Senior Principal Engineer

Mirantis

. Set technical direction across the entire k0rdent engineering department spanning Core k0rdent, AI Infrastructure, and AI Applications .

Posted 9/24/2026full-timeRemote • United States, KazakhstanSeniorWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expert-level proficiency in Kubernetes internals, distributed systems, and AI/ML workload runtimes, with a strong ability to design large-scale, multi-tenant systems. Provides technical leadership across departments while mentoring engineers and translating complex technical tradeoffs to diverse stakeholders.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Kubernetes InternalsAI/ML Workload RuntimesTechnical LeadershipArchitectural Decision-MakingMulti-Tenant System Design

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Distributed SystemsModel ServingGPU SchedulingAutoscalingObservabilityAPI DesignSystem PrototypingArchitectural CoherenceTechnical Roadmap DevelopmentRisk Mitigation

Soft Skills

MentoringEffective CommunicationJudgment in Fast-Moving DomainsCross-Departmental CollaborationCustomer Engagement

Tools & Technologies

KubernetesCNCFOpenTelemetryAI InfrastructureObservability Tools

Industry Keywords

Technical DirectionEngineering LeadershipMulti-Quarter RoadmapCross-Cutting Platform ComponentsUpstream Communities

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Distributed SystemsKubernetes

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Set technical direction across the entire k0rdent engineering department spanning Core k0rdent, AI Infrastructure, and AI Applications
Own end-to-end architectural coherence across the three areas
Write code, design systems, prototype difficult problems, and resolve architectural decisions
Partner with Directors of Engineering and Engineering Managers to translate product strategy into durable technical execution
Serve as the engineering organization's senior technical voice with customers, partners, and upstream communities
Provide cross-departmental technical leadership without direct supervisory authority
Mentor and grow Staff and Principal engineers across the department
Define and evolve the multi-quarter technical roadmap for k0rdent
Lead design of high-risk, cross-cutting platform components and interfaces
Establish department-wide standards for API design, testing, observability, performance, security, multi-tenancy, and operational readiness
Partner with upstream Kubernetes, CNCF, OpenTelemetry, AI/ML, and model-serving communities
Translate customer problems into technical options with product management and executive leadership
Engage customers, contribute to upstream projects, and represent Mirantis at conferences, standards bodies, and technical publications
Mitigate architectural, security, scalability, and integration risks

Requirements

What you’ll need

Expert-level proficiency across Kubernetes internals and cluster lifecycle, distributed systems, AI/ML workload runtimes, model serving, GPU scheduling, autoscaling under bursty inference traffic, and modern observability (metrics, logs, traces, SLOs)
Ability to design large-scale, multi-tenant systems spanning multiple subsystems and communicate designs clearly in writing
Ability to identify and sequence important architectural decisions two to three years ahead against business reality
Track record of driving technical direction across multiple teams and organizations without direct authority
Demonstrated success developing Staff, Principal, and Tech Lead-level engineers
Ability to explain complex technical tradeoffs clearly to engineers, executives, customers, and the broader community
Understanding of how engineering decisions translate into cost, revenue, and risk
Strong judgment in fast-moving domains, particularly AI infrastructure
Effective partnership with product management, design, sales engineering, and customer-facing teams
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field, or 10 years related experience
At least five years in a technical leadership role preferred

Benefits

Comp & perks

Professional development and training
Attend conferences and working groups
Company outings, happy hours, hackathons, and tech talks
Competitive compensation package with a strong benefits plan
Remote work arrangement