Senior DevOps Engineer

Kai; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Kai is seeking a Senior DevOps Engineer to design and operate secure, scalable cloud infrastructure for its cybersecurity platform in San Jose. The role bridges development, security, and operations to deliver software at enterprise speeds.

You will embed security into the DevOps lifecycle, improve resilience, and support mission-critical applications, partnering with security teams to balance speed and compliance.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in DevOps, SRE, or platform engineering.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
• Proficiency with containers and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Extensive CI/CD experience (Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI).
• GitOps experience with ArgoCD or similar.
• Hands-on with infrastructure as code (Terraform, CloudFormation).
• Strong scripting skills (Python, Bash, or Go).
• Solid Linux systems and networking knowledge.
• Experience implementing monitoring, logging, and observability
• Security-first mindset in DevSecOps and compliance awareness

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and manage secure, scalable cloud infrastructure.
• Own and optimize network architecture with a security-first approach.
• Automate infrastructure with Terraform, CloudFormation, and similar tools.
• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines, including ArgoCD-based deployment.
• Enhance observability with metrics, logs, and distributed tracing.
• Enforce DevSecOps practices across the delivery lifecycle.
• Balance deployment speed with security constraints in POC and production.
• Mentor engineers and promote DevOps culture across teams.
• Ensure compliance with SOC 2, ISO 27001, and related standards.

Skills

DevOps

SRE

Platform engineering

Cloud security

Problem solving

Team collaboration

Automation scripting

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Terraform

CloudFormation

ArgoCD

Jenkins

GitHub Actions

GitLab CI

Python

Bash

Go

Linux

Job description

Kai is the AI company rebuilding cybersecurity for the machine‑speed era. Founded by second‑time founders and trusted by Fortune 500 enterprises, Kai is building a future where security has no categories, no silos, and no human‑speed bottlenecks. The KaiAgentic Platform replaces fragmented, human‑limited workflows with agentic AI systems that continuously contextualize, assess, reason, and execute security work at the speed of thought‑making human defenders, superhuman.

Why Kai?

• Well-funded: With $125M raised, we have the capital, runway, and resolve to rebuild cybersecurity from first principles.
• Proven: We’ve earned the trust of Fortune 500 and Global 1000 companies, and we’re just getting started. Their confidence in Kai reflects what we’ve built: an AI‑powered cybersecurity platform that performs at the scale and speed the enterprise demands.
• Experienced founders: Our founding team consists of second‑time entrepreneurs, each with over 20 years of experience in the cybersecurity industry. Their proven expertise and vision drive our ambitious goals.
• World‑class leadership team: Our Heads of AI, Engineering, and Product bring extensive experience from some of the world’s most influential companies, ensuring top‑tier mentorship, direction, and vision.
• Frontier AI Applied Research Team: Our researchers operate at the leading edge of agentic AI systems, translating breakthrough capabilities into real‑world cybersecurity applications.
• Generous compensation: We offer highly competitive salaries, equity options, and a supportive work environment. Your contributions will be valued and rewarded as we grow together.

About the Role

Kai is seeking a highly skilled Senior DevOps Engineer to design, build, and maintain secure, scalable, and reliable infrastructure for our cybersecurity platform. This role bridges development, operations, and security — ensuring fast and secure delivery of software in a security‑driven environment where your decisions directly impact the products protecting some of the world’s largest enterprises.

You will play a key role in embedding security into the DevOps lifecycle (DevSecOps), improving system resilience, and supporting mission‑critical applications.

What you’ll do

• Design, implement, and manage cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, or GCP) with a focus on security and scalability
• Design and own network architecture — including environment segregation, service communication patterns, and infrastructure security design in partnership with the security team
• Automate infrastructure using Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation, etc.)
• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines, including GitOps‑based continuous deployment using ArgoCD, to enable rapid and secure software delivery
• Own and optimize the observability stack — metrics, logs, and distributed tracing — as a highest‑priority investment in system visibility, incident response, and reliability
• Collaborate with engineering and security teams to enforce DevSecOps best practices and embed security into every stage of the delivery lifecycle
• Work with the security team to balance deployment speed with security constraints across environments, solving the security‑speed tension in POC and production deployments
• Collaborate closely with engineering teams to increase developer velocity — faster code pushes, cleaner CI/CD, and fewer deployment blockers
• Ensure systems meet security and compliance standards (e.g., SOC 2, ISO 27001, FedRAMP)
• Integrate security tools (e.g., vulnerability scanning, secrets management) into pipelines
• Troubleshoot production issues and lead root‑cause analysis for complex incidents
• Optimize system performance, reliability, and cost efficiency
• Mentor junior engineers and promote DevOps culture across teams

What you’ll bring

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
• 7+ years of experience in DevOps, SRE, or platform engineering
• Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP)
• Containers and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes)
• CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions)
• GitOps and continuous deployment tooling — ArgoCD or equivalent
• Experience designing network architecture — environment segregation, service communication, and infrastructure security patterns
• Experience with infrastructure automation and configuration management
• Proficiency in scripting/programming (Python, Bash, or Go)
• Deep understanding of Linux systems and networking
• Experience implementing and optimizing monitoring, logging, and observability solutions, including distributed tracing
• Strong problem‑solving skills in complex distributed systems — CI/CD pipeline optimization, system reliability, performance tuning, and cross‑team collaboration
• Cloud security mindset — understanding of cloud security, compliance, and DevSecOps practices

Preferred:

• Experience in cybersecurity or DevSecOps environments
• Familiarity with zero‑trust architecture and identity/access management
• Knowledge of compliance frameworks (FedRAMP, NIST, SOC 2)
• Experience with secrets management tools (Vault, AWS Secrets Manager)
• Background in incident response and security operations