whoami: infrastructure_engineer | ai_champion | entrepreneur

Daniel
Kamali

// Linux · Cloud · AI · Infrastructure

Linux & Infrastructure Engineer with 8+ years supporting, securing, and automating production systems across global environments. I have a strong background in Linux administration, network reliability, cloud infrastructure, monitoring, and automation. Over the years I've built a solid track record reducing downtime, improving system visibility, and keeping business-critical infrastructure running for distributed teams around the clock.

Kigali, Rwanda 8+ Years Experience Open to Remote AI Champion Founder · Irema
get_in_touch() view_work()
8+
years in infra
5+
global regions
3
startups built
01. about

Engineer by trade,
builder by nature

I'm a Linux and Infrastructure Engineer with over 8 years of hands-on experience supporting, securing, and automating production systems across global environments. My career started in banking in Uganda and has taken me all the way to fintech at scale with Deriv.

Based in Kigali, Rwanda, I currently lead infrastructure at Deriv Africa and hold an AI Champions mandate, where I focus on driving AI adoption and building out the office as an AI hub for the company's continental growth. Outside of that, I'm the founder and developer of Irema, a business review platform built specifically for the Rwandan market.

Most of what I do sits at the crossroads of infrastructure reliability, intelligent automation, and Africa-focused product development. I care a lot about building things that actually work for people here, which means thinking carefully about multilingual support, mobile-first experiences, and low-bandwidth realities across East Africa.

daniel@deriv-africa: ~
daniel@kigali:~$ cat profile.json
{
  "name": "Daniel Kamali",
  "role": "Tech Lead / Infra Engineer",
  "location": "Kigali, Rwanda",
  "employer": "Deriv (Africa Office)",
  "startups": ["Irema", "Milkman RW"],
  "focus": ["Linux", "Cloud", "AI/LLM",
            "IAM", "Automation"],
  "open_to": "Remote (Global)"
}
daniel@kigali:~$
02. skills

Technical Toolkit

$_
Linux & Systems
Ubuntu CentOS System Hardening Patching Performance Tuning Windows Server
⌁
Networking
LAN/WAN VPN Fortigate Sophos pfSense Routing & Switching
☁
Cloud & Infrastructure
AWS EC2 VPC IAM S3 Proxmox VMware IaC
⚡
Automation & Scripting
Python Bash Ansible Okta Workflows Cron Jobs
◈
Monitoring & Reliability
Datadog Zabbix Incident Response RCA Alerting
✦ AI
AI & LLM Skills
Claude / Anthropic Prompt Engineering LLM Workflows AI Automation MCP Servers AI Strategy Firebase + AI React AI Apps AI Champions Lead
⚙
DevOps & Security
Jamf Okta JumpCloud Kandji Vulnerability Mgmt DR & Backup
◻
Development
React Firebase Tailwind CSS JavaScript Vite Firestore
03. experience

Career Timeline

Deriv · Africa Office Nov 2024 – Present ● CURRENT
Tech Lead / Infrastructure Engineer
  • Lead Linux, network and cloud infrastructure across multiple global offices
  • Designed secure network architectures with disaster recovery and backup strategies
  • Deployed Datadog & Zabbix monitoring platforms; reduced incident response time significantly
  • Automated routine IT tasks using Python, Bash, Ansible, and Okta Workflows
  • Leading the AI adoption strategy as the office's AI Champion, working toward positioning the Africa team as a hub for the company's continental expansion
  • Mentored junior engineers; coordinated infrastructure changes with minimal disruption
Deriv Apr 2024 – Nov 2024
WinOps / Infrastructure Engineer
  • Built and managed AWS environments (EC2, VPC, IAM, S3) across dev, test, and production
  • Automated infrastructure management using scripting and configuration tools
  • Monitored infrastructure health using Datadog with alert integrations
  • Supported incident management, documentation, and root cause analysis
Deriv Oct 2022 – Apr 2024
IT Admin Team Lead / Infrastructure Engineer
  • Managed global network and server environments across Africa, Europe, Asia and South America
  • Oversaw firewall rules, access control, patching, and endpoint protection
  • Automated repetitive administration tasks to reduce operational overhead
  • Supported infrastructure modernization and cloud migration initiatives
Deriv Apr 2021 – Oct 2022
IT Operations / Linux & Network Engineer
  • Administered Linux servers, networks, and virtualization platforms
  • Implemented backups, monitoring, and system documentation
  • Supported network infrastructure revamps across multiple international locations
UTB Rwanda Dec 2018 – Apr 2021
System & Network Administrator
  • Designed and deployed campus-wide LAN/WAN infrastructure
  • Administered Linux and Windows servers, user access, and network security
  • Ensured 24/7 network availability for university operations
FINCA Bank Uganda 2017
Assistant System / Network Administrator
  • Supported secure banking infrastructure and ERP systems
  • Managed user access, backups, and system availability in regulated environments
04. portfolio

Notable Projects

// 001
Irema Platform
Rwandan business review platform built with a full-stack setup covering admin, business, and user portals. Multilingual support across EN, FR, Kinyarwanda, and Swahili. Firebase-backed and designed mobile-first from the ground up.
React Firebase Tailwind Firestore i18n
// 002
Okta IAM Automation
End-to-end provisioning workflows triggered by ClickUp approvals. Auto-provisions GitHub/app/group access, verifies org membership, and sends Slack Block Kit notifications.
Okta Workflows ClickUp API GitHub API Slack
// 003
DerivAI: Internal AI Platform
React/Firebase internal AI tools platform built for Deriv Rwanda. Each tool card includes real failure modes, stack integration context, and worked examples so the team can actually use AI confidently day to day.
React Firebase Claude API AI Strategy
// 004
Milkman Rwanda
Dairy delivery marketplace webapp for Kigali. Three separate portals covering vendors, riders, and customers, with full i18n support across four languages. Built on Firebase, React, Vite, and Tailwind.
React Vite Firebase Tailwind
// 005
AI Radar: Slack Bot
A Slack bot that monitors and surfaces curated AI/LLM updates directly to the Deriv Africa team. Built to keep everyone current on a fast-moving space without flooding people with noise.
Slack API Python LLM Automation
// 006
Global Network Revamps
Led network and infrastructure overhauls across 5+ countries for Deriv. Included MDM rollout (Jamf, Kandji, JumpCloud), monitoring stack deployment, and IaC implementation.
Datadog Jamf Ansible Fortigate
05. credentials

Certifications & Education

◈
BSc Computer Science
◈
CCNA Routing & Switching
◈
CompTIA Security+
◈
AWS & Cloud Infrastructure
◈
Red Hat Ansible (EX407)
◈
ISC2 Cybersecurity Certified
06. blog

Thoughts & Writings

AI & Infrastructure
Building an AI-First Infrastructure Team in Africa
How I'm driving AI adoption at Deriv Africa, from building internal tools to getting the team thinking in automation-first workflows. It's been more cultural than technical.
April 20265 min read
Automation
Okta Workflows: Automating IAM Without Code
A practical walkthrough of building end-to-end provisioning pipelines using Okta Workflows, ClickUp, and GitHub. No traditional dev background needed, just logic and patience.
March 20268 min read
Startups
Lessons from Building Irema: Rwanda's Business Review Platform
What I've picked up building a multilingual, mobile-first product for the East African market. The technical side was straightforward. The cultural and business side took a lot more thinking.
March 20266 min read
07. contact

Let's Connect

I'm open to senior infrastructure roles, AI strategy consulting, and advisory work at African tech companies. If you want to talk infrastructure, automation, AI, or what's happening in the East African tech space, I'm always up for it.

@ danielkamali20@gmail.com ☏ +250 780 446 987 in linkedin.com/in/daniel-kamali ⌖ Kigali, Rwanda · Remote (Global)