Kubernetes Platforms Principal Architect

Requisition Id 17094

Overview:

The National Center for Computational Sciences (NCCS) at Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL), which hosts several of the world's most powerful computer systems, is seeking highly qualified individuals to play a key role in improving the security, performance, and reliability of the NCCS computing infrastructure which supports multiple highly ranked Top500 Supercomputers, including the world's first exaflop system, Frontier.

The Team:

The HPC Platforms design, manage, and operate Kubernetes clusters that support our supercomputing center's mission. Our primary platform is the OLCF Slate Service, a container orchestration platform built on Rancher Kubernetes Engine 2 (RKE2). Slate hosts critical operational services and user-managed persistent applications that are deployed alongside and integrated with OLCF supercomputing systems and other OLCF-managed HPC clusters.

The Role:

As a Kubernetes Platform Principal Engineer / Architect and Technical Lead, you will architect, implement, and maintain the infrastructure underpinning our on-premises Kubernetes clusters, with a strong focus on scalability, reliability, and maintainability. You will lead the technical direction of our platform engineering initiatives, evaluate and integrate key technologies, and mentor a team of engineers to deliver a robust internal platform that powers development across the organization.

Major Duties/Responsibilities:

• Platform Architecture & Implementation

• Lead the architecture, design, implementation, and lifecycle management of on-premises Kubernetes (RKE2) clusters.

• Evaluate, select, integrate, and standardize core platform components for networking, CI/CD, operating-system management, service mesh, and Kubernetes operators. Observability services are owned by a dedicated SRE sub-team, this role will ensure platform components integrate effectively with those services.

• Build and maintain test environments to evaluate candidate technologies for performance, functionality, operational reliability, and maintainability, particularly where integration with on-premises hardware and operating-system requirements is critical.

• Lead cluster upgrade strategy and execution, security hardening, scalability planning, and integration with monitoring and observability services.

• Infrastructure as Code (IaC) & Tooling

• Develop and maintain infrastructure, configuration, and deployment automation using technologies such as Argo CD and GitOps workflows, Puppet, Go, Python, Bash, and GitLab CI.

• Establish and promote reusable automation patterns, configuration standards, and engineering practices for operating Kubernetes clusters at scale.

• Support adoption and effective use of internally developed Kubernetes operators and serve as a secondary maintainer for designated controllers.

• Internal Developer Platform & Enablement

• Collaborate on the design and delivery of a next-generation internal developer platform, informed by capabilities offered by tools such as Backstage and AWS Proton, to improve developer productivity, platform consistency, and security.

• Partner with the cybersecurity team to define secure container-image baselines and automate image and golden base image workflows.

• Engage with development teams to understand platform needs and tailor the cluster experience to meet evolving requirements.

• Technical Leadership & Mentorship

• Provide architectural guidance, code reviews, and pair programming support to a team of 8-12 engineers.

• Mentor engineers in Kubernetes, platform engineering, automation, and operational best practices.

• Contribute to onboarding, team documentation, and process improvement initiatives.

• Serve as a primary technical resource for Kubernetes platform architecture, operations, and engineering practices across the organization.

• Collaboration

• Partner with cybersecurity, SRE, and development teams to ensure the platform meets security, compliance, reliability, and usability requirements.

• Lead or contribute to cross-functional initiatives involving platform enhancements, cluster lifecycle automation, and service integration.

• Represent the HPC Platforms team in engagements with vendors and internal and external collaborators and partners.

What Sets This Role Apart

• Provide hands-on technical leadership for the full lifecycle of on-premises Kubernetes infrastructure, from operating-system and hardware integration through cluster services and deployment automation.
• Shape a platform centric engineering approach that balances security, developer experience, reliability, and operational scalability.
• Strong mentorship and team enablement focus; guiding engineers while staying hands-on with operations, architecture, and implementation.

Basic Qualifications:

• BS degree in computer science or related field and a minimum of 8 years of platforms engineering experience. At least 5 years of Kubernetes experience. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
• Demonstrated experience designing, implementing and operating highly available Kubernetes platforms or services in mission critical production environments.
• Strong knowledge of Linux(RHEL)/UNIX system fundamentals, including experience managing Linux-based operating systems in heterogeneous environments.
• Strong understanding of networking principles and common network protocols, including Linux and Kubernetes networking.
• Experience developing and maintaining automation, infrastructure, configuration-management, or deployment tooling using Bash and one or more high-level languages, such as Python or Go.
• Experience with infrastructure-as-code, automated configuration management, and CI/CD or GitOps practices, using tools such as Puppet, Ansible, GitLab CI, Argo CD, or comparable technologies.
• Ability to identify technical requirements; define, plan, and implement effective solutions; and independently prioritize and complete complex projects.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and technical leadership skills, including the ability to provide design guidance, code reviews, and mentorship to other engineers.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience operating Kubernetes platforms in on-premises, bare metal, or HPC environments.
• Experience with Rancher Kubernetes Engine 2 (RKE2), Helm, Kubernetes operators/controllers, service-mesh technologies, and GitOps-based deployment workflows.
• Experience implementing systems-level security controls, such as SELinux, and applying container, operating-system, and Kubernetes security best practices.
• Experience with secure container image pipelines, image hardening, vulnerability remediation, and base/golden image lifecycle management.
• Experience contributing to open-source communities, including contributions or patches accepted upstream.
• Experience supporting internal developer platforms or developer self-service capabilities.
• Experience supporting large-scale scientific computing, high-performance computing, or research computing environments.

Special Requirements:

• Visa sponsorship: Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
• Security, Credentialing, and Eligibility Requirements: Q Clearance: This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a clearance from the Department of Energy. As such, this position is a Workplace Substance Abuse (WSAP) testing designated position. WSAP positions require passing a pre-placement drug test and participation in an ongoing random drug testing program.

About ORNL:

As a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science national laboratory, ORNL has an impressive 80-year legacy of addressing the nation's most pressing challenges. Our team is made up of over 7,000 dedicated and innovative individuals! Our goal is to create an environment where a variety of perspectives and backgrounds are valued, ensuring ORNL is known as a top choice for employment. These principles are essential for supporting our broader mission to drive scientific breakthroughs and translate them into solutions for energy, environmental, and security challenges facing the nation.

ORNL offers competitive pay and benefits programs to attract and retain individuals who demonstrate exceptional work behaviors. The laboratory provides a range of employee benefits, including medical and retirement plans and flexible work hours, to support the well-being of you and your family. Employee amenities such as on-site fitness, banking, and cafeteria facilities are also available for added convenience.

Other benefits include the following: Prescription Drug Plan, Dental Plan, Vision Plan, 401(k) Retirement Plan, Contributory Pension Plan, Life Insurance, Disability Benefits, Generous Vacation and Holidays, Parental Leave, Legal Insurance with Identity Theft Protection, Employee Assistance Plan, Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Accounts, Wellness Programs, Educational Assistance, Relocation Assistance, and Employee Discounts.

This position will remain open for a minimum of 5 days after which it will close when a qualified candidate is identified and/or hired.

We accept Word (.doc, .docx), Adobe (unsecured .pdf), Rich Text Format (.rtf), and HTML (.htm, .html) up to 5MB in size. Resumes from third party vendors will not be accepted; these resumes will be deleted and the candidates submitted will not be considered for employment.

If you have trouble applying for a position, please email ORNLRecruiting@ornl.gov.

ORNL is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants, including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans, are encouraged to apply. UT-Battelle is an E-Verify employer.