Senior Kubernetes Engineer

We are seeking a highly specialised Kubernetes Engineer to lead the design, hardening, and orchestration of container platforms across a multi cloud government environment. This role is focused on ensuring high availability, rigorous security, and seamless workload delivery across Amazon EKS and Azure AKS.

MANDATORY REQUIREMENT: Security Clearance

You MUST hold a current AGSVA Baseline, NV1, or NV2 security clearance. Due to the critical nature of the container infrastructure and managed services, applications without an active Australian Government clearance will not be considered.

The Role

As a Kubernetes Specialist, you are the architect of the container ecosystem. Your mission is to move beyond simple deployments to create hardened, compliant, and observable cluster architectures that support mission critical workloads.

Key Responsibilities:

• Cluster Architecture: Design and deploy production-grade Kubernetes clusters, focusing on baseline configurations and high-availability architecture.
• Security & Hardening: Implement runtime security, vulnerability management, and strict access controls. You will be responsible for creating hardening guides and ensuring compliance with government standards.
• Workload Orchestration: Manage the deployment and scaling of containerised applications, utilising workload identity (IRSA/Azure Workload Identity) and advanced networking (Cilium/Calico).
• Observability & Reliability: Build and maintain comprehensive monitoring and logging stacks using Prometheus, Grafana, or the ELK stack to ensure platform health.
• Automation & IaC: Define and manage infrastructure programmatically using Terraform or Ansible, ensuring all cluster components are version-controlled.
• DevOps Collaboration: Work alongside development teams to embed CI/CD best practices into the SDLC, resolving integration issues and optimising pipeline efficiency.
• Lifecycle Management: Oversee container runtimes (Docker, containerd) and manage the full lifecycle of API resources and cluster components.

Your Technical Profile

We are looking for a cloud-native expert with 5–10+ years of hands-on experience delivering Kubernetes services in enterprise cloud environments.

Technical Essentials:

• Deep K8s Expertise: Thorough understanding of the Kubernetes API server, resource management, and controller logic.
• Multi-Cloud Proficiency: Extensive experience with Amazon EKS and Azure AKS, including VPC CNI and managed node group configurations.
• Security Tooling: Proven experience with cluster hardening, secret management, and identity integration.
• Scripting & Go: Proficiency in Go, Python, or Bash for writing custom controllers or automation scripts.
• System Foundations: Strong Linux system administration skills and a deep grasp of networking protocols.
• Process Knowledge: A solid understanding of ITIL processes (Incident, Change, and Problem Management).

Qualifications & Certifications:

• Highly Regarded: Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), Application Developer (CKAD), or Security Specialist (CKS).
• Cloud Certifications: AWS or Azure Solutions Architect / DevOps Engineer.
• Sector Experience: Prior experience navigating the strict governance and change control models of government or highly regulated environments.

At Randstad, we are passionate about providing equal employment opportunities and embracing diversity to the benefit of all. We actively encourage applications from any background.