DevOps / Linux Engineer — Migrate & Maintain Node.js + MongoDB Production Server (Long-Term)

About the work We run two production web applications — a customer-experience toolset and a mystery-shopper platform. Both are built on Node.js with MongoDB, currently hosted and managed by an external developer. We are moving to our own dedicated server and need an experienced DevOps/Linux engineer to plan and execute that migration, then stay on as our ongoing infrastructure person. This is not a one-off gig. We specifically want someone who will still be here in twelve months. The migration is the interview; the retainer is the job. Phase 1 — Assessment & recommendation Audit our current environment (application stack, MongoDB size and configuration, cron jobs, SSL, DNS, existing backups) Review the two dedicated server quotes we already have and advise: are they right-sized, and is the data centre location correct for our user base? Our users are primarily in the UAE and the wider Gulf region — latency matters. We want your recommendation on hosting location before we purchase. Deliver a written migration plan with a rollback path Phase 2 — Build & migrate - Provision and harden the new server (SSH keys, firewall, fail2ban, non-root users, automatic security updates) - Install and configure the stack: Node.js (LTS), MongoDB, Nginx (reverse proxy), PM2, Docker - Migrate application data with minimal downtime — we expect a tested rollback plan, not hope - Configure SSL certificates for two domains (Let's Encrypt / AutoSSL) - Set up automated daily backups to off-server storage, and demonstrate a successful restore before we go live - Set up monitoring and alerting (uptime, disk, memory, MongoDB health) so we find out about problems before our customers do DNS cutover with a defined maintenance window - Hand over documentation a non-technical owner can follow Phase 3 — Ongoing retainer (the main event) - OS and package patching - Backup verification (actually testing restores, not just checking the job ran) - Monitoring and incident response - Deployment support when our developers ship updates - Periodic security review - Estimated [X] hours per month — we're flexible and want your honest estimate Required - Demonstrable production experience with Node.js + MongoDB on Linux (AlmaLinux/Rocky/Ubuntu) - Nginx as a reverse proxy in front of Node applications - PM2 or equivalent process management - Real migration experience — you have moved live systems and can talk about what went wrong - MongoDB backup/restore, replica sets, and performance tuning - Docker - Comfortable working with a non-technical owner — you can explain things in plain language -Reasonable overlap with Gulf Standard Time (UTC+4) Nice to have - Experience with Hetzner / OVHcloud / InMotion or similar dedicated providers - cPanel/WHM familiarity (our current environment may involve it) - Infrastructure-as-code (Ansible, Terraform) Prior work with UAE/GCC-hosted infrastructure What we'll provide - Full access to the current environment (coordinated with our existing developer) - Budget for the server, backup storage and any tooling you recommend - Fast decisions — you won't be waiting on us To apply Please do not send a generic proposal. Answer the screening questions below. Applications that open with "I have 10+ years of experience" and no specifics will be ignored. Tell us about one production migration you personally ran — what broke, or what nearly did, and how you handled it.