Kubernetes Platform Engineer

Xcel Engineering; Oak Ridge (TN); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

XCEL Engineering is seeking a Kubernetes Platform Engineer to design, implement, and maintain our on‑premises and cloud Kubernetes infrastructure with a focus on scalability, reliability, and maintainability.

You will lead platform initiatives, evaluate technologies, and deliver an internal platform that powers development across the organization. The role requires strong Kubernetes expertise and collaboration across teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in computer science or closely related field with 8+ years as a Platforms engineer.
• The ability to obtain and maintain a Department of Energy 'Q' clearance is required. This requires US Citizenship.
• Typically requires a minimum of 8 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree; or 6 years and a Master's degree; or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrated experience administering Kubernetes on on-premises infrastructure (K3s, RKE2, or similar bare-metal distributions).
• Experience with cloud-managed Kubernetes (GKE and/or EKS).
• Strong understanding of Linux networking fundamentals: iptables/nftables, routing tables, DNS, TCP/IP stack, network troubleshooting.
• Experience with GitOps methodologies and tools such as ArgoCD or Flux.
• Proficiency in scripting and automation: Bash, Python, Go.
• Cilium CNI or equivalent production experience.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and communicate technical concepts clearly.
• Understanding of Kubernetes security best practices including Pod Security Standards, RBAC, and secrets management.
• GCP (Google Cloud Platform) and/or AWS (Amazon Web Services) cloud platform experience.

Responsibilities

• Manage the full lifecycle of Kubernetes clusters (on-premises K3s/RKE2, GKE, and EKS), including upgrades, security patching, scaling, and capacity planning.
• Troubleshoot cluster-level issues including control plane problems, node failures, and resource constraints.
• Implement and maintain cluster security hardening based on CIS benchmarks and organizational security policies.
• Manage etcd cluster health, backup procedures, and disaster recovery capabilities.
• Monitor cluster performance and optimize resource utilization across multi-tenant workloads.
• Coordinate with datacenter operations team for physical infrastructure changes and maintenance windows.
• Implement, configure, and maintain Cilium CNI across on-premises and cloud Kubernetes environments.
• Design and enforce network policies to achieve secure multi-tenant isolation.
• Troubleshoot complex pod networking issues including DNS resolution, service discovery, and connectivity problems.
• Configure and maintain BGP peering with physical network infrastructure for on-premises integration.

Skills

Kubernetes

Security hardening

Linux networking

GitOps

Scripting

Go

GKE

EKS

Education

Bachelor's Degree in CS or closely related field

Tools

K3s

RKE2

Terraform

Ansible

ArgoCD

Flux

Backstage

Istio

Linkerd

Job description

Company Overview

XCEL Engineering, Inc. is an award-winning small business that provides trusted information technology, engineering, consulting and project management solutions and services to federal agencies and organizations. Originally founded in 1971 by professional engineers at the University of Tennessee, XCEL was acquired in 2003 by U.S. Army and Navy veterans and in 2023 became a MartinFed company.

Company Overview

XCEL Engineering, Inc. is an award-winning small business that provides trusted information technology, engineering, consulting and project management solutions and services to federal agencies and organizations. Originally founded in 1971 by professional engineers at the University of Tennessee, XCEL was acquired in 2003 by U.S. Army and Navy veterans and in 2023 became a MartinFed company. XCEL Engineering is a part of IT Lab Partners (ITLP) which was created to support a leading research facility in the East Tennessee region in recruiting the best and the brightest technical talent. Considering joining our impressive team today!

Job Overview

XCEL Engineering is seeking a qualified applicant for a Kubernetes Platform Engineer. As a Platform Engineer, you will implement, and maintain the infrastructure underpinning our on-premises Kubernetes clusters, with a strong focus on scalability, reliability, and maintainability. You will lead the technical direction of our platform engineering initiatives, evaluate and integrate key technologies, and deliver a robust internal platform that powers development across the organization.

Essential Functions

Cluster Operations & Administration

• Manage the full lifecycle of Kubernetes clusters (on-premises K3s/RKE2, GKE, and EKS), including upgrades, security patching, scaling, and capacity planning
• Troubleshoot cluster-level issues including control plane problems, node failures, and resource constraints
• Implement and maintain cluster security hardening based on CIS benchmarks and organizational security policies
• Manage etcd cluster health, backup procedures, and disaster recovery capabilities
• Monitor cluster performance and optimize resource utilization across multi-tenant workloads
• Coordinate with datacenter operations team for physical infrastructure changes and maintenance windows

Networking & Cilium CNI

• Implement, configure, and maintain Cilium CNI across on-premises and cloud Kubernetes environments,
• Design and enforce network policies to achieve secure multi-tenant isolation.
• Troubleshoot complex pod networking issues including DNS resolution, service discovery, and connectivity problems.
• Configure and maintain BGP peering with physical network infrastructure for on-premises integration.
• Work with network engineering team on firewall rules, VLANs, IPv6 networking, and network architecture.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in computer science or closely related field and a minimum of 8 years as a Platforms engineer. At least 5 years of Kubernetes experience. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
• The ability to obtain and maintain a Department of Energy "Q" clearance is required. This requires US Citizenship.
• Typically requires a minimum of 8 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree; or 6 years and a Master's degree; or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrated experience administering Kubernetes on on-premises infrastructure (K3s, RKE2, or similar bare-metal distributions).
• Experience with cloud-managed Kubernetes (GKE and/or EKS).
• Strong understanding of Linux networking fundamentals: iptables/nftables, routing tables, DNS, TCP/IP stack, network troubleshooting.
• Experience with GitOps methodologies and tools such as ArgoCD or Flux.
• Proficiency in scripting and automation: Bash, Python, Go.
• Cilium CNI or equivalent production experience.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and communicate technical concepts clearly.
• Understanding of Kubernetes security best practices including Pod Security Standards, RBAC, and secrets management.
• GCP (Google Cloud Platform) and/or AWS (Amazon Web Services) cloud platform experience.

Desired Qualifications

• Go programming experience for operator maintenance and platform tooling development.
• CKA (Certified Kubernetes Administrator) or CKS (Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist) certification.
• Background in BGP routing protocols and network engineering concepts.
• IPv6 networking experience.
• Infrastructure as Code experience with Terraform or Ansible.
• Experience with internal developer platform (IDP) tools such as Backstage or similar.
• Experience with service mesh technologies (Istio, Linkerd).
• Excellent understanding of code review and familiarity with GitHub and GitLab workflows.

Physical Requirements & Environmental Conditions

• Inside office environment.
• Working on a computer for long periods of time.
• May involve long period of sitting at a desk.
• The work environment is fast-paced and sometimes involves extreme deadline pressures.

Other Duties

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Xcel Engineering is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, religious creed, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, transgender, pregnancy, marital status, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability, protected Veteran Status, genetics or any other characteristics protected by applicable federal, state or local law.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or disabled veteran, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access Xcel Engineering's current openings as a result of your disability. You can request reasonable accommodations by calling 855.212.1810. Thank you for your interest in Xcel Engineering.

All positions at Xcel Engineering, Inc. are contingent upon passing both a background check and drug screening prior to a start date and are subject to random drug screenings during the employment period. In addition, Xcel Engineering is an E-Verify employer.