Kubernetes Database Reliability Engineer

International Committee of the Red Cross - ICRC; Genf; On-site; CHF 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva seeks an experienced Kubernetes Database Reliability Engineer to modernize its database ecosystem by migrating from virtual machines to Kubernetes containers. You will design the target architecture, implement GitOps-based delivery with Helm and Kustomize, and manage containerized databases across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

The role supports global digital services and field humanitarian applications, sets standards, leads a

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science or related field.
• 10+ years of relevant work experience, including 5+ years in a similar role.
• Kubernetes certification (CKA/CKAD/CKS) or equivalent experience.
• Database certification or equivalent experience.
• ITIL, DevOps or Agile (SAFe) certification is an asset.
• Experience in a complex, diverse international environment is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Own lifecycle of containerized databases in Kubernetes clusters from design to decommissioning.
• Design and test backup, restore, and disaster recovery strategies with object storage targets.
• Deploy and operate Kubernetes database operators and define standards.
• Build reusable Helm charts and Kustomize overlays for multi-environment provisioning.
• Automate provisioning and delivery of database workloads with GitOps, Ansible and CI/CD.
• Apply security standards including RBAC, secrets, encryption, and compliance.
• Support open-source DB operations across hybrid environments for HA and security.
• Support observability stack: monitoring (Prometheus, Grafana), logging, and OpenTelemetry.

Skills

PostgreSQL

MongoDB

Linux

Kubernetes

High availability

Backup & DR

Bash/Shell

Ansible

Python

Go

Argo CD

Helm

Kustomize

GitOps

Open-source databases

Incident troubleshooting

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science or related field

10+ years of relevant work experience, including 5+ years in a similar position

Kubernetes certification (CKA, CKAD or CKS) or equivalent experience

Database certification or equivalent experience

ITIL, DevOps or Agile (SAFe) certification is an asset

Experience in a complex and diverse international environment is an asset

Tools

CloudNativePG

MongoDB Operators

Argo CD

Helm

Kustomize

Open-source database tooling

Job description

About The ICRC

Since 1863, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has worked to preserve human dignity and relieve suffering caused by war and armed violence.

About The ICRC

Since 1863, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has worked to preserve human dignity and relieve suffering caused by war and armed violence. In collaboration with our Red Cross and Red Crescent partners around the world, we do everything we can to deliver life-saving aid, reconnect families and locate missing people - helping those who need it most, regardless of who they are and what side of the front line they are on. We engage with authorities and armed forces on all sides, often confidentially, pressing for access to detainees to improve their living conditions and urging compliance with international humanitarian law to protect non-combatants, including from digital threats.

Purpose of the Role

The ICRC is seeking an experienced Kubernetes Database Reliability Engineer (Kubernetes & Open-Source Databases) to modernize its database ecosystem by moving databases from traditional virtual machines to containers on Kubernetes. This transformation will improve the availability and security of the ICRC's database services and make them easier to automate and faster to deliver, in support of the ICRC's mandate to protect and assist people affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence.

The role involves designing the target architecture, building GitOps-based delivery with Helm and Kustomize and managing the lifecycle of containerized databases across hybrid and multi-cloud environments, both on-premises and in the cloud. These databases support global digital services as well as field-facing humanitarian applications deployed in some of the most operationally demanding settings. The role also sets standards, leads a platform and works closely with application teams to ensure workloads run reliably.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

• Own the lifecycle of containerized databases in the ICRC's Kubernetes clusters for engines such as PostgreSQL and MongoDB, from design and provisioning to upgrades, migrations and decommissioning, both on-premises and in the cloud.
• Design and test backup, restore, point-in-time recovery and disaster recovery strategies, including object storage targets, and run regular recovery exercises.
• Deploy and operate Kubernetes database operators (e.g. CloudNativePG, MongoDB operators) and define standards for their use.
• Build reusable, versioned Helm charts and Kustomize overlays to provision databases consistently across environments and clusters.
• Automate the provisioning and delivery of database workloads using GitOps, Ansible and CI/CD pipelines.
• Apply security standards, including RBAC, network policies, secrets management, encryption in transit and at rest, image scanning and pod security standards, and ensure compliance with ICRC policies and data protection regulations.
• Support open-source database operations across hybrid environments to ensure high availability, integrity, performance and security.
• Support the observability stack, covering monitoring of database clusters and workloads (Prometheus, Grafana), logging and distributed tracing (OpenTelemetry).

Education & Professional Background

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science or a related field.
• Minimum 10 years of relevant work experience, including 5 years in a similar position.
• Kubernetes certification (CKA, CKAD or CKS) or equivalent experience is desirable.
• Database certification or equivalent experience.
• ITIL, DevOps or Agile (e.g. SAFe) certification is an asset.
• Experience in a complex and diverse international environment is an asset.

Desired Profile & Skills

Technical skills

• Experience operating databases such as PostgreSQL and MongoDB on Linux and Kubernetes, including high availability, replication, backup/restore and disaster recovery.
• Advanced knowledge of Linux systems and understanding of Kubernetes cluster architecture, including the control plane and API server, networking (CNI) and storage (CSI).
• Strong scripting and automation skills (Bash/Shell, Ansible, Azure DevOps pipelines), with proficiency in Python or Go for platform tooling and custom controller development.
• GitOps mindset and hands‑on experience with Argo CD, Helm and Kustomize.
• Proven ability to troubleshoot complex production incidents.

Non-technical skills

• Knowledge of data privacy regulations.
• Strong English, written and spoken, is required. French is an asset.

Additional Information

• Location: Geneva, Switzerland
• Type of Contract: Open-ended
• Length of Assignment: Long term assignment
• Activity Rate: 100%
• Start date: January 2027
• Application deadline: Thursday, 19 November 2026

Please note that the finalization of this recruitment is subject to the validation of the 2027 PfR.

The ICRC values diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates.

Our Values

At the ICRC, we value impact, collaboration, respect, and compassion. We seek candidates who demonstrate behaviors based on these shared values. For more information on the ICRC values, please visit this page.