Job Description

Title: Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) SME / Lead Contractor

Location: Remote

Summary
We are seeking a highly experienced Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) SME / Lead Contractor to guide our enterprise engineering teams through a strategic migration from Tanzu PCF to GKE. This role will serve as the primary technical expert-defining standards, creating best practices, and providing hands-on support throughout the migration lifecycle.
The ideal candidate brings a blend of deep Kubernetes expertise, hands-on Java Spring Boot and Python experience, and a proven track record leading complex platform migrations in large enterprise environments.

Key Responsibilities
Migration Leadership & Architecture
Lead the end-to-end migration of applications and APIs from Tanzu PCF to Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)
Define the migration blueprint including cluster architecture, networking, security, and workload patterns
Partner with engineering teams to evaluate current PCF workloads and design the optimal target state in GKE
Technical Enablement & Best Practices


Mentor and guide teams on Kubernetes fundamentals, containerization, service mesh, CI/CD, and Google Cloud Platform-native services
Create templates, reusable components, and standardized deployment patterns for GKE
Conduct technical workshops, training sessions, and architecture review forums
Hands-On Development & Troubleshooting


Provide hands-on support in refactoring Java Spring Boot and Python applications for Kubernetes
Optimize container builds, resource usage, autoscaling, and observability
Troubleshoot platform, networking, and service-level issues in GKE clusters
Work closely with DevOps and Cloud Engineering to integrate pipelines and IaC
Operational Excellence


Establish logging, monitoring, and alerting best practices (Cloud Monitoring, Logging, Prometheus, etc.)
Implement secure configuration practices including Workload Identity, RBAC, PSP replacements, and ingress controls
Partner with InfoSec, Networking, and Infrastructure teams on governance and compliance requirements

Required Qualifications

• 8 12+ years of experience in cloud-native development, DevOps, or platform engineering
• Extensive experience with Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE):
• Cluster creation, node pools, autoscaling strategies
• VPC, subnetting, Ingress/Gateway, load balancing architecture
• Security controls: Workload Identity, RBAC, Network Policies, Secrets mgmt
• Observability stack (Cloud Ops, Prometheus, Grafana)
• Strong hands-on experience with:
• Java Spring Boot (microservices, config mgmt, API development)
• Python for automation, scripting, or app refactoring
• Proven success migrating apps from Tanzu PCF, Heroku, or similar PaaS to Kubernetes
• Deep understanding of CI/CD tools (GitHub, Jenkins, Cloud Build, ArgoCD, etc.)
• Strong communication skills-able to influence, mentor, and simplify complex concepts

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience leading large-scale cloud migrations in healthcare, regulated environments, or Fortune 50 companies
• Google Cloud Platform Certifications (GKE, PCA, PCSE)
• Experience with Terraform or IaC frameworks
• Familiarity with service mesh tools (Istio, Anthos Service Mesh)
• Experience uplifting teams through structured training program

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