Senior VKS / Tanzu Kubernetes /DevOps Engineer
Seattle WA (Hybrid)
06+ months Contract to hire
Job Overview
Position Responsibilities:
As a Senior SRE/DevOps Engineer, you will play a key role in the delivery and ongoing enhancement of cloud-native platforms built on VMware Tanzu Kubernetes (VKS). You will be responsible for designing, deploying, and automating scalable infrastructure with a focus on GitOps best practices. Your hands-on knowledge of VMware/vSphere 8, NSX networking, and infrastructure as code is essential to success in this role. While this is a primarily infrastructure-focused position, you will also offer occasional guidance to application development teams on Kubernetes best practices, contributing to a culture where infrastructure is treated as code and automation is paramount.
Key responsibilities include:
Build, deploy, and manage infrastructure on Kubernetes, specifically the VMware Tanzu Kubernetes (VKS) platform.
Leverage foundational VMware/vSphere 8 knowledge to implement robust and scalable solutions, especially as they pertain to NSX-based networking and network virtualization in the context of container orchestration.
Adopt, enforce, and mature end-to-end GitOps workflows, leveraging industry-standard tools and methodologies across the team.
Author and maintain automation using Terraform and Ansible, ensuring rapid, reliable, and auditable platform provisioning and changes.
Utilize Python and shell scripting for custom automation, system management, and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) processes.
Support GitHub-driven CI/CD pipelines, employing tools such as GitHub Actions, Flux, or Argo CD to deliver high-quality, repeatable deployments.
Provide technical recommendations to developers and application owners regarding Kubernetes usage, deployment patterns, and best practices when engaged.
Contribute to the ongoing documentation and evolution of infrastructure standards, reference implementations, and operational practices.
Participate primarily in deep technical, hands-on, heads-down project work within the infrastructure team, with some cross-team collaboration as needed.
Essential Skills, Experience
Direct, hands-on experience with Kubernetes (VKS/VMware Tanzu): Functional knowledge of vanilla Kubernetes is insufficient. Candidates must demonstrate practical expertise specifically with VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid and VMware Kubernetes Service (VKS).
VMware/vSphere 8: Solid foundational knowledge is required, especially regarding integration with VMware NSX network virtualization. Familiarity with container networking in this environment is crucial.
GitOps: Demonstrable experience implementing and operating infrastructure and configuration management through GitOps methodologies (e.g., using GitHub). All infrastructure must be sourced, versioned, and managed as code.
Infrastructure as Code: Strong proficiency with both Terraform and Ansible for provisioning and configuration tasks.
Programming and Scripting: Proficiency in Python and shell scripting for automating routine platform and infrastructure tasks; YAML fluency is expected.
CI/CD: Working knowledge of pipeline operation and configuration, including GitHub Actions, Flux, or Argo CD.
Documentation: Ability to author clear infrastructure standards, playbooks, and best practices.
Collaboration: Comfortable supporting application teams on platform-related best practices when needed, yet equally effective in an independent, heads-down technical role.
Bonus: Experience with the Carvel ecosystem is advantageous but not essential.
Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent experiential background.
5+ years of experience in DevOps, SRE, or cloud infrastructure engineering roles.
Relevant certifications in Kubernetes (CKA/CKAD), VMware, or Terraform are a plus.
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