Senior Linux Kubernetes Engineer

***We are unable to sponsor for this permanent full-time role***

***Position is Bonus eligible***

Prestigious Financial Institution is currently seeking a Linux Systems Platform Engineer with strong Kubernetes experience. Candidate will be responsible for managing and improving our highly automated Linux-based systems and platforms while supporting our broader technology infrastructure with a focus on automation. You'll be working collaboratively with our technology and operations teams to ensure the highest levels of system performance, security, and availability.

Responsibilities:

• Managing and improving our Linux-based infrastructure with a focus on performance, reliability, and scalability.
• Designing, deploying, and maintaining on-premises Kubernetes clusters and containerized workloads.
• Developing and maintaining system-level software, middleware, and APIs to support internal platforms and services.
• Automating system workflows and infrastructure tasks using Python, Bash, and configuration management tools like SaltStack.
• Building and maintaining RPM packages and internal software repositories.
• Collaborating with Application Support (SRE), Development, and Security teams to ensure secure, automated CI/CD and platform integration.
• Diagnosing and resolving complex system-level issues involving the OS, network, or container runtime.
• Implementing hardened security configurations, including system hardening, secure communications, and identity/access integration.
• Participating in an on-call rotation to support critical infrastructure services.
• Documenting architectures, tools, and operational processes to support long-term maintainability.

Qualifications:

• 5+ years of experience in Linux systems administration and infrastructure/platform engineering.
• Production experience managing Kubernetes, preferably in bare-metal or on-premises environments (e.g., with kubeadm, RKE, or OpenShift).
• Hands-on experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure or Google Cloud Platform) in production environments.
• Strong scripting and automation skills in Python and Bash.
• In-depth knowledge of Linux internals, kernel tuning, and performance diagnostics.
• Hands-on experience with SaltStack (preferred), Puppet, or Ansible for configuration management.
• Familiarity with observability tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, or Loki.
• Solid understanding of core infrastructure protocols and services (TCP/IP, DNS, NTP/PTP, DHCP, etc.).
• Experience managing CI/CD pipelines with tools such as Jenkins, GitLab, or similar.
• Strong troubleshooting skills and a proactive approach to problem-solving.

Preferred Experience:

• Certifications such as RHCE or LFCE.
• Experience with container runtimes (containerd, Docker) and registry management.
• Knowledge of GitOps workflows or tools like ArgoCD or Flux.
• Background in security best practices and compliance (e.g., CIS benchmarks, STIGs).
• Prior experience in highly regulated or low-latency environments.