Kubernetes Platform Engineer

Berkeley, CA

Contracted

Experienced

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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How many years of hands-on Kubernetes experience do you have, and which distributions have you worked with (e.g., K3s, RKE2, GKE, EKS)?*

Do you have production experience with Cilium CNI or a comparable container networking solution?*

Are you proficient in scripting and automation using Bash, Python, or Go?*

Do you have experience with GitOps methodologies and tools such as ArgoCD or Flux?*

Are you available for a 1-year contract role and comfortable working hybrid/remote in the Berkeley, CA area at $100/hour?*

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