Hi, my name is

Patrick Harbison

Platform Engineer

I build scalable infrastructure, robust developer experience, and automated delivery systems for modern engineering teams. I bring a pragmatic, outcomes-driven approach to platform design, observability, security, and self-service tooling. With a background in Linux administration and a passion for automation, I thrive on solving complex operational challenges and enabling teams to ship software faster and more reliably. I am always eager to learn new technologies, share knowledge, and collaborate with like-minded professionals to drive innovation and continuous improvement.

Resume

About Me

I’m a husband, father, technology enthusiast, and lifelong problem solver that enjoys building things, whether that’s enterprise platforms at work, home lab projects on the weekends, or the occasional Commander deck around the kitchen table.

Professionally, I work as a Senior Platform Engineer with a background spanning infrastructure, automation, DevOps, and platform engineering. Over the years, I’ve worked with everything from systems administration and networking to cloud technologies, CI/CD pipelines, and container platforms. What I enjoy most about technology is the constant opportunity to learn, improve, and solve any problems I run into.

Outside of work, family is the center of my life. Some of my favorite moments are the simple ones, spending time with my wife and kids, sharing experiences, and making memories together. Whether it’s from far away watching the kids play sports, or right next to them hiking or enjoying the beach, I just enjoy making memories with them.

When I have free time, I enjoy hobbies that combine creativity and problem-solving. I’ve recently started playing Magic: The Gathering Commander and enjoy creating new decks and discovering unique interactions. I also enjoy photography, which gives me a chance to slow down, explore the world from a different perspective, and capture moments that might otherwise go unnoticed.

I’m also passionate about home lab projects and personal development. Whether I’m experimenting with new technologies, building automation tools, or learning something completely new, I enjoy the challenge of turning ideas into reality.

At the end of the day, I’m someone who enjoys learning, creating, and sharing knowledge. Whether it’s solving a technical challenge, capturing a great photograph, building a new project, or spending time with family, I believe there’s always value in staying curious and continuing to grow.

Experience

O'Reilly Auto Parts
Citadel Completions
Lake Charles Memorial Hospital

Senior Platform Engineer - O'Reilly Auto Parts

Sept 2022 - present

I lead the design and delivery of scalable infrastructure and self-service platforms that empower engineering teams. My work spans Kubernetes, CI/CD automation, observability, and cloud-native best practices utilizing Puppet, Ansible, ArgoCD, and Gitlab CI. I collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to understand their needs and deliver solutions that improve reliability, reduce toil, and accelerate software delivery.

Built reusable infrastructure modules and standardized deployment workflows.
Reduced platform onboarding time through improved developer and operations tooling.
Modernized configuration management and infrastructure as code practices to improve reliability and reduce toil.
Implemented monitoring and alerting improvements to enhance incident response and system reliability.

Site Reliability Engineer - Citadel Completions

Sept 2021 - Sept 2022

Developed and maintained infrastructure and deployment pipelines to support the company’s aviation services. This included implementing infrastructure as code (IaC), GitOps practices, automating software deployment processes, and ensuring the reliability and scalability of the platform.

Optimized network infrastructure and security configurations to support critical services.
Implemented Kubernetes clusters and service delivery mechanisms.
Automated software provisioning and lifecycle management with Kubernetes and GitOps.
Improved deployment consistency and incident response.

Linux Administrator - Lake Charles Memorial Hospital

May 2018 - Sept 2021

Managed infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, and observability tooling for mission-critical systems while maintaining compliance with HIPAA and other regulations.

Created infrastructure automation for multi-campus deployments.
Deployed metrics collection, monitoring and alerting across critical services.
Reduced toil through automation, configuration management, and development of new processes.

Projects

ArgoCD Kubernetes GitOps Ansible

Self-Service Platform

Delivered a self-service infrastructure platform, utilizing ArgoCD, Ansible, and K3s, for teams to provision and deploy services with minimal Operations support.

HashiCorp Vault Go PKI

PKI Automation

Implemented automated certificate management and renewal processes using HashiCorp Vault and a custom Go application, significantly reducing the risk of certificate-related outages and improving security posture.

Gitlab CI/CD Automation

Developed and maintained CI/CD pipelines using Gitlab CI, automating the build, test, and deployment processes for multiple applications. This initiative improved deployment consistency, reduced manual errors, and accelerated the software delivery lifecycle.

Achievements

Team MVP 2025

Led the design and implementation of a self-service GitOps platform that empowered engineering and developer teams to deploy and manage services with minimal ops support. This initiative significantly improved deployment velocity, reduced toil for the operations team, and enhanced overall reliability across the organization.

Team MVP 2024

Updated, standardized, and overhauled infrastructure codebases to improve reliability and reduce toil for the operations team. Additionally created documentation and class materials to onboard new team members and share best practices across the organization.

Nominated for Team Duct Tape Award 2024

Recognized for creating practical automation and tooling to solve critical operational challenges and reduce toil for the operations team. This included automating manual processes, improving monitoring and alerting, and implementing self-service solutions that empowered teams to manage their own services more effectively.

AWS SysOps Administrator - Associate Certification

Achieved AWS SysOps Administrator Associate certification, demonstrating expertise in deploying, managing, and operating scalable, highly available, and fault-tolerant systems on AWS. This certification validates my ability to implement and manage AWS services, optimize performance, and ensure security and compliance in cloud environments.

Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT)

Earned the Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT) certification, showcasing foundational knowledge of networking concepts and skills in installing, operating, and troubleshooting a small enterprise branch network. This certification highlights my understanding of basic networking principles, IP addressing, and network security, which are essential for building and maintaining reliable infrastructure.

Get in Touch

I’m always open to discussing new opportunities, collaborations, or just connecting with like-minded professionals. Whether you have a question about my work, want to chat about industry trends, or are interested in working together, feel free to reach out. I look forward to hearing from you!