Kubernetes Site Reliability Engineer

About this role

The Aerospace Corporation is the trusted partner to the nation’s space programs, solving the hardest problems and providing unmatched technical expertise. As the operator of a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), we are broadly engaged across all aspects of space— delivering innovative solutions that span satellite, launch, ground, and cyber systems for defense, civil and commercial customers. When you join our team, you’ll be part of a special collection of problem solvers, thought leaders, and innovators. Join us and take your place in space.

The Digital Innovation Division (DID) is accountable for integrating strategies, providing governance, and managing internal investments that form the foundation of Aerospace’s   digital innovation and transformation . The DID Mission IT pillar supports engineering teams across Aerospace by delivering   top-tier IT engineering and IT support services   tailored to meet the unique needs of our engineering community.  

Mission IT Operations   is seeking a skilled   Site Reliability   Engineer   with   deep   expertise   in Kubernetes, Linux, programming, and automation. In this role, you will   be responsible for   developing and   maintaining   both on-premise s   and cloud-based Kubernetes clusters   that form the core of an overall Platform as a Service (PaaS) , providing essential support to our engineering team.   

As part of a multidisciplinary   platform and   infrastructure team, you will manage multiple   Kubernetes   clusters used for technical analyses   such   space launch telemetry   analysis   and modeling   and simulation, as well as for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Large Language Model   (LLM)   Training and inference services.   Collaborating closely with rocket scientists and engineers, you will contribute to the development of innovative solutions to complex challenges within the space enterprise, supporting critical national space assets. This position requires   a strong sense   of shared responsibility and ownership, working alongside cross-functional team members to achieve our mission   objectives .  

Work Model:   This is a full-time position based in El Segundo, CA which   requires   100% onsite work.  

What   You’ll   Be Doing  

• Developing and sustaining advanced services for our Kubernetes-based PaaS (e.g., Coder workspaces,   Kueue   batching scheduling,   Knative   serverless,   Crossplane   control planes)  

• Manag ing   Kubernetes for   production   on-prem ises   and   cloud   environments   (e.g., AWS, Azure)   with end-to-end responsibilities of deployment, upgrade, patching, performance tuning, capacity planning ,   and   backups/DR.  

• Frequent full security patching of all layers of Kubernetes infrastructure while   maintaining   very high   uptime  

• Ownership and engineering responsibility of production AWS and Kubernetes services  

• Identify ing   and resolv ing   full Kubernetes stack engineering problems independently  

• Ensur ing   successful real-time analysis of telemetry data from space launch partners, such as SpaceX, United Launch Alliance (ULA), and Blue Origin  

• Provid ing   after-hours support for Kubernetes infrastructure troubleshooting during launch events  

• Support ing   scientists and engineers running   applications   in Kubernetes  

• Provid ing   Linux   expertise   and troubleshooting   

• Evaluat ing   and test ing   new products and technologies  

• Us ing   code to enhance and automate operations  

What You Need to be Successful  

Minimum   Requirements for   Engineering Specialist :  

• B achelor’s degree in STEM, Computer Science.   or other related sciences/engineering discipline.

• 8 or more years of relevant experience   directly related   to developing and delivering complex large-scale distributed software systems solutions and technical products  

• Minimum of 5 years experience supporting highly available enterprise environments, including maintaining  system uptime and service availability targets.   

• At least 2 years   of   hands-on experience managing existing Kubernetes environments, with responsibilities of deployment, upgrade, patching, and backups  

• Full ownership and engineering responsibility of production Kubernetes services , both on-premises and Cloud Service Providers such as AWS and Azure  

• Ability to   identify   and resolve engineering problems independently  

• Experience in Linux systems administration, including configuration, for an enterprise environment  

• Strong understanding of networking   and storage   fundamentals  

• Experience automating repetitive tasks with scripting or DevOps tools    

• This position requires the ability to obtain a TS/SCI security clearance and polygraph, which is issued by the U.S. government. U.S. citizenship is   required   to obtain a security clearance.  

In addition to the above, the   minimum   requirements for   Senior Engineering Specialist   include:  

• 12 or more years of relevant experience   directly related   to developing and delivering complex large-scale distributed software systems solutions and technical products  

• 8   years   of   experience supporting   a hig hly available   enterprise environment  

• Experience architecting and deploying secure   cloud (e.g., AWS, Azure)   and/or Kubernetes environments from scratch   

• Experience performance tuning and capacity planning   cloud (e.g., AWS, Azure)   and/or Kubernetes environments  

How You can Stand Out  

It would be impressive if you have one or more of these:  

• A current and active U.S. Government   TS/SCI security clearance   and polygraph  

• Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA), or Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE)  

• Experience   managing   Kubernetes clusters using   Rancher  

• Experience deploying/supporting   persistent container storage on Kubernetes   ( i.e.,   Portworx , Rook   Ceph ,   OpenEBS , Lon

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