Kubernetes Platform Engineer – AI Infrastructure

Cisco

Kubernetes Platform Engineer leading on-prem Kubernetes infrastructure for AI/ML platforms. Focusing on scalable solutions, automation, and collaborating with data scientists and engineers.

Posted 5/15/2026full-timeSan Jose • California, North Carolina • 🇺🇸 United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $152,500 - $219,200 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Distributed SystemsGoKubernetesOpenShiftPython

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Design, build, and operate large-scale on-prem Kubernetes platforms (OpenShift/Anthos), with ownership of control plane, etcd, and cluster lifecycle.
Architect scalable, multi-tenant platform infrastructure as the foundation for AI/ML and GenAI workloads.
Enable and optimize AI/ML workloads, including GPU-based environments for training, inference, and model deployment.
Partner with data scientists and ML engineers to onboard and scale ML pipelines and workflows.
Build platform capabilities using Kubernetes controllers, operators, CRDs, and Golang/Python services.
Implement Infrastructure as Code, automation, and AIOps-driven self-healing using platform telemetry and observability.
Ensure reliability through performance tuning (scheduling, resource utilization) and participate in on-call support and incident response.

Requirements

What you’ll need

5+ years of software engineering experience, including supporting AI/ML or GPU-based workloads on Kubernetes platforms
3+ years operating Kubernetes in production with control plane ownership, preferably in on-prem or self-managed environments
Strong experience with etcd management (backup, restore, recovery) and Kubernetes cluster upgrades
Proficiency in Go with experience building Kubernetes controllers/operators, CRDs, and webhooks
Deep understanding of Kubernetes internals (API server, scheduler, controller loops, reconciliation patterns)
Proven ability to debug and operate large-scale distributed systems in production environments, including participation in on-call rotations

Benefits

Comp & perks

Medical, dental and vision insurance
401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution
Paid parental leave
Short and long-term disability coverage
Basic life insurance
10 paid holidays per full calendar year
1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees
1 paid day off for employee’s birthday
Paid year-end holiday shutdown
4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by Cisco
16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year for non-exempt employees
Flexible vacation time off program for exempt employees
80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st
Up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward from one calendar year to the next
Additional paid time away for critical issues for family members
Optional 10 paid days per year to volunteer

ATS Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

KubernetesOpenShiftAnthosGolangPythonInfrastructure as CodeAIOpsGPU-based environmentsetcd managementdistributed systems

Soft Skills

collaborationproblem-solvingdebuggingincident responseperformance tuning