Cloud Native & Platform Engineer--Junior and Lead

Cloud Native & Platform Engineer Security Clearance & Vetting Level: VS-NfD + NdK (Nachweis der Kundigkeit / Proof of Expertise) Domain Cluster: Cloud & Platform Engineering Target Seniority / Skill Level: Junior, Regular, Senior, Lead, Executive Engagement Type: Time & Material / Work Deliverable Position Overview The Cloud Native & Platform Engineer is responsible for designing, building, and automating core cloud-native infrastructure components across public, private, and sovereign cloud environments. This role focuses on Kubernetes control plane development, multi-cluster orchestration, automated software delivery pipelines for Air-Gap environments, and Identity & Access Management (IAM/PAM) automation using the Kubernetes Resource Model (KRM). Key Responsibilities Control Plane Engineering: Develop, harden, and optimize Kubernetes Control Plane components (kube-apiserver, kube-controller-manager, kube-scheduler) and etcd key-value clusters for high availability and performance. Multi-Cluster Orchestration: Build and maintain multi-cluster management platforms using SAP Gardener (Shoot/Seed cluster management, extensions, providers) and Cluster API (CAPI). Air-Gap Pipeline Engineering: Construct Open Component Model (OCM)-based software delivery pipelines for Air-Gap/disconnected environments, implementing Component Descriptors, OCI transport bundles, SBOM generation, and automated compliance validation. State & Sync Management: Implement Core-to-Fog state synchronization mechanisms, inventory reconciliation, and offline data transfer workflows. PaaS & IAM/PAM Automation: Automate Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) toolchains using GitOps (ArgoCD, Flux) and Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform, Crossplane, KRO). Technical Qualifications & Skills Must Have: 3+ years of experience with Kubernetes internals, architecture, and operator development (Go, Kubebuilder). Proven experience with multi-cluster management (SAP Gardener, Cluster-API). Hands-on knowledge of software supply chain tooling (OCM CLI, OCI Registries, Harbor, SBOM SPDX/CycloneDX). Experience with GitOps, Infrastructure-as-Code, and CI/CD pipelines (ArgoCD, Flux, Crossplane, Terraform, GitLab CI). Proficiency in Go programming, gRPC/Protobuf, Linux administration, and Shell scripting. Nice to Have: SAFe / ITIL knowledge, Open Source IAM (Keycloak/Zitadel), Teleport PAM integration.