Kubernetes Engineer

Job description

Company Description Join us and make YOUR mark on the World! Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has turned bold ideas into world-changing impact advancing science and technology to strengthen U.S. security and promote global stability. Our mission spans four critical national security areas nuclear deterrence, threat preparedness, energy security, and multi-domain defense empowering teams to take on the toughest challenges of today and tomorrow. With a culture built on innovation and operational excellence, LLNL is a place where your expertise can make a real impact. Job Description Do you have a strong passion for containers and Cloud Native technologies. Do you understand the value containers and Kubernetes brings to managing applications deployments? As a Kubernetes Engineer, you will be responsible for one of our Computing Platform’s most critical components, our Kubernetes cluster. You will help streamline the deployment, maintenance, monitoring and expand its capabilities to meet LLNL’s intensive scientific workloads. If you are ready to drive meaningful change and make a real impact from the ground up, this opportunity is for you. We have an opening for an experienced Kubernetes Engineer to develop and support a 24x7 large-scale bare-metal Kubernetes environments. As a member of the team, you’ll bridge the gap between hardware and high-performance software, ensuring our scientific teams have the reliable, secure platforms needed to build world-class products. This is a high-impact mission where your expertise in on-prem automation and cluster orchestration directly accelerates our product innovation. This position is within the Global Security Computing Applications Division (GS-CAD) of the Computing Directorate, matrixed to the Global Security Directorate. This position requires part-time on-site presence due to the nature of the work. This position will be filled at either level based on knowledge and related experience as assessed by the hiring team. Additional job responsibilities (outlined below) will be assigned if hired at the higher level. You will Contribute to the design and deployment of large-scale bare-metal clusters, integrating control planes with VAST Storage arrays to deliver high-performance persistent storage. Contribute to the implementation of advanced cluster networking to ensure seamless, low-latency communication across multi-rack and multi-site topologies. Participate in building and maintaining automated, self-healing workflows using CI/CD pipelines to manage cluster lifecycles, ensuring zero-touch deployments and consistent platform health. Support rigorous SLIs/SLOs by engineering robust observability stacks (Prometheus, Grafana) and enforcing airtight security through RBAC, OIDC, and network isolation. Partner with internal business units to onboard moderately complex workloads, while elevating the technical bar for the team through design reviews and mentorship. Collaborate with team members on integrating AI agents to assist with troubleshooting and automating cluster management operations. Perform other duties as assigned. Additional job responsibilities, at the SES.3 level Collaborate with researchers on developing repeatable software stacks used for research and automate deployment and configuration across multiple environments. Partner with security teams to incorporate security checks and audits for Kubernetes deployments into our Gitlab CI/CD system. Extend Kubernetes to help simplify usage, operations and user applications. Qualifications Ability to secure and maintain a U.S. DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related technical discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience. Comprehensive knowledge of and experience distributing standard configurations for clusters leveraging configuration management tools such as Ansible or Puppet. Broad experience performing Kubernetes administration in a moderately complex to complex environment, including tasks such as installation, networking, security, troubleshooting, and monitoring. Broad experience with software development or system administration using scripting languages (e.g. Python, Bash, Perl, Ruby, Groovy, etc.). Strong understanding of core Kubernetes concepts such as: Pods, Deployments, Services and/or PVCs. Proficient interpersonal skills necessary to interact with all levels of personnel and ability to work independently, under limited direction, in a multi-disciplinary team environment. Proficient verbal and written communication skills necessary to effectively collaborate in a team environment and present and explain technical information. Ability to set priorities and independently resolve moderately complex problems in a fast-paced environment. Additional qualifications at the SES.3 level Advanced knowledge of and experience with Kubernetes internals, such as networking, kubelet function/responsibility, etcd and/or control plan architecture. Advanced experience managing Kubernetes clusters in production environments such as on-premises or in the cloud. Experience delivering advanced projects, achieving positive results, and driving projects to closure, on time and on budget with advanced analytical skills to analyze complex systems and networks. Qualifications We Desire Certification in container orchestration systems (i.e. Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD), and/or Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA). Experience with configuration management systems such as Ansible, Puppet, Chef or Salt. Experience in creating, managing and deploying production Kubernetes clusters to on-prem hardware and/or cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP). Experience utilizing AI to assist with IaC code development, troubleshooting clusters, and/or streamlining work. Pay Range $146,340 - $222,564 Annually $146,340 - $185,544 Annually for the SES.2 level $175,530 - $222,564 Annually for the SES.3 level This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting; pay will not be below any applicable local minimum wage. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs. Additional Information #LI-Hybrid Position Information This is a Flexible Term appointment, which is for a definite period not to exceed six years. If final candidate is a Career Indefinite employee, Career Indefinite status may be maintained (should funding allow). Why Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory? Included in 2026 Best Places to Work by Glassdoor! Flexible Benefits Package 401(k) Relocation Assistance Education Reimbursement Program Flexible schedules (*depending on project needs) Our values - visit https://www.llnl.gov/inclusion/our-values Security Clearance This position requires a Department of Energy (DOE) Q-level clearance. If you are selected, we will initiate a Federal background investigation to determine if you meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information or matter. Also, all L or Q cleared employees are subject to random drug testing. Q-level clearance requires U.S. citizenship. Pre-Employment Drug Test External applicant(s) selected for this position must pass a post-offer, pre-employment drug test. This includes testing for use of marijuana as Federal Law applies to us as a Federal Contractor. Wireless and Medical Devices Per the Department of Energy (DOE), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory must meet certain restrictions with the use and/or possession of mobile devices in Limited Areas. Depending on your job duties, you may be required to work in a Limited Area where you are not permitted to have a personal and/or laboratory mobile device in your possession. This includes, but not limited to cell phones, tablets, fitness devices, wireless headphones, and other Bluetooth/wireless enabled devices. If you use a medical device, which pairs with a mobile device, you must still follow the rules concerning the mobile device in individual sections within Limited Areas. Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities require separate approval. Hearing aids without wireless capabilities or wireless that has been disabled are allowed in Limited Areas, Secure Space and Transit/Buffer Space within buildings. How to identify fake job advertisements Please be aware of recruitment scams where people or entities are misusing the name of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to post fake job advertisements. LLNL never extends an offer without a personal interview and will never charge a fee for joining our company. All current job openings are displayed on the Career Page under “Find Your Job” of our website. If you have encountered a job posting or have been approached with a job offer that you suspect may be fraudulent, we strongly recommend you do not respond. To learn more about recruitment scams: https://www.llnl.gov/sites/www/files/2023-05/LLNL-Job-Fraud-Statement-Updated-4.26.23.pdf Equal Employment Opportunity We are an equal opportunity employer that is committed to providing all with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, marital status, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, protected veteran status, age, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws. Reasonable Accommodation Our goal is to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates applying and interviewing at the Laboratory. If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please use our online form to submit a request. California Privacy Notice The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) grants privacy rights to all California residents. The law also entitles job applicants, employees, and non-employee workers to be notified of what personal information LLNL collects and for what purpose. The Employee Privacy Notice can be accessed here . Videos To Watch