Principal DevOps Engineer

Campspot; Grand Rapids (MI); Remote; USD 155,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote-first workplace

Flexible PTO

Employee camping credit

Job summary

Campspot is seeking a hands-on Principal DevOps Engineer to shape our cloud-native future from Grand Rapids. You will lead AWS, Kubernetes, and Terraform-based infrastructure, drive cost optimization, and set standards for deployment, observability, and security.

Bring 8+ years in DevOps, strong leadership, and a passion for enabling engineering teams to ship fast and safely. This remote-first role prioritizes candidates near GR, Denver, or Chicago and those in listed states.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in DevOps, Infrastructure, or SRE with senior/principal exposure.
• Deep AWS experience (EKS, EC2, IAM, VPC, S3).
• Expert Kubernetes in production and Helm for deployments.
• Terraform and Terragrunt proficiency; IaC tooling.
• GitOps workflows with Argo CD; scripting in Bash/Python/Go.
• Strong cost optimization, observability, security, and networking knowledge.
• Excellent communication and leadership mindset.

Responsibilities

• Own Kubernetes platform: design, scale, and secure EKS clusters.
• Standardize deployments with Helm for consistency.
• Manage AWS infrastructure via Terraform/Terragrunt.
• Analyze and reduce AWS costs without sacrificing reliability.
• Improve observability, metrics, logs, and alerts for reliability.
• Enforce security and least-privilege IAM controls.
• Lead cross-team initiatives and mentor engineers.

Skills

AWS

Kubernetes

Helm

Terraform

Terragrunt

GitOps

Argo CD

Cost optimization

Scripting

Linux networking

Leadership

Tools

Argo CD

Karpenter

ExternalDNS

EBS CSI driver

Job description

Welcome to Campspot! Whether you are an avid camper, the occasional glamper, an expert RV-er, or new to the outdoors entirely, we're interested in working with you. Our team values diverse perspectives as we seek to create an easy-to-navigate and meaningful camping experience for everyone.

We hope you will consider joining our team! ALL human beings are welcome, and we are committed to helping you thrive here. We believe our team, as well as the outdoors, is for everyone.

About the Role

We're looking for a hands-on and strategic Principal DevOps Engineer to lead the evolution of our cloud-native infrastructure. This role is ideal for someone deeply experienced in AWS, Kubernetes, and Terraform/Terragrunt who is passionate about automation, and enabling engineering teams to ship fast and safely.

You’ll drive infrastructure strategy, lead cross-team initiatives, optimize cloud spend, and define best practices across deployment, observability, and security.

Key Responsibilities

• Own Our Kubernetes Platform: Architect, manage, and scale EKS clusters using modern best practices.
• Standardize Deployments with Helm: Build and maintain Helm charts to enable scalable and consistent application deployments.
• Manage Cloud Infrastructure in AWS: Use Terraform and Terragrunt to define and manage reproducible infrastructure-as-code across environments.
• Analyze and Optimize Cloud Costs: Monitor AWS usage and implement strategies to reduce unnecessary spend without compromising performance or reliability.
• Drive Observability and Reliability: Implement and maintain metrics, logs, and alerting systems to support availability and performance.
• Security and Access Controls : Enforce least-privilege IAM policies, secure networking, and effective secrets management.
• Lead Cross-Team Initiatives : Partner with development, product, and security teams to design infrastructure solutions and drive large-scale engineering initiatives.
• Mentor and Guide: Act as a senior technical mentor and set the standard for DevOps excellence across the organization.

Key Requirements

• 8+ years of DevOps, Infrastructure, or SRE experience, including 2+ in a senior or principal-level role
• Deep experience with AWS (EKS, EC2, IAM, VPC, S3, etc.)
• Expert-level knowledge of Kubernetes in production environments
• Proficient with Helm for application lifecycle management
• Strong hands-on experience with Terraform and Terragrunt
• Comfortable scripting in Bash, Python, or Go
• Experience building and maintaining GitOps workflows (e.g., Argo CD)
• Proven ability to monitor, analyze, and reduce AWS costs
• Strong understanding of Linux, networking, and cloud security principles
• Excellent communication skills and a collaborative, leadership-oriented mindset

Nice to Have

• Experience in regulated or high-compliance environments (SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI)
• Experience with the LGTM monitoring stack
• Familiarity with tools like Karpenter, ExternalDNS, or EBS CSI driver
• Contributions to open source or DevOps communities

Compensation and Benefits

• Base salary: $155,000 - $180,000
• Competitive benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance options at affordable rates
• 401(k) plan with employer match
• Flexible and casual work environment: we offer flexible PTO and a remote-first workplace
• Employee camping credit to encourage getting outdoors and experiencing our product!

While this is a remote role, priority will be given to candidates located near our Grand Rapids, MI headquarters or our Denver or Chicago hub locations. Secondary consideration may be given to candidates who reside in states where we currently have employees outside of our hubs, including MA, NH, NY, NC, OR, TX, UT, VT, VA, and Canada. Candidates located outside of any of the states listed previously are not able to be considered at this time.

Campspot is a motivated team of outdoor enthusiasts and software professionals with decades of experience in the campground and outdoor industry. We're looking to grow with people who embody our culture of learning, collaboration, and innovation. Today our portfolio includes two distinct but synergistic products:

1. Campspot Management Software (https://software.campspot.com/) is the leading provider of reservation management software and tools for campgrounds and RV parks. It revolutionized the industry through its proprietary technology, allowing park owners to increase revenue through its inventory optimization tool and site-lock capabilities.

2. The Campspot Marketplace (campspot.com and Campspot mobile app) is an online marketplace where travelers can find accommodations for their camping trips. Campspot's inventory is 100% bookable and includes robust filters to help travelers customize their travel experience.