Senior Platform Engineer- GitLab Cloud Migration Lead

About the Role

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Platform Engineer to lead a complex infrastructure modernization initiative involving on-premises Kubernetes, Enterprise Linux, and GitLab CI/CD migration.

This role requires strong hands-on expertise in on-prem environments, deep technical ownership, and the ability to independently drive large-scale migrations end-to-end.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and execute RKE1 to RKE2 Kubernetes migration, including cluster setup, workload migration, and networking reconfiguration
• Drive GitLab migration from on-prem to gitlab.com, including repositories, CI/CD pipelines, runners, and container registry transition
• Design and implement end-to-end GitLab CI/CD pipelines (build, test, security scans, deployment, and rollback strategies)
• Manage and harden SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) environments
• Act as a technical escalation point for post-migration issues, including application-level debugging inside containers
• Deploy and manage Kubernetes components including Rancher, Longhorn, MetalLB, and Nginx Ingress
• Implement observability solutions using Prometheus, Grafana, and Loki
• Establish Infrastructure as Code (IaC) practices using Terraform/Ansible
• Create migration plans, documentation, and runbooks

Must-Have Skills (Non-Negotiable)

• Hands-on experience with RKE1 to RKE2 migration (mandatory)
• Strong experience with on-prem Kubernetes (VMware-based environments)
• Deep expertise in GitLab CI/CD pipeline design and GitLab administration
• Proven experience in migrating GitLab from on-prem to gitlab.com
• Production experience with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES)
• Ability to debug issues beyond Kubernetes (container/application-level troubleshooting)

Core Technical Skills

• Kubernetes (RKE1, RKE2), Rancher Manager
• GitLab CI/CD, GitLab Runner, Container Registry
• SLES (zypper, systemd, security hardening)
• Networking & Storage: MetalLB, Nginx Ingress, Longhorn
• Observability: Prometheus, Grafana, Loki
• IaC: Terraform / Ansible
• Scripting: Bash, Python
• CI/CD practices, branching strategies, and deployment patterns (blue-green, canary)

Good to Have

• Experience with air-gapped/on-prem Kubernetes environments
• Exposure to AWS services (EKS, EC2, S3, IAM, etc.)
• GitOps tools such as Argo CD
• Experience with JFrog Artifactory migration
• Knowledge of OpenShift migrations (OCP3 OCP4)

What Were Not Looking For

• Candidates with only cloud-managed Kubernetes (EKS/AKS/GKE) experience
• Limited exposure to GitLab (only deployment, not full CI pipeline design)
• No hands-on experience with SLES
• Superficial or UI-level experience with Kubernetes upgrades

Work Details

• Type: Full-time Contract
• Duration: 6 months+ (extendable)
• Location: Remote
• Availability: Overlap with EST hours required
• Joining: Immediate / Short notice preferred