Senior Software Engineer - Container & Kubernetes Expert

Svitla Systems Inc. is looking for a Technical Lead for a full-time position (40 hours per week) in Ukraine. Our client is an innovative San Francisco-based company that developed a software attack surface optimization platform to help organizations minimize cyberattacks. The company's platform reduces vulnerability and patch management backlogs and prioritizes AI-powered risk management, enabling businesses to mitigate both known and unknown vulnerabilities in their workloads. This software attack surface optimization platform remediates 95% of software vulnerabilities in minutes without code changes. It reduces development costs and shortens release cycles while ensuring compliance with federal and industry regulations. The solution integrates seamlessly with existing workflows and technology stacks, making it a versatile option for various organizations. It is designed to work with open-source software, reducing the risks associated with software supply chains.

We are looking for a Lead for the Engineering Team who excels in Linux-based environments (writing and debugging shell scripts) and has deep experience with containerization and proficiency with CLI, infrastructure management, and backend services. You will focus on building robust systems using Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, REST APIs, CLI, writing and debugging Helm charts, while also contributing to architecture, scalability, and infrastructure optimization.

Important: No overlapping hours are required. However, the ability to work asynchronously and deliver with minimal guidance is crucial. All meetings are scheduled around 9 AM Pacific Time, which should not require live attendance.

Requirements:

Core Technical Skills:

• 4+ years of hands-on Kubernetes experience - must be able to debug complex K8s issues independently
• Expert-level Docker knowledge - container optimization, multi-stage builds, layer caching
• Strong experience with Helm charts, Kustomize, or similar Kubernetes deployment tools
• Proficiency in Python, Bash, or Go for automation and scripting
• Deep understanding of Linux systems, networking, and troubleshooting

DevOps Expertise:

• CI/CD implementation (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, ArgoCD)
• Container security scanning tools (Trivy, Clair, Grype)
• Infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, Ansible, or similar)
• Experience with container registries (Harbor, ECR, DockerHub)
• Monitoring and logging tools (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack)

Problem-Solving:

• Proven ability to troubleshoot production issues independently
• Experience debugging distributed systems and microservices
• Strong analytical skills for performance optimization
• Ability to work autonomously with minimal supervision

Nice to have:

• Experience with multi-arch builds and custom build systems (Bazel, Makefiles)
• Supply chain security knowledge (Cosign, Sigstore, SLSA)
• Experience in high-scale or regulated environments
• Kubernetes CKA/CKAD certification
• Contributions to open-source container/Kubernetes projects

Responsibilities:

Container Image Ownership:

• Design, build, and maintain curated, secure Docker images across various OS and frameworks (Alpine, Ubuntu, Python, Golang, Java)
• Implement and manage CI/CD pipelines for automated image building, CVE scanning, and registry publishing
• Ensure images are minimal, reproducible, and compliant with security standards
• Manage image lifecycle: versioning, patching, metadata tracking, and deprecation

Kubernetes Operations & Troubleshooting:

• Debug and resolve complex Kubernetes issues in production environments independently
• Troubleshoot pod failures, networking problems, resource constraints, and performance issues
• Deploy and maintain applications in Kubernetes clusters using Helm, Kustomize
• Monitor cluster health and implement observability solutions
• Optimize resource utilization and scaling configurations

Automation & Infrastructure:

• Build infrastructure-as-code (IaC) for automated deployments and test environments
• Develop automation scripts and tools to eliminate manual work
• Create tooling and documentation for developers to consume curated images safely
• Implement security scanning, SBOM generation, and compliance checks

Collaboration:

• Work with Security teams on image hardening and compliance (FIPS, CIS Benchmarks)
• Partner with platform teams on Kubernetes best practices
• Consult with architects and developers on complex design decisions when needed
• Provide guidance to development teams on containerization strategies