAPIPostgresNext.js
CORE PROOF Immutable decision data, freshness checks, automated validation, and one order-authority writer.
03

portctl

Prototype

A developer-tooling exploration of versioned Port.io configuration and reviewable changes from a terminal or CI workflow.

PythonPydanticTyperCI
CORE PROOF Explores Git-based desired state and reviewable configuration changes.
04

Food Journal

TestFlight beta · Aug 2026

Food and hydration logging connected to WHOOP and Apple Health, with an AI-assisted coach. Nutrition calculations stay deterministic, with catalogue facts distinguished from AI estimates.

iOSPostgresWHOOPApple Health
CORE PROOF TestFlight beta releases in August 2026, WHOOP and Apple Health integrations, and deterministic nutrition calculations.
ENGINEERING CASE STUDIES

The decisions behind the systems.

Two examples of how I define boundaries, handle failure, and balance automation with control.

MCPatch

Give agents useful access with explicit authority.

Problem
An authenticated browser session gives an agent access to far more than a single task requires. The engineering problem is to expose useful actions while keeping permissions inspectable.
Constraints
Work with existing sessions; bind actions to the intended origin; keep consequential actions subject to approval.
Decision
Separate the Rust bridge from the TypeScript browser runtime. Expose named, typed capabilities with schema validation, permission ceilings, single-use approvals, and lifecycle revocation.
Result & scope
An experimental capability broker with explicit permission boundaries and a documented threat model.
Tradeoff
Capability definitions and adapters require maintenance, but make authority narrower and easier to review than unrestricted browser control.
Trading System

Keep data, decisions, and order authority separate.

Problem
A workflow joining market data, scheduled analysis, messaging, and order submission needs clear behavior when inputs are stale or services fail.
Constraints
Self-hosted operation, asynchronous updates, freshness requirements, and human approval for paper-order execution.
Decision
Use explicit service boundaries and immutable decision data. Validate freshness before acting, keep order authority with one writer, and separate analysis from human-approved paper orders.
Result & scope
A personal-use decision platform connecting market data, validation, and human-approved paper-order workflows.
Tradeoff
More explicit state and service boundaries add coordination work, while making retries and authority easier to reason about.
HOW I WORK

From vague need to operated system.

I start with the operational constraint, make ownership clear, and keep the first delivery small enough to inspect and maintain.

  1. 01

    Find the real constraint

    Start with the operational pain, actors, authority boundaries, and failure cost.

  2. 02

    Make the contract explicit

    Turn hidden assumptions into typed tools, schemas, state transitions, and permissions that can be inspected.

  3. 03

    Ship the narrow path

    Deliver one useful end-to-end path, instrument it, then expand from observed behavior rather than speculation.

  4. 04

    Own the production loop

    Deployment, observability, backups, approvals, and recovery are part of the product.

FOR RECRUITERS, HUMANS & AGENTS

One identity. Multiple readable formats.

Use the rendered profile if you are browsing. Use the structured endpoints if you are evaluating fit, collecting evidence, or building a shortlist.

/cv.mdConcise Markdown CV /cv.jsonStructured identity and evidence /llms.txtSite map for language models /cv.pdfDownloadable PDF CV
role-fit.preview evidence based

Engineering focus

  • CoreDevOps & infrastructure automation
  • CoreCloud / platform operations
  • CoreCI/CD & developer tooling
  • ProjectsAI integrations & MCP
Start with the role Share the responsibilities and requirements to discuss relevant experience and gaps.
Contact me
CONTACT ME

Let’s talk infrastructure.

Have a Senior DevOps or platform engineering opportunity, or a technical question about my projects? Reach me on LinkedIn.

Nir Vaknin · Senior DevOps Engineer · Israel

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