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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # engineer lead, Cloud Foundation Services Platform (Kubernetes) - **Company:** Starbucks - **Location:** Seattle, WA, United States (Remote available) - **Experience:** Expert - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Agile Methodology, Amazon Web Services, Computing Platforms, Systems Engineering, Microsoft Azure, Cloud Computing, Cloud Engineering, Cyber Security, System Configuration, Continuous Delivery, Continuous Integration, Software Debugging, DevOps, Distributed Systems, Python (Programming Language), Key Management, Octopus Deploy, Open Source Technology, Platform as a Service (PAAS), Reliability Engineering, Zero Trust Network Access, Service Discovery, Software Engineering, Usage Analysis, Data Logging, Google Cloud, Istio, System Availability, Git, Containerization, Kubernetes, Infrastructure Automation Frameworks, Information Technology, Bicep, Azure AKS, Azure Service Fabric, Terraform, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure - **Published:** August 10, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.dice.com/job-detail/b128b5ed-ab06-4ae2-9c3e-6a31df024211 ## About the Role The ideal candidate is an AKS and Kubernetes expert with strong working knowledge of Azure PaaS services, service mesh technologies, and continuous delivery systems, and who brings a strong focus on security, reliability, and cost optimization., * Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent professional experience) * 8-10 years of professional industry experience in cloud, platform, or software engineering * 2+ years of experience leading teams or serving as a technical lead for groups of four or more engineers, Cloud & Platform Expertise * Strong hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure (mandatory) * Strong working experience with Amazon Web Services (AWS) (Good to have) * Exposure to Google Cloud Platform (Google Cloud Platform) and/or Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is a plus * Deep hands-on experience with Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) and Kubernetes platform operations Kubernetes & Cloud-Native Technologies * Expert-level Kubernetes knowledge, including: * Cluster architecture, scheduling, scaling, and upgrades * Ingress/egress, service discovery, and workload isolation * Experience with service mesh technologies such as Istio * Strong experience with Argo CD / GitOps-based delivery models * Familiarity with Azure PaaS services (e.g., storage, messaging, identity, secrets) Automation & DevOps Strong hands-on experience with: * Terraform, Azure Bicep, and Crossplane * Python for automation and tooling * CI/CD experience using Azure DevOps, GitOps workflows, and modern DevOps tools * Strong understanding of DevOps and Agile principles * Observability & Reliability * Experience implementing application and infrastructure logging and monitoring solutions * Proven experience operating and supporting high-scale, highly available platforms * Ability to troubleshoot complex distributed systems and performance issues, * 8+ years of experience in systems engineering, platform engineering, or site reliability engineering * Experience with large-scale distributed systems and cloud-native architectures * Proven ability to debug, optimize, and automate complex systems * Strong understanding of security best practices in Kubernetes and cloud platforms * Knowledge of regulatory requirements such as SOX, PCI, HIPAA, and data protection standards * Ability to translate technical insights into actionable business and platform recommendations ## Description We are seeking a Cloud Engineer - Lead with deep expertise in Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) and cloud-native platform engineering to design, build, and operate a secure, scalable, and cost-efficient Kubernetes-based platform on Microsoft Azure. This role will serve as a hands-on technical leader responsible for enabling development teams through reliable platforms, automation, and modern DevOps and GitOps practices., Technical Leadership & Collaboration * Communicate complex platform and Kubernetes architecture decisions clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders * Establish strong cross-functional partnerships with application, security, networking, and business teams * Act as a technical leader and mentor for Kubernetes, AKS, and Azure platform engineering best practices * Partner with technology vendors and open-source communities to deliver against business and platform objectives AKS & Platform Engineering * Design, implement, and operate Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) platforms at scale * Build and maintain a secure, multi-tenant Kubernetes platform with a focus on: * Reliability, performance, and scalability * Environment consistency across dev, test, and production Leverage Azure-native services and PaaS offerings to support application and platform needs * Own Kubernetes cluster lifecycle management, upgrades, capacity planning, and operational health Kubernetes Ecosystem & Service Mesh * Design and operate Kubernetes-native solutions using: * Argo CD / Argo Workflows for GitOps and continuous delivery * Istio (or similar service mesh) for traffic management, security, and observability * Implement best practices around ingress, egress, service discovery, and policy enforcement * Enable secure communication, workload identity, and secrets management across the platform Automation, Infrastructure as Code & GitOps * Drive an automation-first approach using: * Terraform, Azure Bicep, and Crossplane for infrastructure and platform provisioning * Python for scripting, tooling, and automation * Enable CI/CD and GitOps workflows using Azure DevOps, Git-based pipelines, and modern delivery patterns * Engineer standardized, repeatable build and release processes for platform and application teams Security, Compliance & Cost Optimization * Design platforms that are secure by default, following Zero Trust and least-privilege principles * Ensure all implementations align with Information Security policies and compliance requirements (e.g., PCI) * Continuously evaluate and optimize platform cost using cloud-native tooling and usage analysis * Implement system configurations and baselines that support secure software development and operational best practices Observability & Operations * Implement deep telemetry, logging, and monitoring across Kubernetes and Azure PaaS platforms * Deploy and maintain observability solutions to support performance, reliability, and troubleshooting * Ensure high availability and operational continuity for mission-critical services * Support and operate 24x7 production environments, enabling automated recovery wherever possible ## Related Videos - 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