Staff Software Engineer (Cloud, Kubernetes)

About the role

The role involves collaborating with Product Management, Architects and internal engineering teams to understand requirements, implement solutions, identify issues, and propose improvements. The individual will work as a Leader, Developer, and Developer Advocate, working closely with product development teams to enable mature and evolve our Kubernetes and container platforms.

Responsibilities

• Write clean, maintainable, and efficient code for various software applications and systems.
• Drive the technical strategy and vision for major projects and initiatives, ensuring alignment with business goals and industry best practices.
• Communicate complex concepts, anticipate potential objections, and influence others to adopt a point of view.
• Lead cross-functional teams to design, develop, and deliver high-impact software projects on time and within budget.
• Coordinate activities and tasks of other team members, working independently and needing guidance only in the most complex situations.
• Architect, design, and develop complex software systems and applications, ensuring high standards of performance, scalability, and reliability.
• Solve complex issues with innovative solutions, setting precedents as needed. Navigate information, alternatives, and relationships to achieve results.
• Ensure the health and quality of services and incidents, proactively identifying and addressing issues. Utilize service health indicators and telemetry for action.
• Conduct thorough root cause analysis and implement measures to prevent future recurrences.
• Advocate for and implement best quality practices, hold a high bar for engineering excellence, and guide the team in maintaining service quality through the testing pyramid.
• Oversee CI/CD pipelines, ensuring efficient build, test, and deployment phases.
• Build testable software, define tests, participate in the testing process, automate tests using tools (e.g., JUnit, Selenium) and design patterns leveraging the test automation pyramid as the guide.
• Conduct comprehensive code reviews, providing constructive feedback and ensuring adherence to best practices.
• Mentor junior engineers on taking ownership of the full lifecycle of services and features.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive technical documentation for software applications and systems.
• Stay current with emerging technologies and industry trends, advocating for their adoption where appropriate to drive innovation and productivity enhancement within the team (e.g., CoPilot).

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 7+ years of DevOps and software engineering experience.
• Deep expertise in one or more programming languages such as Python, Java, C#, .NET, or JavaScript.
• Extensive experience with GitHub Actions, leveraging Terraform and Ansible to create CI/CD pipeline automation frameworks and container-based deployments.
• Deep experience working with Kubernetes, Docker, and public cloud deployment platforms.
• Extensive experience with software architecture and design patterns, including the ability to design and implement scalable, reliable systems in a DevOps model.
• Proven track record of leading and delivering large-scale, complex software projects.
• Proficiency with cloud technologies like Azure, AWS, GCP, and version control systems like GitHub.
• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail, with a commitment to delivering high-quality software solutions.
• Proficiency in building telemetry or observability as part of the development process.
• Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and drive technical decisions across the organization.
• Deep understanding of Kubernetes operators, networking primitives, including Services, Ingress, Gateway API, and service mesh architectures (e.g., Istio, Linkerd), with hands-on experience operating them at scale.
• Familiarity with developing accessible technologies.
• Dedicated to diversity and inclusion initiatives.
• Recognized as an expert in their technical area.
• Understanding of internal and external business challenges and regulatory factors.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or PhD in Computer Science or a related technical field.
• Experience with GitHub Actions, Terraform, Ansible and Kubernetes.
• Familiarity with developing accessible technologies.
• Dedicated to diversity and inclusion initiatives.
• Demonstrated expertise in specialized disciplines and related fields.
• Recognized as an expert in their technical area.
• Understanding of internal and external business challenges and regulatory factors.

Skills

• Programming Languages: Python, Java, C#, .NET, JavaScript.
• Cloud Technologies: Azure, AWS, GCP.
• Version Control Systems: GitHub.
• GitHub Actions, Terraform, Ansible.
• Kubernetes, Docker.
• DevOps Tools: CI/CD pipelines, GitHub Actions, Terraform, Ansible.
• Software Architecture and Design Patterns.
• Service Mesh Architectures: Istio, Linkerd.
• Networking Primitives: Services, Ingress, Gateway API.
• Telemetry and Observability.
• API Gateway and Edge Routing Technologies: NGINX, Envoy, Kong.
• TLS/mTLS, Certificate Lifecycle Management, Secure Service-to-Service Communication.
• Service-to-Service Routing: L7 Traffic Shaping, Canary Deployments, Blue/Green Releases, Zero-Downtime Migration Strategies.
• Authentication, Rate Limiting, Policy Enforcement.
• Testing: JUnit, Selenium.
• Test Automation Pyramid.
• Code Reviews.
• Mentorship: Junior Engineers.
• Technical Documentation.
• Emerging Technologies and Industry Trends.

Benefits

UKG is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, disability, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, and other legally protected categories. View The EEO Know Your Rights poster UKG participates in E-Verify. View the E-Verify posters here. It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability. Disability Accommodation in the Application and Interview Process For individuals with disabilities that need additional assistance at any point in the application and interview process, please email UKGCareers@ukg.com.

Pay

The actual base pay offered may vary depending on skills, experience, job-related knowledge and work location. In addition to base pay, employees may be eligible to participate in a performance-based bonus plan and to receive restricted stock unit awards as part of total compensation. Learn more about UKG’s benefits and rewards at https://www.ukg.com/about-us/careers/benefits.

Schedule

N/A

Legal Compliance

UKG is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, disability, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, and other legally protected categories. View The EEO Know Your Rights poster UKG participates in E-Verify. View the E-Verify posters here. It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability. Disability Accommodation in the Application and Interview Process For individuals with disabilities that need additional assistance at any point in the application and interview process, please email UKGCareers@ukg.com.