Sr Lead Kubernetes Platform Engineer

Coupa; Kraków; On-site; PLN 350,000 - 520,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Global Wellness Days

Birthday Time-Off

Volunteer Time Off (VTO)

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Travel Protection

Job summary

Coupa is seeking a Sr Lead Kubernetes Engineer in Kraków to architect and scale enterprise Kubernetes infrastructure, champion automation, and lead cost-aware cloud operations. You will drive IaC, observability, and platform resilience while mentoring engineers across disciplines.

You will partner with Cloud Engineering and FinOps to reduce toil and optimize resources, delivering highly available services to Coupa’s global customers.

Qualifications

• 7-10 years + proven experience as a Principal or Lead Platform Engineer managing Kubernetes at a massive enterprise scale.
• 5+ years experience implementing, designing and maintaining Kubernetes clusters.
• Hands-on experience with intelligent resource automation platforms and automated scaling tools like Karpenter or Cluster Autoscaler.
• Strong understanding of FinOps and cost-avoidance in cloud environments.
• Good networking knowledge and IaC expertise (Terraform/OpenTofu).
• Deep mastery of AWS, GCP or Azure and containerization tech.
• Excellent cross-functional communication aligning tech with business goals.

Responsibilities

• Architect, manage, and scale our enterprise Kubernetes infrastructure for availability and performance across many clusters.
• Lead automated workload optimization to reduce manual toil and tuning.
• Develop and extend intelligent resource automation platforms for sizing and placement.
• Collaborate with Cloud Engineering, FinOps, and Finance to drive cost efficiency and alignment.
• Design IaC and observability tools for the Kubernetes ecosystem.
• Mentor senior and junior engineers to uphold technical excellence and security.

Skills

Kubernetes leadership

FinOps

Cloud cost optimization

Cross-functional communication

Mentoring

IaC

Observability

Networking understanding

Tools

Karpenter

Cluster Autoscaler

Terraform/OpenTofu

AWS

GCP

Azure

Job description

Coupa makes margins multiply through its community-generated AI and industry-leading total spend management platform for businesses large and small. Coupa AI is informed by trillions of dollars of direct and indirect spend data across a global network of 10M+ buyers and suppliers. We empower you with the ability to predict, prescribe, and automate smarter, more profitable business decisions to improve operating margins.

Why join Coupa?

• Pioneering Technology: At Coupa, we're at the forefront of innovation, leveraging the latest technology to empower our customers with greater efficiency and visibility in their spend.
• Collaborative Culture: We value collaboration and teamwork, and our culture is driven by transparency, openness, and a shared commitment to excellence.
• Global Impact: Join a company where your work has a global, measurable impact on our clients, the business, and each other.

Learn more on Life at Coupa blog and hear from our employees about their experiences working at Coupa.

The Impact of a Sr Lead Cloud Platform Engineer at Coupa:

As a Sr Lead Kubernetes Engineer, you will be the technical cornerstone for our highly scaled, massively growing cloud environment. You will champion automation by default and apply FinOps principles to ensure efficiency, resilience, and scalable growth across our infrastructure of 140+ clusters. Your architectural vision and hands‑on leadership will directly eliminate manual toil, optimize resource management, and empower Coupa to deliver highly available services to our global customers.

What You'll Do:

• Architect, manage, and scale our enterprise Kubernetes infrastructure to ensure maximum availability and performance across a large fleet of clusters
• Lead the implementation of automated continuous workload optimization, shifting the organization away from manual tuning and human toil
• Manage and extend intelligent resource automation platforms to automate workload sizing, placement, and Karpenter configurations
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Cloud Engineering, FinOps, and Finance teams to drive sustainable cost avoidance and alignment
• Drive the design of robust Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and deep observability tools for the Kubernetes ecosystem
• Mentor senior and junior engineers, setting the standard for technical excellence, platform resilience, and security

What You Will Bring to Coupa:

• 7-10 years + proven experience as a Principal or Lead Platform Engineer managing Kubernetes at a massive enterprise scale.
• 5 years + experience implementing, designing and maintaining Kubernetes clusters
• Deep, hands‑on experience with intelligent resource automation platforms and automated scaling tools like Karpenter or Cluster Autoscaler
• Strong understanding of FinOps principles and a track record of driving cost-avoidance strategies in cloud-native environments
• A good understanding of networking
• Expertise in Infrastructure as Code (e.g., Terraform or OpenTofu)
• Deep technical mastery of AWS or GCP or Azure cloud services and containerization technologies.
• Exceptional cross‑functional communication skills to align complex technical initiatives with business goals

At Coupa, we are 100% committed to creating and nurturing an environment that supports your physical, mental, and community well‑being . We offer a comprehensive suite of benefits designed to help you and your family thrive:

Global Well-Being Perks (For All Employees Globally)

• Global Wellness Days: Enjoy two designated, company‑wide paid wellness days off each year (typically the first Friday in March and the last Friday in September) so the entire global team can unplug, step away, and recharge together
• Birthday Time‑Off: Celebrate your day! Coupa provides a paid day off on your birthday or another day of your choice within your birthday month
• Volunteer Time Off (VTO): Giving back is in our DNA. We offer 40 hours of paid VTO annually to support the community initiatives and volunteer programs you are passionate about
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Access free, confidential, 24/7/365 counseling and resources for emotional support, work‑life solutions, financial advice, legal guidance, and support for new parents
• Business Travel Protection: Travel with peace of mind. Zurich Travel Assist provides medical, safety, pre‑trip planning, and emergency support during any business travel
• Referral Bonus Program: Share the Coupa experience! Receive generous monetary referral bonuses when you successfully refer talented friends or acquaintances who are hired into open roles

Please note: In addition to these global well‑being perks, Coupa offers highly competitive, location‑specific benefits packages (which include comprehensive medical/dental insurance, retirement/pension plans, and life or accident protection) tailored to your primary work location. Your recruiter will walk you through the specific regional benefits package for this role during the interview process.

Coupa complies with relevant laws and regulations regarding equal opportunity and offers a welcoming and inclusive work environment. Decisions related to hiring, compensation, training, or evaluating performance are made fairly, and we provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified candidates and employees.

Please be advised that inquiries or resumes from recruiters will not be accepted.

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We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

The successful candidate’s starting salary will be determined based on permissible, non‑discriminatory factors such as skills, experience, and geographic location within the state.