Kubernetes Engineer

Role: Kubernetes Engineer Company: Kubegrade Location: Remote (global) Type: Full-time What Kubegrade Does Kubegrade automates Kubernetes upgrades, maintenance, drift detection, and troubleshooting using AI agents and GitOps workflows. We build for platform teams running real production clusters at scale. This is not a toy environment. This role assumes deep, hands-on Kubernetes experience. Mandatory Pre-Interview Requirement (Non-Negotiable) Before any interview: Access and create account on app.kubegrade.com Connect at least one Kubernetes cluster (cloud, on-prem, or local) Use the product hands-on: Cluster and namespace visualization Signals, issues, and context surfaced by the platform AI agents for troubleshooting and remediation actions Come prepared to discuss: What the product does well What is unclear or broken How it fits (or doesnt) into real Kubernetes operations How you would improve it for platform teams This is a filter. If you cannot do this independently, this role is not a fit. Responsibilities Design, operate, and troubleshoot Kubernetes clusters in production environments Work directly with Kubegrades platform to validate real-world Kubernetes workflows Collaborate with product and engineering to: Improve cluster visibility and UX Define troubleshooting and remediation logic Translate Kubernetes operational pain into product requirements Analyze failures related to: Upgrades and API deprecations Configuration drift Misconfigured workloads, networking, storage, or security Contribute to internal tooling, automation, and best practices Act as a Kubernetes domain expert in product discussions Required Experience Strong, practical Kubernetes experience (not theoretical) Proven ability to: Debug production incidents Reason about control plane vs workload issues Understand real upgrade and lifecycle challenges Solid knowledge of: Kubernetes internals Helm, Kustomize, or GitOps workflows Observability stacks (Prometheus, Grafana, logs, traces) Comfortable working autonomously in a remote, async environment Strong Plus Platform / SRE / DevOps background in regulated or large-scale environments Experience operating 10+ clusters Familiarity with: Kubernetes upgrades across multiple versions API deprecation management Multi-cloud or hybrid environments Opinionated views on how Kubernetes tooling should work What We Care About Depth of Kubernetes understanding Ability to reason clearly about complex systems Direct, technical communication Independent problem-solving Product thinking grounded in real operational pain What We Dont Care About Buzzwords Shallow certifications without hands-on experience Passive users of managed platforms with no understanding of whats underneath Interview Focus The interview is a technical discussion centered on: Your Kubernetes experience Your hands-on usage of Kubegrade Your ability to critique, reason, and propose improvements If you cannot meaningfully discuss the product after using it, you will not pass.