Site Reliability Engineer Spring Co-op 2027

IBM; Durham (NC); On-site; USD 28,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

IBM Durham is offering a 16‑week Site Reliability Engineer Co‑Op designed for actively enrolled undergraduates. You will work in an agile team to build, deploy, configure, and maintain systems for IBM’s client business with a focus on reliability and automation.

The role requires full‑time availability (40 hours/week) during Spring 2027, with potential transition to a full-time role after degree completion. Strong scripting, Linux, and cloud familiarity are desired.

Qualifications

• Actively enrolled in a Bachelor's degree and plan to return after the co-op.
• Available to start full-time between December 2027 and August 2028.
• Available to work full-time (40 hours/week) for 16 weeks Jan 19–May 7.
• Co-op requires full-time commitment; no concurrent coursework during term.
• System monitoring and troubleshooting knowledge.
• Automation knowledge for production environment changes.
• Linux knowledge.
• Operations and support experience.
• Scripting knowledge: Python, Go, or Bash.
• Familiar with cloud providers: IBM Cloud, AWS, Azure, GCP.

Responsibilities

• 24x7 observability: monitor production systems and services around the world.
• Cross-functional troubleshooting with engineering teams to diagnose issues.
• Deployment and configuration using CI/CD at enterprise scale.
• Maintenance and security patching; support resolution with product teams.

Skills

Monitoring

Troubleshooting

Automation

Linux

Scripting

Cloud platforms

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Kubernetes/OpenShift

Ansible

Terraform

Jenkins

ArgoCD

Instana

New Relic

Grafana/Prometheus

Job description

Introduction

At IBM Software, we transform client challenges into solutions. Building the world’s leading AI-powered, cloud-native products that shape the future of business and society. Our legacy of innovation creates endless opportunities for IBMers to learn, grow, and make an impact on a global scale. Working in Software means joining a team fueled by curiosity and collaboration. You’ll work with diverse technologies, partners, and industries to design, develop, and deliver solutions that power digital transformation. With a culture that values innovation, growth, and continuous learning, IBM Software places you at the heart of IBM’s product and technology landscape. Here, you’ll have the tools and opportunities to advance your career while creating software that changes the world.

Introduction

At IBM Software, we transform client challenges into solutions. Building the world’s leading AI-powered, cloud-native products that shape the future of business and society. Our legacy of innovation creates endless opportunities for IBMers to learn, grow, and make an impact on a global scale. Working in Software means joining a team fueled by curiosity and collaboration. You’ll work with diverse technologies, partners, and industries to design, develop, and deliver solutions that power digital transformation. With a culture that values innovation, growth, and continuous learning, IBM Software places you at the heart of IBM’s product and technology landscape. Here, you’ll have the tools and opportunities to advance your career while creating software that changes the world.

Your Role And Responsibilities

This is a 16‑week Co‑Op position designed for actively enrolled undergraduate students who are interested in gaining hands‑on, practical experience in their field while contributing to real IBM projects. To be eligible, candidates must be currently enrolled at an accredited university and able to pause their coursework for the duration of the Co‑Op, as students may not be enrolled in classes while participating. This role requires full‑time availability (40 hours per week) during the Spring 2027 semester between Jan 19 - May 7. Eligible candidates should also be available to join IBM in a full‑time role between December 2027 and August 2028 upon successful completion of their degree.

As a Site Reliability Engineer, you will work in an agile, collaborative environment to build, deploy, configure, and maintain systems for the IBM client business. In this role, you will lead the problem resolution process for our clients, from analysis and troubleshooting, to deploying the latest software updates & fixes.

Your Primary Responsibilities Include

• 24x7 Observability: Be part of a worldwide team that monitors the health of production systems and services around the clock, ensuring continuous reliability and optimal customer experience.
• Cross‑Functional Troubleshooting: Collaborate with engineering teams to provide initial assessments and possible workarounds for production issues. Troubleshoot and resolve production issues effectively.
• Deployment and Configuration: Leverage Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) tools to deploy services and configuration changes at enterprise scale.
• Maintenance and Support: Tasks related to applying security patches and upgrades, and collaborating with Product support for issue resolution.

Location Flexibility

By applying to this requisition, you acknowledge and agree to be considered for any of the listed locations associated with this position and are willing to work at the location where you are ultimately assigned.

Preferred Education

Bachelor's Degree

Required Technical And Professional Expertise

• Must be actively enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree program at the time of application and returning to complete the degree after the co‑op.
• Available to start full‑time between December 2027 and August 2028.
• Available to work full‑time (40 hours/week) at an IBM location for 16 weeks between Jan 19 - May 7.
• Co‑op requires a full‑time commitment; students should not be enrolled in concurrent coursework during the co‑op term.
• System Monitoring and Troubleshooting: knowledge in monitoring/observability, issue response, and troubleshooting for optimal system performance.
• Automation: knowledge in automation for production environment changes, streamlining processes for efficiency, and reducing toil.
• Linux: Knowledge of Linux operating systems.
• Operation and Support Experience: Understanding in handling day‑to‑day operations, alert management, incident support, migration tasks, and break‑fix support.
• Scripting: knowledge or experience of Python, go or bash.
• Familiar with cloud providers like IBM Cloud, AWS, Azure or GCP

Preferred Technical And Professional Experience

• Kubernetes/OpenShift: knowledge or experience of Kubernetes/OpenShift environments.
• Automation/Scripting: knowledge or experience of Ansible, Python, Terraform, and CI/CD tools such as Jenkins, IBM Continuous Delivery, ArgoCD.
• Monitoring/Observability: knowledge or experience crafting alerts and dashboards using tools such as Instana, New Relic, Grafana/Prometheus.
• DBA: Interest or experience configuring and maintaining SQL, NoSQL, and data streaming technologies (e.g. PostgreSQL, CouchDB, Redis, Kafka, Spark, etc.)