Kubernetes Engineer / Administrator – Azure AKS ::Charlotte, NC

[Iyra dass]

Hi,

We are hiring for a  Kubernetes Engineer / Administrator – Azure AKS 

Location:Charlotte, NC
Work Type:Hybrid
Pay Rate:$75 / hr

Employment type:C2C

Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced Kubernetes Engineer/Administrator to join our team. This role focuses on managing and scaling our enterprise-grade Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) infrastructure. You will be responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining production Kubernetes clusters that support critical enterprise workloads across multiple Azure regions.

Primary Responsibilities
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Management
• Design, deploy, and manage enterprise-scale AKS clusters across multiple Azure regions
• Implement and maintain private AKS clusters with advanced networking configurations
• Configure and manage customer-managed encryption keys (CMK) for cluster disk encryption
• Implement blue/green deployment strategies for zero-downtime cluster upgrades
• Manage AKS cluster lifecycle including upgrades, node pool scaling, and disaster recovery
• Optimize cluster performance, cost, and resource utilization
• Implement AKS Fleet Manager for multi-cluster management and orchestration
• Configure AKS Automatic for simplified cluster operations and auto-scaling
• Manage AKS Managed Namespaces for improved multi-tenancy and resource isolation
Security & Compliance
• Implement and maintain private networking architectures with Azure Private Endpoints
• Configure and manage Workload Identity (OIDC) and user-assigned managed identities
• Integrate Azure Policy for governance, compliance, and security enforcement
• Implement Kubernetes RBAC and Azure RBAC integration
• Manage secrets integration with Azure Key Vault using CSI drivers
• Ensure secure communication between AKS and Azure PaaS services
• Implement network policies and pod security standards
Service Mesh & Advanced Networking
• Deploy and manage Linkerd service mesh for secure service-to-service communication
• Implement mTLS between services with automatic certificate rotation
• Configure traffic splitting, load balancing, and observability with Linkerd
• Troubleshoot service mesh networking and performance issues
• Integrate service mesh metrics with Azure Monitor
Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
• Develop and maintain Terraform modules for AKS and supporting Azure infrastructure
• Build reusable, production-ready Terraform patterns following Azure best practices
• Implement infrastructure automation and GitOps workflows
• Manage Terraform state, version control, and module lifecycle
• Create and maintain comprehensive documentation for infrastructure patterns
GitOps & CI/CD
• Design and implement GitOps workflows using ArgoCD for application deployments
• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions for Kubernetes workloads
• Integrate AKS with Azure Container Registry (ACR) for container image management
• Implement automated testing and validation for infrastructure and application changes
• Manage deployment strategies (rolling updates, blue/green, canary)
Monitoring, Observability & Operations
• Implement comprehensive monitoring and alerting with Azure Monitor
• Configure Log Analytics workspaces and integrate with AKS
• Build dashboards and alerts for cluster health, performance, and security
• Leverage Linkerd metrics and distributed tracing for service observability
• Troubleshoot complex cluster, networking, and application issues
• Conduct capacity planning and cost optimization
• Participate in on-call rotation for production support
• Perform post-incident analysis and implement preventive measures
Required Qualifications
Technical Skills – Azure & Kubernetes
• 5+ years of hands-on Kubernetes experience in production environments
• 2+ years of Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) experience required
• Strong Terraform expertise with proven ability to build reusable, production-ready modules
• Deep understanding of Kubernetes architecture, networking, storage, and security
• Experience with private AKS clusters and Azure Private Link / Private Endpoints
• Proficiency with Azure networking: VNets, subnets, NSGs, private DNS zones, VNet peering
• Strong understanding of Azure managed identities, Workload Identity, and RBAC
• Experience with Azure Key Vault integration (CSI driver, disk encryption sets)
• Hands-on experience with customer-managed encryption keys in Azure
• Experience with Azure Container Registry including geo-replication and vulnerability scanning
Infrastructure as Code & Automation
• Advanced Terraform skills with module development experience
• Git version control and branching strategies (GitHub)
• GitOps tools: ArgoCD
• GitHub Actions for CI/CD pipelines
• Infrastructure testing and validation practices
Platform & Tools
• Azure CLI and Azure PowerShell
• kubectl, helm, kustomize
• Linux system administration
• Scripting: Bash, Python, or PowerShell
• Container technologies: Docker, containerd
• GitHub workflows and Actions
Soft Skills
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting abilities
• Excellent documentation skills with focus on knowledge sharing
• Collaborative team player with mentoring capabilities
• Effective communication for both technical and business audiences
• Self-motivated with ability to manage complex projects
Preferred Qualifications
Certifications
• Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) or Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS)
• Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305)
• Azure Security Engineer Associate (AZ-500)
• Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104)
Advanced Skills
• Experience with Linkerd service mesh – deployment, configuration, and troubleshooting
• Experience with AKS Fleet Manager for multi-cluster orchestration
• Familiarity with AKS Automatic and managed namespace patterns
• Experience with Kubernetes operators and Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs)
• Advanced CNI configurations (Azure CNI, Calico, Cilium)
• Multi-cluster management and federation
• Experience with other cloud platforms (GCP GKE, AWS EKS) is a plus
Platform Engineering
• Building internal developer platforms on Kubernetes
• Policy-as-code implementation (Azure Policy, OPA, Kyverno)
• Cost optimization and FinOps practices for Kubernetes
• Chaos engineering and reliability testing
• Multi-region disaster recovery patterns

Thanks,

Lyra Dass

Human Resources Manager
Digital Resource Partners LLC

+1(945)248-3020

https://drpscorp.com/