Kubernetes Site Reliability Engineer

The Aerospace Corporation is the trusted partner to the nation’s space programs, solving the hardest problems and providing unmatched technical expertise. As the operator of a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), we are broadly engaged across all aspects of space— delivering innovative solutions that span satellite, launch, ground, and cyber systems for defense, civil and commercial customers. When you join our team, you’ll be part of a special collection of problem solvers, thought leaders, and innovators. Join us and take your place in space.

The Digital Innovation Division (DID) is accountable for integrating strategies, providing governance, and managing internal investments that form the foundation of Aerospace’s digital innovation and transformation. The DID Mission IT pillar supports engineering teams across Aerospace by delivering top-tier IT engineering and IT support services tailored to meet the unique needs of our engineering community. 

Mission IT Operations is seeking a skilled Site Reliability Engineer with deep expertise in Kubernetes, Linux, programming, and automation. In this role, you will be responsible for developing and maintaining both on-premises and cloud-based Kubernetes clusters that form the core of an overall Platform as a Service (PaaS), providing essential support to our engineering team.  

As part of a multidisciplinary platform and infrastructure team, you will manage multiple Kubernetes clusters used for technical analyses such space launch telemetry analysis and modeling and simulation, as well as for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Large Language Model (LLM) Training and inference services. Collaborating closely with rocket scientists and engineers, you will contribute to the development of innovative solutions to complex challenges within the space enterprise, supporting critical national space assets. This position requires a strong sense of shared responsibility and ownership, working alongside cross-functional team members to achieve our mission objectives. 

Work Model: This is a full-time position based in El Segundo, CA or Chantilly, Va which requires 100% onsite work. 

What You’ll Be Doing 

• Developing and sustaining advanced services for our Kubernetes-based PaaS (e.g., Coder workspaces, Kueue batching scheduling, Knative serverless, Crossplane control planes) 

• Managing Kubernetes for production on-premises and cloud environments (e.g., AWS, Azure) with end-to-end responsibilities of deployment, upgrade, patching, performance tuning, capacity planning, and backups/DR. 

• Frequent full security patching of all layers of Kubernetes infrastructure while maintaining very high uptime 

• Ownership and engineering responsibility of production AWS and Kubernetes services 

• Identifying and resolving full Kubernetes stack engineering problems independently 

• Ensuring successful real-time analysis of telemetry data from space launch partners, such as SpaceX, United Launch Alliance (ULA), and Blue Origin 

• Providing after-hours support for Kubernetes infrastructure troubleshooting during launch events 

• Supporting scientists and engineers running applications in Kubernetes 

• Providing Linux expertise and troubleshooting  

• Evaluating and testing new products and technologies 

• Using code to enhance and automate operations 

 

What You Need to be Successful 

Minimum Requirements for Engineering Specialist: 

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM, Computer Science. or other related sciences/engineering discipline.

• 8 or more years of relevant experience directly related to developing and delivering complex large-scale distributed software systems solutions and technical products 

• Minimum of 5 years experience supporting highly available enterprise environments, including maintaining  system uptime and service availability targets.   

• At least 2 years of hands-on experience managing existing Kubernetes environments, with responsibilities of deployment, upgrade, patching, and backups 

• Full ownership and engineering responsibility of production Kubernetes services, both on-premises and Cloud Service Providers such as AWS and Azure 

• Ability to identify and resolve engineering problems independently 

• Experience in Linux systems administration, including configuration, for an enterprise environment 

• Strong understanding of networking and storage fundamentals 

• Experience automating repetitive tasks with scripting or DevOps tools  

• This position requires the ability to obtain a TS/SCI security clearance and polygraph, which is issued by the U.S. government. U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance. 

 

In addition to the above, the minimum requirements for Senior Engineering Specialist include: 

• 12 or more years of relevant experience directly related to developing and delivering complex large-scale distributed software systems solutions and technical products 

• 8 years of experience supporting a highly available enterprise environment 

• Experience architecting and deploying secure cloud (e.g., AWS, Azure) and/or Kubernetes environments from scratch  

• Experience performance tuning and capacity planning cloud (e.g., AWS, Azure) and/or Kubernetes environments 

 

How You can Stand Out 

It would be impressive if you have one or more of these: 

• A current and active U.S. Government TS/SCI security clearance and polygraph 

• Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA), or Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) 

• Experience managing Kubernetes clusters using Rancher 

• Experience deploying/supporting persistent container storage on Kubernetes (i.e., Portworx, Rook Ceph, OpenEBS, Longhorn) 

• Experience in Linux performance tuning, and security hardening for an enterprise DoW environment 

• Experience with VMware or Harvester virtualization infrastructures 

• Experience with automated provisioning, configuration management, Infrastructure-as-Code, GitOps (i.e., ArgoCD, Ansible, TerraForm, Puppet, Packer, Bash, Golang, Python) 

• Experience with Agile and Scrum 

We offer a competitive compensation package where you’ll be rewarded based on your performance and recognized for the value you bring to our business.  The grade-based pay range for this job is listed below.  Individual salaries within that range are determined through a wide variety of factors including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge and skills.

(Min - Max)

$129,000.00 - $193,500.00

Pay Basis: Annual

Leadership Competencies

Our leadership philosophy is simple: every employee, regardless of level and role, can demonstrate leadership. At Aerospace, our commitment is our people. To cultivate our talent and ensure that we have a strong pipeline of future leaders, we want individuals who:

• Operate Strategically
• Lead Change   
• Engage with Impact   
• Foster Innovation   
• Deliver Results  

Ways We Reward Our Employees

During your interview process, our team will provide details of our industry-leading benefits.

Benefits vary and are applicable based on Job Type.  A few highlights include:

• Comprehensive health care and wellness plans

• Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation

• Standard and alternate work schedules, including telework options

• 401(k) Plan — Employees receive a total company-paid benefit of 8%, 10%, or 12% of eligible compensation based on years of service and matching contributions; employees are immediately eligible and vested in the plan upon hire

• Flexible spending accounts

• Variable pay program for exceptional contributions

• Relocation assistance

• Professional growth and development programs to help advance your career

• Education assistance programs

• An inclusive work environment built on teamwork, flexibility, and respect

We are all unique, from various backgrounds and all walks of life, yet one thing bonds all of us to each other—the belief that we can make a difference. This core belief empowers us to do our best work at The Aerospace Corporation.

Equal Opportunity Commitment

The Aerospace Corporation is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, color, religion, genetic information, marital status, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, physical disability, medical condition, mental disability, or disability status and any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. If you’re an individual with a disability or a disabled veteran who needs assistance using our online job search and application tools or need reasonable accommodation to complete the job application process, please contact us by phone at 310.336.5432 or by email at peoplemangmnt.mailbox@aero.org . You can also review Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal.