Senior Kubernetes Platform Engineer

Job Description Job Description Job Title: Senior Kubernetes Platform Engineer
Location: Washington, DC (On-site)
Employment Type: Contract (W2 through ZipStaff - No C2C or 1099)
About the Opportunity
ZipStaff is seeking a Senior Kubernetes Platform Engineer to serve as a primary technical leader responsible for architecting, securing, and scaling multi-cloud Kubernetes infrastructure for a major transportation organization in the Washington, DC area.
You will own platform capabilities end-to-end-driving GitOps automation via ArgoCD, streamlining enterprise CI/CD with GitHub Actions Runner Controller (ARC), and creating seamless developer "golden paths" through hardened IaC modules and progressive delivery pipelines. Operating in a high-standards enterprise setting, you will champion platform reliability, write clear Architectural Decision Records (ADRs), enforce robust security controls, and enable cross-functional engineering teams.
What You'll Do:

• Design, build, and maintain production EKS and AKS platform standards, cluster lifecycles, cross-cloud networking, storage, disaster recovery, and multi-region portability.
• Architect enterprise GitOps deployment patterns using ArgoCD and implement GitHub Actions Runner Controller (ARC) to automate release workflows, progressive delivery (canary/blue-green), and fail-forward/rollback mechanisms.
• Establish enterprise RBAC, Network Policies, Pod Security Standards, and Kyverno or Gatekeeper policy enforcement; manage secret standards and automate release evidence capture for compliance.
• Publish hardened base container images and reusable, golden Terraform modules to provide self-service platform capabilities and reduce cognitive load for application developers.
• Define SLOs, error budgets, and central monitoring standards while integrating automated quality gates, security scans, and pre-production performance/chaos testing into CI/CD pipelines.
• Own platform capabilities through their full lifecycle, mentor engineering teams on modern cloud-native practices, and author Architectural Decision Records (ADRs) to clarify design trade-offs.

Required Qualifications:

• 7+ years in DevOps, SRE, or Infrastructure/Platform Engineering, with at least 5+ years dedicated strictly to Kubernetes platform engineering at scale.
• Deep hands-on experience with Kubernetes, AWS EKS, Azure AKS, ArgoCD, GitHub ARC, Terraform, and GitOps methodologies.
• Proven background configuring cloud networking, ingress controllers, RBAC, network policies, and policy-as-code frameworks (Kyverno, OPA/Gatekeeper).
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• Ability to work on-site in Washington, DC.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS), or AWS/Azure Cloud Certifications.
• Service Mesh experience (Istio/Linkerd).
• Experience with Backstage IDP or similar internal developer platforms.
• Prior background working in highly regulated or enterprise environments.
• Experience supporting transportation or mission-critical systems.

Benefits:

• Health Insurance.
• Dental Insurance.
• Vision Insurance.
• 401(k) + 401(k) matching.
• Paid time off.
• Referral Program.

About ZipStaff
ZipStaff partners with leading organizations to connect skilled technology professionals with high-impact contract opportunities. We focus on quality matches, clear communication, and long-term success for candidates and clients.
To apply, submit your resume highlighting your Kubernetes platform engineering experience (5+ years at scale), multi-cloud EKS/AKS work, ArgoCD/GitOps, Terraform, and security/policy-as-code background. Pure research or junior experience will not be considered.