Lead Engineer – Kubernetes Platform - Managed Kubernetes

About us:

As a Fortune 50 company with more than 400,000 team members worldwide, Target is an iconic brand and one of America's leading retailers. At Target, we have a timeless purpose and a proven strategy and that hasn’t happened by accident. Some of the best minds from diverse backgrounds come together at Target to redefine retail in an inclusive learning environment that values people and delivers world-class outcomes. That winning formula is especially apparent in Bengaluru, where Target in India operates as a fully integrated part of Target’s global team and has more than 4,000 team members supporting the company’s global strategy and operations.

Joining Target means promoting a culture of mutual care and respect and striving to make the most meaningful and positive impact. Becoming a Target team member means joining a community that values diverse backgrounds. We believe your unique perspective is important, and you'll build relationships by being authentic and respectful. At Target, inclusion is part of the core value. We aim to create equitable experiences for all, regardless of their dimensions of difference. As an equal opportunity employer, Target provides diverse opportunities for everyone to grow and win

Team Overview

Managed Kubernetes is part of Target Infrastructure Services, providing the foundational container platform for deploying and operating applications across Target data centers and public cloud environments. The platform enables engineering teams to build and operate scalable, reliable services without having to manage the complexity of the underlying Kubernetes infrastructure. Through API- and UI-driven automation, teams can provision, upgrade, and manage Kubernetes clusters at scale across on-premises and cloud environments. The platform also provides curated capabilities for security, observability, compliance, and resiliency. By providing a consistent Kubernetes experience across Target data centers and public cloud, Managed Kubernetes reduces operational complexity, improves reliability, and accelerates application and platform development across Target.

Position Overview

We are looking for a Lead Engineer – Kubernetes Platform with extensive platform engineering experience in designing, building, automating, and operating cloud-native platforms. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in Kubernetes, cloud-native technologies, and platform automation, with a strong focus on reliability, scalability, security, and operational excellence. This role will provide technical leadership in evolving our Kubernetes platform across hybrid cloud and on-premises environments. 

Required Skills 

• Strong software development experience in Go (Golang). 

• Extensive hands-on experience designing, administering, and operating Kubernetes platforms, including cluster provisioning, configuration, upgrades, troubleshooting, and production operations. 

• Strong experience running Kubernetes on public cloud platforms. Experience with Google Cloud Platform (GCP)and Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) is preferred; equivalent experience with AWS, Azure, or other public cloud platforms is also acceptable. 

• Deep understanding of Kubernetes architecture and networking, including CNI plugins, ingress controllers, services, network policies, load balancing, traffic routing, and service connectivity. 

• Experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and Kubernetes deployment tools such as Terraform, Helm, and Kustomize. 

• Experience implementing GitOps practices using tools such as Argo CD and/or Flux. 

• Strong understanding of CI/CD automation and modern software delivery practices for Kubernetes platforms. 

• Experience with observability solutions, including metrics, logging, monitoring, alerting, distributed tracing, and platform reliability. 

• Experience administering Linux operating systems and optimizing container host environments. 

• Experience with Kubernetes storage technologies, including CSI drivers, Persistent Volumes (PV), Persistent Volume Claims (PVC), Storage Classes, StatefulSets, and disaster recovery strategies. 

• Strong automation-first mindset with experience managing infrastructure and platform services as code using version control, GitOps, and Infrastructure as Code practices. 

• Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) and/or Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) certification is a plus. 

Responsibilities 

• Design, build, automate, and operate Kubernetes platform services across hybrid cloud and on-premises environments. 

• Develop platform tooling, controllers, and automation using Go (Golang). 

• Design, implement, and manage GitOps and CI/CD workflows to automate application and infrastructure deployments across multi-cluster Kubernetes environments. 

• Manage, optimize, and scale Kubernetes clusters, including Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), and the supporting cloud infrastructure. 

• Drive platform observability, reliability, security, resiliency, and operational excellence. 

• Lead platform initiatives including Kubernetes upgrades, cluster migrations, networking enhancements, storage architecture, scalability improvements, and platform modernization. 

• Define platform architecture, engineering standards, and long-term technical strategy. 

• Partner with engineering teams to deliver secure, scalable, resilient, and self-service cloud-native platform capabilities. 

• Serve as a technical subject matter expert, mentor engineers, and influence engineering best practices across teams. 

• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to define platform roadmaps and balance product requirements with long-term platform sustainability. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience. 

• 10+ years of experience in software engineering, cloud engineering, platform engineering, infrastructure engineering, or a related field.