Francis Schenk
@francisschenk
Senior Site Reliability Engineering manager driving resilient, cost-efficient global platforms.
South AfricaWhat I'm looking for
I am a Senior Site Reliability Engineering Manager with 15+ years of experience leading global teams and scaling enterprise IT operations across five continents, focused on building reliable distributed systems and an automation-first culture.
I have led cross-regional platform and network organisations, implemented operating models for Azure and global networks, migrated MPLS to SD-WAN, and delivered FinOps and automation initiatives that reduced costs and improved resilience.
As a hands-on leader and founder, I combine technical depth (Linux, PowerShell, Python, Ansible, observability, incident response) with strategic skills in vendor management, governance, and team development to enable secure, scalable, and cost-efficient platforms.
Experience
Work history, roles, and key accomplishments
Founder / Managing Director
ISCG
Aug 2023 - Present (2 years 2 months)
Built and led an IT consulting firm delivering cloud, cybersecurity, and infrastructure automation services; implemented Google Apps Script and PowerShell automation and led FinOps governance and automated Azure cost reporting for enterprise clients.
NFDirected distributed teams across Americas, EMEA and APAC, defined operating and support models for Azure and global networks, migrated MPLS to SD-WAN to increase resilience and reduce costs, and implemented Azure FinOps dashboards and automated infrastructure reporting.
GSHead of Platform Engineering
G4S
Jan 2014 - Jul 2019 (5 years 6 months)
Led platform engineering and infrastructure operations across 20+ countries, managed budgets and vendor contracts with FinOps principles, implemented security and compliance policies, and directed application and infrastructure projects to align with group strategy.
National IT Operations Manager
Lafarge
Jan 2006 - Dec 2013 (7 years 11 months)
Progressed through regional IT leadership roles managing data centres and WANs across Sub-Saharan Africa, overseeing uptime, security, DR planning, vendor relationships, and building succession pipelines.
Education
Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework
ITIL
ITIL Certifications, IT Service Management
2013 - 2022
Obtained ITIL v3 Foundation in 2013 and ITIL v4 certification in 2022.
Microsoft Certification Program
MCP, MCSE, Microsoft Systems
2008 - 2009
Completed Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certifications in 2008–2009.
Cisco
CCNA, Networking
2007 - 2007
Completed CCNA certification in 2007.
CompTIA
A+, N+, IT Support & Networking
2005 - 2005
Completed CompTIA A+ and Network+ certifications in 2005.
Unknown (Matric)
Matric, Secondary Education
1996 - 1996
Completed Matric (final secondary school certificate) in 1996.
Tech stack
Software and tools used professionally
Availability
Location
South AfricaAuthorized to work in
Job categories
Skills
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