Lead Kubernetes Platform Engineer

Think Systems, Inc.

$120K — $145K *
Information Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in a related field; equivalent experience accepted
  • 9+ years in platform or infrastructure engineering
  • 6+ years in supporting cloud platforms
  • Strong expertise in Kubernetes and Docker
  • Experience in cloud infrastructure design on Azure, AWS, or GCP
  • Proficient in Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
  • Advanced scripting skills in Python, PowerShell, or Bash

Responsibilities

  • Define platform engineering standards and best practices
  • Establish strategic infrastructure priorities
  • Evaluate architectural designs for security and scalability
  • Lead deployment and management of cloud infrastructures
  • Drive infrastructure automation for operational efficiency
  • Champion DevOps practices across teams
  • Identify and mitigate security risks in platforms

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health and wellness package
  • Opportunity for professional development and certifications
  • Collaborative work environment with cross-functional teams
  • Access to emerging technologies and innovative projects
  • Support for relocation to the Cleveland area within 6 months
Full Job Description
Overview
We are seeking a highly experienced Lead Kubernetes Platform Engineer to lead the strategy, design, and evolution of enterprise platform infrastructure. This role will be responsible for establishing platform engineering standards, driving operational excellence, and ensuring the reliability, scalability, and security of critical technology environments.

The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise across cloud platforms, infrastructure automation, container orchestration, observability, and DevOps practices. This individual will partner closely with engineering, security, and architecture teams to deliver resilient and high-performing infrastructure solutions that enable business growth and innovation. This role combines hands-on technical leadership with strategic planning and cross-functional collaboration.

Location Requirement
This position requires working on-site five (5) days per week in Cleveland, Ohio.
Candidates who are not currently located in the Cleveland area may be considered on a contract basis initially. The expectation is that the selected individual will relocate to the Cleveland metropolitan area within six (6) months to transition into a permanent full-time role.

Key Responsibilities
Platform Strategy & Architecture
  • Define and maintain enterprise platform engineering standards, roadmaps, and best practices.
  • Establish strategic priorities for infrastructure, platform services, and operational capabilities aligned with organizational objectives.
  • Evaluate architectural designs and provide guidance on scalability, resilience, maintainability, and security.
  • Partner with technology leaders to guide long-term infrastructure investments and modernization initiatives.
Infrastructure & Cloud Operations
  • Lead the design, deployment, and ongoing management of cloud and hybrid infrastructure environments.
  • Ensure platform services maintain high levels of availability, performance, and operational efficiency.
  • Drive infrastructure automation initiatives to improve reliability and reduce manual operational effort.
  • Establish and maintain disaster recovery, backup, and business continuity capabilities.
DevOps & Platform Enablement
  • Champion DevOps practices and platform engineering principles across technology teams.
  • Enhance deployment pipelines, automation frameworks, and infrastructure-as-code capabilities.
  • Oversee platform services that support continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) workflows.
  • Enable development teams through self-service infrastructure and automated provisioning capabilities.
Security & Compliance
  • Identify infrastructure and platform security risks and proactively implement mitigation strategies.
  • Develop and maintain security, resiliency, and compliance standards for infrastructure environments.
  • Partner with cybersecurity teams to ensure adherence to regulatory and organizational security requirements.
  • Promote a culture of security-first engineering practices.
Leadership & Collaboration
  • Lead cross-functional initiatives involving engineering, operations, architecture, and security teams.
  • Foster collaboration across technical teams to support successful delivery of new services and capabilities.
  • Provide technical mentorship and guidance to engineers and platform specialists.
  • Manage vendor relationships and evaluate emerging technologies to enhance platform capabilities.
Required Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related discipline.
    • Equivalent experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
  • 9+ years of experience in platform engineering, infrastructure engineering, cloud engineering, DevOps, or related technical disciplines.
  • 6+ years of experience supporting enterprise infrastructure and cloud platforms.
  • Strong experience with containerization and orchestration technologies such as Kubernetes, Docker, and enterprise container platforms.
  • Experience designing, implementing, and operating cloud-based infrastructure in Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud Platform.
  • Deep expertise in infrastructure automation and Infrastructure as Code (IaC).
  • Advanced scripting and automation experience using tools such as Python, PowerShell, or Bash.
  • Experience supporting highly available, mission-critical production environments.
  • Proven success developing backup, disaster recovery, and resiliency strategies.
  • Strong knowledge of monitoring, observability, and log management solutions.
Preferred Qualifications
  • Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), AWS Certified DevOps Engineer, or comparable certifications.
  • Experience managing enterprise Kubernetes environments and platform services.
  • Expertise with modern GitOps deployment methodologies and tools.
  • Experience with observability platforms, centralized logging, metrics collection, and vulnerability monitoring solutions.
  • Familiarity with secrets management, certificate lifecycle management, ingress technologies, and platform runtime services.
  • Experience supporting large-scale enterprise cloud transformation initiatives.
Technical Skills
  • Cloud Infrastructure & Architecture
  • Kubernetes & Container Platforms
  • Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Ansible, etc.)
  • DevOps & CI/CD Practices
  • Systems Administration & Operating Systems
  • Networking & Infrastructure Services
  • Monitoring, Logging & Observability
  • Security & Compliance
  • Automation & Scripting
  • Platform Reliability & Performance Engineering
Additional Information
  • Travel up to 5% may be required.
  • Employment is contingent upon successful completion of applicable background screening requirements.
  • Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without current or future visa sponsorship requirements.

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