**Cloud Architect**
**Dev Ops | Kubernetes platforms | Cybersecurity Start Up**
**Location:** US Remote (preference for candidates within ~2.5 hours of
Pennsylvania)
**Salary:** $120,000 - $180,000 + bonus
**Team Size:** ~20 people
This is not a SysAdmin role.
A lot of DevOps roles are about managing, supporting, and maintaining
infrastructure.
**This one is about _building_ infrastructure that is the product.**
They're solving infrastructure-heavy problems in security. Kubernetes, object
storage, distributed systems architecture - these aren't support concerns.
**They're part of what they ship.**
They need someone who **owns Kubernetes platform decisions, not someone who
deploys and maintains what others designed.**
**What you'll actually do**
You'll own **cloud** **architecture decisions** \- not execute someone else's
plan.
* Design Kubernetes platform and deployment patterns
* Own CI/CD and release processes
* Define infrastructure tooling and automation strategy
* Support customer and partner environments across three deployment models
* Drive reliability, monitoring, and operational maturity
**This matters:** You'll be making decisions about how the platform evolves,
not responding to tickets about how it runs.
**What they need from you**
**Kubernetes ownership.**
* Have you architected Kubernetes clusters or migrations?
* Do you own decisions around upgrades, scaling, networking, observability?
* Have you built infrastructure that others deploy and operate?
**Cloud Architecture expertise.**
* Multi cloud experience?
* Able to explain cloud architecture patterns?
**Building mindset.**
* You've owned infrastructure or platform decisions, not just executed them.
* You solve unfamiliar problems and learn new patterns.
**Real DevOps depth.**
* Strong Linux and cloud infrastructure experience
* CI/CD automation expertise
* Terraform or equivalent infrastructure-as-code
* Docker and containerization fundamentals
**Comfort with complexity.**
You'll work across three deployment models - SaaS (Akamai/Linode), packaged
software (customer-hosted Kubernetes), and hardware appliance (Talos OS).
**This probably isn't for you, if**
* You prefer following runbooks over making architecture decisions
* You're looking for a support-heavy or ticket-driven role
* You've mainly used Kubernetes but haven't owned platform decisions
* You need clear process and hierarchy to operate effectively
* You want to specialize in one tool or technology
**Why this role exists**
New customers, new partnerships, new deployment complexity. Key partnership
projects are live and need acceleration. This is a fully approved, business-
critical hire.
**What you get**
* Real ownership. You make architecture decisions, not just execute.
* Work directly with leadership.
* Infrastructure challenges that matter - sharding, distributed storage, customer deployments.
* High autonomy in a flat team structure.
* Hands-on role, not coordination/process overhead.
* Opportunity to shape platform evolution as they grow.
**The team**
You'll report to C suite (25+ years in cybersecurity). You'll work alongside
5-6 engineers (mid to senior level). No junior engineers. No hierarchy. Flat
structure.
They gather typically 1-2 times per month for in-person working sessions.
**Who thrives here**
* Engineers who prefer ownership over hierarchy
* People who make decisions without waiting for permission
* Pragmatic builders who ship value
* People who communicate clearly across technical and non-technical stakeholders
**The technical environment**
* **Primary cloud:** Akamai Cloud (formerly Linode). AWS context exists but isn't the primary platform.
* **Container platform:** Kubernetes across all deployments. Talos OS for appliance.
* **Operating systems:** Ubuntu-based for primary deployments.
* **Storage:** S3-compatible object storage.
* **Tooling:** Terraform, CI/CD pipelines (GitLab/GitHub Actions), secrets management (Vault-style), monitoring/observability.
* **Compliance:** SOC 2 aligned controls.
**The process**
1. **Initial screening call** **with me** \- Learn about you, share more about the role, assess fit
2. **Hiring manager conversation** \- Leadership style, motivation, autonomy, environment fit
3. **Head of Engineering** \- Technical depth, architecture reasoning, engineering alignment
4. **Engineering team member** \- Hands-on technical discussion, collaboration fit
5. **Product/Business Ops** \- Cross-functional alignment, delivery mindset
**_Interested?_**
If you've owned Kubernetes platform decisions, built infrastructure for others
to operate, and thrive with high autonomy - let's talk.
**Apply or reach out -[[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])**