Principal Engineer - vSphere Kubernetes Service (Kubernetes)

TL;DR

Principal Engineer (Kubernetes): Designing and building a distributed management system for Kubernetes control planes embedded into vSphere with an accent on scalability, reliability, and deep infrastructure integration. Focus on reconciling Kubernetes abstractions with vSphere primitives and ensuring system resilience against enterprise failure modes.

Location: Must be based in USA-CA (Promontory B)

Salary: $141,300 - $226,000

Company

hirify.global is a global technology leader that designs, develops and supplies a broad range of semiconductor and infrastructure software solutions.

What you will do

• Design and implement distributed systems in Go, C++, or Java for the vSphere Kubernetes Service (VKS).
• Architect control-plane workflows to create, upgrade, and heal Kubernetes clusters safely at scale.
• Bridge container abstractions with vSphere primitives to simplify infrastructure for enterprise operators.
• Lead the complete Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) and provide technical direction and mentoring to the team.
• Translate complex, ambiguous problems into clear technical designs and execution plans.
• Partner with product management and customer-facing teams to incorporate feedback into technical requirements.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree with 12+ years of experience, or Master's degree with 10+ years of related experience.
• Deep understanding of Kubernetes control plane architecture (API server, etcd, scheduler, controller-manager).
• Proven track record of architecting enterprise-grade systems with high performance and scalability in production.
• Experience extending Kubernetes API via declarative APIs and implementing reconciliation loops.
• Strong knowledge of Linux internals (cgroups, namespaces) and container runtimes like containerd.
• Expertise in CNI, CSI, Ingress controllers, and Service Meshes such as Istio or Linkerd.

Culture & Benefits

• Competitive annual base salary with discretionary annual bonuses and equity grants.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance plans.
• 401(K) participation with company matching and Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP).
• Paid sick leave, vacation time, and company-paid holidays.
• Access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).