Staff DevOps Engineer

Position Description:

We are seeking a DevOps Engineer focused on Kubernetes Administration to join our rapidly growing engineering community. The Kubernetes Administrator will be responsible for the deployment, management, and troubleshooting of Kubernetes clusters across our environments. This role involves ensuring the scalability, security, and performance of our containerized applications while working closely with development and DevSecOps teams to implement best practices.

Responsibilities:

• Cluster Management: Deploy, configure, and manage Kubernetes clusters in on-premises and cloud environments (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud).
• Monitoring & Logging: Implement and manage monitoring, logging, and alerting for Kubernetes clusters using tools like Prometheus, Grafana, and ELK stack.
• Security & Compliance: Implement and enforce security best practices within Kubernetes environments, including network policies, RBAC, and secure configuration management.
• Performance Tuning: Continuously monitor and optimize the performance of Kubernetes clusters, ensuring efficient resource utilization and high availability.
• Automation & Continuous Deployment: Develop and maintain automation scripts and tools for managing Kubernetes resources and deployments using tools like Flux, ArgoCD, Helm, Kustomize, or Ansible.
• Backup & Recovery: Implement backup and disaster recovery strategies for Kubernetes clusters and applications, ensuring data integrity and availability.
• Troubleshooting: Diagnose and resolve issues within Kubernetes clusters, including networking, application deployment, and container runtime issues.
• Collaboration: Work closely with DevOps, operations, and development teams to ensure seamless integration of applications into Kubernetes environments.
• Upgrades & Maintenance: Manage upgrades and patching of Kubernetes clusters and associated tools to ensure security and stability.
• Documentation: Create and maintain detailed documentation of Kubernetes environments, configurations, and processes for internal use and compliance purposes.
• Available 3 p.m.-6 p.m. Mountain Time, Monday-Thursday, for live collaboration with international partners; remaining schedule is flexible within standard Bluestaq core business hours.
• Partner daily with distributed teams, bridging time-zone gaps to drive architectural decisions.

Required Qualifications:

• 6+ years managing and administering Kubernetes clusters in production environments.
• Kubernetes Expertise: In-depth knowledge of Kubernetes architecture, components, and operations, including Helm, Kustomize, and Kubernetes API.
• Cloud Platforms: Hands-on cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, particularly with managed Kubernetes services (EKS, AKS, GKE).
• Containerization: Proficiency with Docker and container orchestration, with a deep understanding of container lifecycle management.
• Scripting/Automation: Strong scripting and automation skills using languages like Python, Bash, or Go.
• Monitoring & Logging: Monitoring and logging tools such as Prometheus, Splunk, Grafana, ELK stack, or equivalent.
• Security Practices: Understanding of Kubernetes security best practices, including RBAC, pod security policies, and network policies.
• Networking: Knowledge of Kubernetes networking, service meshes, ingress controllers, and DNS management.
• Problem-Solving: Excellent problem-solving skills, with the ability to troubleshoot complex issues in distributed systems.
• Communication: Strong communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively across teams.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Certifications: Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS).
• Service Meshes: service mesh technologies like Istio or Linkerd.
• CI/CD: Familiarity with integrating Kubernetes with CI/CD pipelines and tools like FluxCD and/or ArgoCD.
• Infrastructure as Code: Infrastructure as code tools like Terraform or CloudFormation.
• Agile Methodologies: Agile/Scrum development environment.

Required Education: 6+ years of cybersecurity with a Bachelor of Science degree OR Associate degree with 2 additional years beyond the minimum required may be substituted in lieu of a degree OR a High School Diploma with 4 additional years beyond the minimum required may be substituted in lieu of a degree.

Clearance Requirement: This position requires the ability to obtain a TS/SCI Clearance. To be eligible for a security clearance, US Citizenship is required, and an employee must agree to participate in a background screen and credit check. Eligibility for a TS/SCI Clearance will be assessed as part of the onboarding process or based on programmatic needs.

Travel Requirements:

• Expect up to 3 international trips per year, 2-3 weeks each, with company-paid airfare, lodging, and per-diem.
• Must hold (or be able to obtain) a U.S. passport valid for 6+ months past each trip.

Why Colorado Springs?

• Tech Talent Hotspot - Ranked #2 up-and-coming tech market in North America by CBRE (2024).
• Top Place to Live - Named #3 Best Place to Live in the U.S. and Most Desirable City overall by U.S. News (2024-25).
• Neighborly Spirit - Recognized as America's Most Neighborly City (2024) for community engagement and quality of life.
• Active Lifestyle Hub - Top 5 for hiking and fitness, blending outdoor recreation and wellness (2022).
• Pet-Friendly Leader - Ranked #1 Most Pet-Friendly City in the U.S. (2023) for furry, scaly, and feathery friends.
• Women's Workforce Haven - Ranked #6 Best City for Women in the Workforce by Checkr (2025), highlighting earning potential and female leadership opportunities.

With 300 days of sunshine and the Rocky Mountains as your backdrop, Colorado Springs offers the perfect mix of urban energy and outdoor adventure.

Relocation: This position does not offer relocation. Candidates must live in the immediate area or relocate at their own expense.

Why Join Us?

• Purpose-Driven Work: Support systems that power industries and critical operations, including healthcare and defense.
• Continuous Growth: Expand your technical expertise with hands-on projects and mentorship.
• Dynamic Environment: Be part of a team that thrives on problem-solving, learning, and collaboration.

Ready to make an impact? Apply today and help shape the future of data management in healthcare, defense, and beyond!

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.
• Must be able to access and navigate each department at the organization's facilities.

Bluestaq is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We prohibit unlawful discrimination against applicants or employees on the basis age 40 and over, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, military or veteran status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or any other status protected by state or local law.

Bluestaq will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities and employees whose work requirements interfere with a religious belief unless doing so would result in an undue hardship to Bluestaq or a direct threat. Employees needing such accommodation are instructed to contact Human Resources immediately at [email protected].

Date the Position Closes: Applications will be accepted for 60 days past the posting date, or until the position is filled, whichever comes first.