LLNL is hiring a Kubernetes Engineer to develop and support 24x7 large-scale bare-metal Kubernetes environments for intensive scientific workloads. You will bridge the gap between hardware and high-performance software to provide reliable, secure platforms for scientific teams.
What You'll Do
- Contribute to the design and deployment of large-scale bare-metal clusters, integrating control planes with VAST Storage arrays.
- Contribute to the implementation of advanced cluster networking for seamless 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.
- Support rigorous SLIs/SLOs by engineering robust observability stacks (Prometheus, Grafana) and enforcing security through RBAC, OIDC, and network isolation.
- Partner with internal business units to onboard moderately complex workloads.
- Collaborate with team members on integrating AI agents to assist with troubleshooting and automating cluster management operations.
- At SES.3 level: Collaborate with researchers on developing repeatable software stacks and automate deployment across multiple environments.
- At SES.3 level: Partner with security teams to incorporate security checks and audits for Kubernetes deployments into Gitlab CI/CD.
- At SES.3 level: Extend Kubernetes to help simplify usage, operations and user applications.
What We're Looking For
- 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 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 to effectively collaborate in a team environment and present technical information.
- Ability to set priorities and independently resolve moderately complex problems in a fast-paced environment.
Nice to Have
- 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.
- 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.
Technical Stack
- Kubernetes
- VAST Storage
- Prometheus
- Grafana
- CI/CD pipelines
- Ansible
- Puppet
- Python
- Bash
- Perl
- Ruby
- Groovy
- Gitlab
Team & Environment
Position is within the Global Security Computing Applications Division (GS-CAD) of the Computing Directorate, matrixed to the Global Security Directorate.
Benefits & Compensation
- Flexible Benefits Package
- 401(k)
- Relocation Assistance
- Education Reimbursement Program
- Flexible schedules (*depending on project needs)
- Compensation: $146,340 - $222,564 Annually ($146,340 - $185,544 Annually for SES.2 level; $175,530 - $222,564 Annually for SES.3 level)
Work Mode
This role follows a hybrid work schedule.
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.
