Kubernetes Engineer / SME – Cloud Native Infrastructure & Automation

Job Posting

Job#: 3057234

Job Description:

Candidates must be U.S. citizens able to obtain and/or maintain a Department of Defense security clearance as a condition and continuation of employment.

Kubernetes Engineer / SME – Cloud Native Infrastructure & Automation

Department: Operations

Location: Charleston, SC

Workplace: Hybrid / Onsite based on customer and program needs

Salary: $125,000–$175,000, depending on experience and qualifications

Travel: Up to 10% (on rare occasions)

Overview

We are seeking a high-level Kubernetes Subject Matter Expert (SME) with deep hands-on experience in Kubernetes orchestration, cloud-native infrastructure, cluster operations, and automation. This individual will serve as a senior technical resource responsible for designing, implementing, managing, and optimizing enterprise-grade Kubernetes environments.

The ideal candidate will bring strong experience with container orchestration and Kubernetes architecture, including multi-cluster environments, automation frameworks, networking, workload deployment, and modern DevOps practices. Experience with service mesh technologies and cloud-provider Kubernetes platforms is highly valuable.

This position operates on a sliding hybrid scale, with the level of onsite versus remote work determined by customer, program, and operational requirements.

You Will:

• Serve as a senior technical authority and SME for Kubernetes architecture, orchestration, operations, and best practices.
• Architect, deploy, manage, and optimize Kubernetes clusters across bare-metal, virtualized, and multi-cloud environments.
• Leverage GitOps delivery pipelines using Argo CD or Flux to automate infrastructure state, cluster add-ons, and workload deployments across multi-cluster environments.
• Configure, tune, and troubleshoot cluster networking, including Container Network Interfaces (CNIs), ingress controllers, and service mesh architectures.
• Build and optimize monitoring, logging, and tracing frameworks to support cluster reliability and workload visibility.
• Troubleshoot complex Kubernetes issues involving networking, scheduling, storage, performance, control plane components, and node health.
• Collaborate with application teams to onboard workloads, establish deployment patterns, and optimize resource utilization.
• Develop documentation, standards, and reusable automation templates to create consistency and repeatability across environments.
• Provide technical leadership, knowledge transfer, training, and mentorship to junior engineers and cross-functional teams.

You Have:

• Must be eligible to obtain and/or maintain a Department of Defense (DoD) Secret security clearance.
• Deep, hands-on Kubernetes experience with a strong emphasis on container orchestration, including cluster architecture/operations, workload deployment, and infrastructure components.
• Experience designing, provisioning, administering, and troubleshooting production Kubernetes environments.
• Familiarity with managed Kubernetes platforms such as AKS, EKS, or GKE.
• Solid understanding of containers and container build processes using technologies such as Docker, Podman, or Buildah.
• Strong troubleshooting skills involving Kubernetes networking, storage, scheduling, node health, and control plane issues.
• Experience with service mesh technologies such as Istio or Linkerd and/or ingress controllers such as NGINX, HAProxy, or Traefik.
• Experience with Helm charts, Kustomize, and Kubernetes Operators.
• Knowledge of Kubernetes security tooling such as OPA/Gatekeeper, Kyverno, or Falco.
• Strong experience with automation and Infrastructure as Code tooling such as Ansible or Terraform.
• Proficiency with Git, Jenkins, YAML, CI/CD pipelines, GitOps, and modern DevOps workflows.
• Familiarity with DoD compliance and security frameworks, including DISA STIGs, SCAP, and RMF.
• Strong communication and documentation skills, with the ability to explain complex Kubernetes concepts to both technical and cross-functional teams.

We'd Be Impressed if You Had:

• Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)
• Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS)
• Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)

Education/Experience

• BS Degree in a relevant technical field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Ability to obtain the following certifications within 3 months of start date:
• CompTIA Security+ CE
• Professional Scrum Developer or Certified Scrum Developer
• 5+ years of hands-on experience working with Kubernetes, containerized environments, DevOps, cloud infrastructure, or related technologies, including significant experience designing, provisioning, and administering production Kubernetes environments.
• Demonstrated experience independently troubleshooting and supporting enterprise Kubernetes environments.

Everforth Apex is a world-class IT services company that serves thousands of clients across the globe. When you join Everforth Apex, you become part of a team that values innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning. We offer quality career resources, training, certifications, development opportunities, and a comprehensive benefits package. Our commitment to excellence is reflected in many awards, including ClearlyRateds Best of Staffing in Talent Satisfaction in the United States and Great Place to Work in the United Kingdom and Mexico.

Benefits

• Overview: Everforth Apex offers a range of supplemental benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and other insurance plans that offer an optional layer of financial protection. We offer an ESPP (employee stock purchase program) and a 401K program which allows you to contribute typically within 30 days of starting, with a company match after 12 months of tenure. Everforth Apex also offers a Health Savings Account, a SupportLinc Employee Assistance Program with up to 8 free counseling sessions, a corporate discount savings program and other discounts. In terms of professional development, Everforth Apex hosts an on-demand training program, provides access to certification prep and a library of technical and leadership courses/books/seminars once you have 6+ months of tenure, and certification discounts and other perks to associations that include CompTIA and IIBA. Everforth Apex has a dedicated customer service team for our Consultants that can address questions around benefits and other resources, as well as a certified Career Coach. You can access a full list of our benefits, programs, support teams and resources within our ‘Welcome Packet’ as well, which an Everforth Apex team member can provide.

• Everforth Apex Systems is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate or allow discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, genetic information, registered domestic partner status, marital status, disability, status as a crime victim, protected veteran status, political affiliation, union membership, or any other characteristic protected by law. Everforth Apex will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable law.

• UnitedHealthcare creates and publishes the Transparency in Coverage Machine-Readable Files on behalf of Everforth Apex Systems.