Kubernetes Architect

In this senior-level architectural role, you will define the technical direction, system designs, and operational frameworks for multiple complex cloud automation initiatives, enterprise CI/CD pipelines, and cloud-native application blueprints. Acting as a principal platform advocate, you will design, scale, and build a modern Integrated Developer Platform (IDP), enabling robust DevOps and GitOps methodologies across distributed application teams. This position is ideal for a highly technical platform pioneer who combines deep Kubernetes engineering expertise with the collaborative leadership required to drive secure cloud transformation at an enterprise scale.

Duration: 6-Month Contract (with high potential for extension)

Work Arrangement: Hybrid (2 days per week on-site in the Mississauga, ON office)



Advantages
High-Impact Platform Ownership: Architect and shape an enterprise-level Integrated Developer Platform (IDP) and Internal Developer Portal, fundamentally modernizing how thousands of internal developers ship code.

Cutting-Edge Tech Stack: Work with advanced cloud-native networking and delivery tools, including Cilium, Istio Service Mesh, ArgoCD, Kargo, and Crossplane.

Complex Multi-Cloud Environments: Design scalable, highly available container platforms across both Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

Strategic Leadership Profile: Drive the cloud automation roadmap, champion Agile/Scrum best practices, and mentor a talented multi-disciplinary engineering group.



Responsibilities
Platform Architecture & Developer Enablement
IDP Development: Design, build, and operate the Integrated Developer Platform (IDP) using gated CI/CD templates and automated build/release pipelines to accelerate software delivery.

DevOps Evangelism: Define the corporate automation strategy, establishing standardized patterns for infrastructure, application pipelines, and Developer Portal integrations.

Technical Standards & Blueprints: Author enterprise-level Kubernetes standards, reference architectures, deployment blueprints, and operational best practices.

Infrastructure-as-Code & GitOps Automation
Multi-Cloud Provisioning: Automate and manage Kubernetes clusters on Azure (AKS) and Google Cloud (GKE) using Terraform and Crossplane.

GitOps Continuous Delivery: Design and implement progressive, automated multi-stage delivery pipelines utilizing ArgoCD and Kargo.

Configuration Management: Establish standards for application packaging and cluster configurations using Helm, Kustomize, and Ansible.

Security, Networking & Observability
Advanced Traffic Management: Define traffic routing and network policies using Cilium (Network Policies), Azure CNI, Gateway API, NGINX Ingress, and Istio Service Mesh.

Security & Compliance: Implement enterprise governance controls, including OPA/Gatekeeper, Azure Policies, and secure secrets/TLS certificate management utilizing KeyFactor, ACME, and cert-manager.

Observability Architecture: Design a comprehensive full-stack observability strategy tracking platform logs, system metrics, and execution traces using Prometheus and Grafana.



Qualifications
Experience: Minimum 10+ years of professional Software or Infrastructure Engineering experience in PaaS/DevOps environments, with at least 8+ years dedicated to full-stack development, SRE, or enterprise Kubernetes architecture.

GitOps & Delivery Mastery: Extensive experience architecting GitOps workflows, automated environments, and continuous delivery systems utilizing ArgoCD, Kargo, GitHub Actions, Jenkins, and Artifactory.

Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Advanced command of Terraform, Ansible, and Crossplane for cloud-native infrastructure provisioning.

Advanced Networking & Governance: Deep working knowledge of Kubernetes routing, service meshes (Istio), network policies (Cilium), and compliance policy engines (OPA/Gatekeeper).

Security Acuity: Solid understanding of multi-tier cloud security concepts, network architecture, and strict compliance environments.

Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or an equivalent technical discipline.

Nice-to-Have Skills & Assets
Active professional certifications, including Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD), or Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS).

Hands-on software development experience with React, TypeScript, Backstage, Node.js, and JavaScript.

Prior experience leading Architecture Review Boards or formal technical design reviews in an Agile environment.



Summary
If you are a tech-savvy Kubernetes Architect who pairs deep full-stack engineering and container networking expertise with the vision to design a state-of-the-art Integrated Developer Platform, this hybrid contract is a premier opportunity. Bring your GitOps precision, IaC automation mastery, and collaborative technical leadership to our client's Mississauga-based cloud engineering team today!

Randstad Canada is committed to fostering a workforce reflective of all peoples of Canada. As a result, we are committed to developing and implementing strategies to increase the equity, diversity and inclusion within the workplace by examining our internal policies, practices, and systems throughout the entire lifecycle of our workforce, including its recruitment, retention and advancement for all employees. In addition to our deep commitment to respecting human rights, we are dedicated to positive actions to affect change to ensure everyone has full participation in the workforce free from any barriers, systemic or otherwise, especially equity-seeking groups who are usually underrepresented in Canada's workforce, including those who identify as women or non-binary/gender non-conforming; Indigenous or Aboriginal Peoples; persons with disabilities (visible or invisible) and; members of visible minorities, racialized groups and the LGBTQ2+ community.

Randstad Canada is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible workplace for all its candidates and employees by supporting their accessibility and accommodation needs throughout the employment lifecycle. We ask that all job applications please identify any accommodation requirements by sending an email to accessibility@randstad.ca to ensure their ability to fully participate in the interview process.

This posting is for existing and upcoming vacancies.