Kubernetes Platform Engineer

Overview

Join Oivan as a Senior Kubernetes Platform Engineer based in the UAE, where you'll design, manage, and troubleshoot Kubernetes clusters tailored for enterprise environments, including GPU-accelerated workloads for AI and machine learning. You'll be responsible for operating SUSE Rancher Manager, setting up NVIDIA GPU Operator on RKE2 clusters, and automating through CI/CD pipelines and GitOps solutions.

Main Responsibilities

• Deploy and maintain production Kubernetes clusters, primarily using RKE2, across diverse environments including on-premises, air-gapped, and hybrid set-ups.
• Manage SUSE Rancher Manager with high availability configurations including installation, upgrades, backups, authentication, RBAC, and managing downstream clusters.
• Automate infrastructure provisioning and configuration with tools like Terraform and Ansible.
• Diagnose and troubleshoot complex platform issues spanning nodes, pods, networking, storage, certificates, and control plane components to identify root causes.
• Operate the NVIDIA GPU Operator on RKE2 clusters, including configuring drivers, container tools, device plugins, and monitoring components.
• Configure GPU resource sharing methods such as MIG and time-slicing to support scheduling AI/ML workloads.
• Create and maintain CI/CD pipelines using tools like GitLab CI, Jenkins, or GitHub Actions for platform and application deployment.
• Implement GitOps practices using Rancher Fleet, Argo CD, or Flux for cluster management with Git as the source of truth.
• Package workloads using Helm and Kustomize.
• Deploy and manage Istio service mesh features, including traffic management, gateways, mTLS, authorization policies, and troubleshooting mesh issues.
• Operate SUSE Virtualization (Harvester) to run virtual machines alongside containers and manage RKE2 guest clusters.
• Implement monitoring and logging using Prometheus, Grafana, and Rancher tools.
• Harden Kubernetes clusters applying CIS benchmarks, Pod Security Admission, network policies, and secret management best practices.
• Plan and carry out upgrades to Kubernetes, RKE2, and Rancher minimizing downtime.
• Develop backup and disaster recovery strategies, including etcd snapshots, Rancher backups, and workload backups with tools like Velero.
• Create and update runbooks, playbooks, and documentation for platform operations.
• Conduct knowledge transfer sessions and training for internal teams and customers.
• Engage with customer stakeholders during on-site support and implementations.

Candidate Profile

• Minimum 5 years of IT experience including at least 3 years administering Kubernetes production environments.
• Strong proficiency troubleshooting Kubernetes issues using kubectl, logs, crictl, and familiarity with resolving networking, DNS, storage, scheduling, and control plane problems.
• Experience configuring and operating Rancher Manager for day-to-day cluster lifecycle management.
• Hands-on deployment experience with NVIDIA GPU Operator, preferably on RKE2 distributions.
• Expertise automating infrastructure and application delivery through CI/CD pipelines and GitOps tools.
• Solid knowledge of Istio service mesh functionalities and operations.
• Proficient with Infrastructure as Code using Terraform and Ansible.
• Advanced Linux system administration skills on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES), SLE Micro, RHEL, or Ubuntu, paired with strong networking fundamentals including TCP/IP, DNS, load balancing, and TLS.
• Experience with monitoring and observability tools like Prometheus, Grafana, and centralized logging solutions.
• Strong scripting capabilities with Bash; additional programming knowledge in Python or Go is beneficial.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related discipline.
• Experience operating in on-premise enterprise and air-gapped environments.
• Ability to perform independently in customer-facing technical roles.
• Advanced English proficiency required; Arabic language skills are highly advantageous.

Strongly Preferred Experience

• Practical knowledge of RKE2, Rancher multi-cluster management, and SUSE Virtualization (Harvester) concepts and operations.
• Understanding of SUSE Security (NeuVector) and SUSE Storage (Longhorn).
• Expertise with Container Network Interfaces such as Canal, Calico, or Cilium.
• Familiarity with secrets management solutions like HashiCorp Vault, Sealed Secrets, or External Secrets Operator.
• Management of private container registries and air-gapped image distribution (e.g., Harbor).
• Exposure to AI/ML platform tools such as Kubeflow, KServe, or Ray.
• Experience with other Kubernetes platforms including Red Hat OpenShift, Amazon EKS, Azure AKS, or Google GKE.

Certifications Recommended

• Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)
• Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS)
• Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)
• SUSE Rancher Administrator or Deployment Specialist
• Istio Certified Associate (ICA)
• NVIDIA Certified Associate in AI Infrastructure and Operations