Senior Kubernetes Engineer

Job Overview:

Seeking a Sr. Kubernetes Engineer with a strong background in automation, infrastructure-as-code, and cloud-native technologies. The ideal candidate will be responsible for managing, scaling, and optimizing Kubernetes clusters while implementing automation frameworks to reduce manual effort and improve system reliability. As a member of the Test and Engineering Infrastructure team, this role is critical in ensuring our containerized workloads run securely, efficiently, and consistently across environments.

Key Responsibilities:

• Cluster Management: Deploy, configure, upgrade, and maintain Kubernetes clusters across on-prem and cloud environments.
• Automation & Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Design and implement automated workflows for provisioning, scaling, and monitoring using tools like Terraform, Ansible, Helm, or FluxCD.
• Monitoring & Observability: Implement and maintain logging, monitoring, and alerting solutions (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, EFK stack).
• Security & Compliance: Apply best practices for cluster security, RBAC, secrets management/SOPS-encrypted secrets, and vulnerability scanning.
• CI/CD Integration: Collaborate with DevOps and development teams to optimize Kubernetes for continuous delivery pipelines.
• Performance Optimization: Proactively monitor resource utilization, troubleshoot bottlenecks, and ensure high availability and disaster recovery.
• Documentation & Knowledge Sharing: Maintain clear operational documentation and mentor team members on Kubernetes best practices.

Required Qualifications:

• 7-10 years of software development and/or Linux Administration experience with 3+ years of hands-on experience managing Kubernetes clusters in production.
• Strong background in automation and scripting (Python, Go, or Bash).
• On-prem and cloud OS administration experience to include but not be limited to Talos, Ubuntu and Debian.
• Expertise with IaC tools such as Terraform, Ansible, or Pulumi.
• Practical experience with container orchestration and packaging (Docker, Helm, and/or Kustomize).
• Solid knowledge of CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitLab CI, and/or GitHub Actions).
• Proficiency in cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure).
• Strong understanding of networking, load balancing, and ingress controllers in Kubernetes.
• Debugging of large, multi-layered systems, including network troubleshooting, application tracing, alerting systems, and logging from both hardware and software sources
• Excellent problem-solving, troubleshooting, and analytical skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• CKA/CKAD/CKS certification.
• Experience with service mesh technologies (Istio, Linkerd).
• Familiarity with policy enforcement frameworks (OPA/Gatekeeper, Kyverno).
• Background in GitOps practices.
• Experience supporting hybrid systems involving embedded devices, custom hardware, or real-time control systems.
• Knowledge of secure software deployment in mixed cloud/on-prem environments.
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop pipelines or distributed lab/test automation environments.
• Exposure to scientific computing, HPC, or quantum software stacks a plus.
• Creation of container images from base images (especially Debian and Ubuntu)
• Ability to thrive in fast-moving, interdisciplinary R&D teams.
• Network and Element Management/Application implementation experience.