Kubernetes Platform Engineer

In this hands-on individual contributor role, you will be at the heart of our infrastructure, managing Kubernetes clusters, implementing cutting-edge networking solutions, and empowering development teams to ship with confidence. Cluster Operations & Administration Manage the full lifecycle of Kubernetes clusters (on-premises K3s/RKE2, GKE, and EKS), including upgrades, security patching, scaling, and capacity planning.

Location: Hybrid in Berkeley, CA

Employment Type: 1-Year Contract (With possibility of extension or conversion based on performance and organizational needs)

About the Organization

A nationally recognized research institution where your work directly supports groundbreaking scientific programs. We build the infrastructure behind some of the most impactful research in the country.

About the Role

We are looking for a skilled Kubernetes Platform Engineer to join our Platform Engineering team. In this hands-on individual contributor role, you will be at the heart of our infrastructure, managing Kubernetes clusters, implementing cutting-edge networking solutions, and empowering development teams to ship with confidence. If you thrive in technical environments and love solving complex platform challenges, we want to hear from you.

What You’ll Do

Cluster Operations & Administration

• Manage the full lifecycle of Kubernetes clusters (on-premises K3s/RKE2, GKE, and EKS), including upgrades, security patching, scaling, and capacity planning
• Troubleshoot cluster-level issues including control plane problems, node failures, and resource constraints
• Implement and maintain cluster security hardening based on CIS benchmarks and organizational security policies
• Monitor cluster performance and optimize resource utilization across multi-tenant workloads
• Manage etcd cluster health, backup procedures, and disaster recovery

Networking & Cilium CNI

• Implement, configure, and maintain Cilium CNI across on-premises and cloud Kubernetes environments
• Design and enforce network policies to achieve secure multi-tenant isolation
• Troubleshoot complex pod networking issues including DNS resolution, service discovery, and connectivity
• Configure and maintain BGP peering with physical network infrastructure for on-premises integration
• Collaborate with network engineering on firewall rules, VLANs, IPv6 networking, and architecture

Developer Platform & Enablement

• Contribute to building a next-generation internal developer platform focused on security and development efficiency
• Assist development teams with deploying, configuring, and troubleshooting Kubernetes workloads
• Review application deployment manifests and provide guidance on best practices
• Develop and maintain platform documentation, runbooks, and self-service guides
• Engage with development teams to understand platform needs and evolving requirements

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; 6 years with a Master’s; or equivalent experience
• Demonstrated experience administering Kubernetes on on-premises infrastructure (K3s, RKE2, or similar)
• Experience with cloud-managed Kubernetes (GKE and/or EKS)
• Strong understanding of Linux networking fundamentals: iptables/nftables, routing, DNS, TCP/IP
• Experience with GitOps methodologies and tools such as ArgoCD or Flux
• Proficiency in scripting and automation: Bash, Python, Go
• Cilium CNI or equivalent production networking experience
• Understanding of Kubernetes security best practices including Pod Security Standards, RBAC, and secrets management
• GCP and/or AWS cloud platform experience
• Strong collaboration and communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Go programming experience for operator maintenance and platform tooling development
• CKA (Certified Kubernetes Administrator) or CKS (Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist) certification
• Background in BGP routing protocols and network engineering
• IPv6 networking experience
• Infrastructure as Code experience with Terraform or Ansible
• Experience with internal developer platform tools such as Backstage
• Experience with service mesh technologies (Istio, Linkerd)
• Familiarity with GitHub and GitLab workflows and code review practices

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