Principal Software Development Engineer (Kubernetes, AWS)

TL;DR

Principal Software Development Engineer (Kubernetes): Architecting and building a high-scale compute runtime platform for internal engineering teams with an accent on container orchestration, cloud infrastructure, and developer productivity. Focus on leading technical design for scale, automating infrastructure lifecycles, and ensuring system reliability across a distributed global platform.

Location: Must be based in San Jose, CA (Hybrid model)

Salary: $249,000–$348,500

hirify.global powers global travel experiences through innovative technology, data, and machine learning solutions.

What you will do

• Lead the architecture and design of a Kubernetes-based compute runtime platform used across the organization.
• Scale control plane and data plane infrastructure to support massive traffic growth and define platform SLOs.
• Design next-generation CI/CD pipelines, GitOps workflows, and improve the internal developer portal experience.
• Automate infrastructure lifecycle using Terraform or Crossplane to eliminate manual toil.
• Provide technical leadership, mentor senior engineers, and drive consensus through RFCs and architecture reviews.
• Serve as the final escalation point for complex, cross-cutting production incidents and distributed system failures.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in infrastructure automation, configuration management, or container orchestration.
• Strong programming skills in Java, Go, Python, or Ruby.
• Hands-on experience with AWS cloud computing and container technologies (Docker, Kubernetes/EKS).
• Experience designing self-service technology platforms in container or traffic management spaces.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a technical field or equivalent professional experience.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States.

Nice to have

• Familiarity with Service Mesh (Istio/Linkerd) and Service Discovery.
• Experience with monitoring, alerting, and logging at scale.
• Knowledge of security development principles (token management, encryption).
• Experience with continuous integration tools like Jenkins.

Culture & Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Flexible work model with modern office spaces.
• Wellness & travel reimbursement and employee travel discounts.
• Generous time-off policies and parental leave.
• Collaborative environment with a focus on diversity, inclusion, and career development.