Systems Engineer (Kubernetes / Automation)

Role Overview

Systems Engineer focused on Kubernetes ecosystem design, implementation, and management, with an automation-first approach to infrastructure and deployment.

Location / Work Model

• Onsite in Azusa, CA (remote also considered)

Compensation

• $90,000–$105,000/year plus benefits

What You’ll Do

• Build and maintain configuration scripts/playbooks/images for rapid system deployment.
• Design, document, and implement solutions for high availability systems.
• Manage Linux and Windows hosts and clusters in a virtual environment (VMware).
• Implement CI/CD for application and infrastructure code/config from development to production.
• Build and deploy servers (physical, virtual, and cloud) as needed.
• Automate patching, maintenance, and performance tuning.
• Perform monitoring and log analysis, and define thresholds for automated alerts/notifications.
• Deploy/manage/troubleshoot application stacks such as App/Web/Database.
• Configure cross-platform storage, including replication and snapshots for recovery.
• Maintain directory services: OpenLDAP and Active Directory (authN/authZ, groups, attributes).

Kubernetes & Automation Responsibilities

• Own Kubernetes-focused systems engineering, including Kubernetes cluster lifecycle management.
• Administer SUSE Rancher for streamlined cluster deployment, security policy management, and centralized workload visibility.
• Apply an Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and CI/CD approach to improve automated scaling operations.

What Gets You the Job (Requirements)

• Ability to manage Linux and Windows and virtualized/containerized enterprise environments.
• Strong OS fundamentals (processes/IO basics, paging/swapping, IPC, file systems) and performance tuning.
• Experience with cloud providers such as AWS and/or Azure.
• Scripting skills: Python, Bash, PowerShell, Perl (especially for config management).
• Configuration management with Ansible (playbooks).
• Datacenter/infrastructure hardware familiarity.
• Storage technology knowledge: SAN, NAS, Fibre Channel, iSCSI, clustering file systems, cloud block/file, storage OS.
• Familiarity with common server/app stack components: Apache, IIS, Tomcat, VMware, SMTP (e.g., postfix/sendmail).
• Database platform maintenance: Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MSSQL.
• Understanding of protocols: HTTP, SFTP, DNS, LDAP, IMAP, SMTP, SSL, SSH, SMB, NFS.
• Knowledge of LAN/WAN technologies and protocols.
• Experience deploying/operating Kubernetes clusters at scale; SUSE Rancher experience is highly desirable.

Nice to Have

• Strong Rancher experience for centralized multi-cluster management and provisioning.