Senior/Tech Lead Backend Engineer (Managed Kubernetes)

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Senior/Tech Lead Backend Engineer (Managed Kubernetes) based in United States.

This role offers the opportunity to lead the technical direction of a core Managed Kubernetes platform supporting large-scale AI workloads. You will combine hands-on software engineering with technical leadership, gradually taking on people-management responsibilities as you build deep product and organizational context. The role focuses on Kubernetes control planes, APIs, cluster autoscaling, platform integrations, and Kubernetes add-ons at significant scale. You will work closely with Product and Service leadership to shape technical vision and deliver infrastructure that improves efficiency and reduces operational complexity. Your work will directly influence how AI workloads run across thousands of GPU servers and multiple data centers. This is an engineering-led environment where ownership, technical excellence, and practical problem-solving are highly valued. The position provides an opportunity to shape foundational cloud infrastructure while growing into a broader technical and people leadership role.

Accountabilities

• Lead by example through significant hands-on engineering work, including writing and reviewing code, leading technical projects, and maintaining a high standard of engineering quality.
• Lead the Core team responsible for the Managed Kubernetes API, service control plane, cluster autoscaling, platform integrations, and Kubernetes add-ons.
• Participate in on-call rotations, incident mitigation, troubleshooting, and post-incident analysis to maintain service reliability and continuously improve operational practices.
• Manage and support a team of approximately 4-8 mid-to-senior engineers by providing context, coaching, feedback, and technical guidance.
• Maintain and communicate the technical vision for the team's area of responsibility, balancing immediate delivery with long-term platform evolution.
• Partner closely with Product Management and Service leadership to shape product strategy, technical priorities, roadmaps, and execution plans.
• Lead multi-month technical initiatives that improve scalability, resource utilization, reliability, customer experience, and operational efficiency.
• Drive initiatives such as scaling Kubernetes control planes to support tens of thousands of GPU nodes, improving cluster autoscaling, optimizing local disk usage, and delivering managed Layer 7 load-balancing capabilities.
• Transition progressively into broader managerial responsibilities while continuing to contribute as a senior individual contributor.

Requirements

• 8+ years of professional experience in software engineering, technical leadership, engineering management, or a combination of these areas.
• Strong software engineering background with senior or staff-level experience and the ability to remain hands-on while leading others.
• Excellent knowledge of Golang, or demonstrated ability and willingness to transition quickly to Golang.
• Proven experience leading engineers and owning complex, multi-month technical projects from planning through delivery.
• Strong understanding of software architecture, distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, and scalable backend services.
• Ability to establish technical direction, make sound engineering decisions, and communicate a clear vision to both technical and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Experience providing technical mentorship, context, and regular feedback to engineers.
• Strong ownership mindset with the ability to operate independently, prioritize effectively, and drive outcomes in a fast-moving environment.
• Experience managing engineering teams is a strong advantage.
• Practical experience administering Kubernetes and/or developing Kubernetes controllers is a significant plus.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation.
• Opportunities for career growth, technical development, and continuous learning.
• Flexibility and significant ownership over technical decisions and execution.
• Collaborative, innovative environment with highly skilled engineering teams.
• Opportunity to work on large-scale AI infrastructure and technically challenging cloud projects.
• International environment with exposure to talented colleagues across multiple regions.
• Opportunity to influence foundational Kubernetes infrastructure supporting large-scale GPU workloads.
• Pathway to expand from senior individual contributor responsibilities into technical and people leadership.