Cluster platforms — first-hand experience with Kubernetes (control plane + GPU Operator + topology-aware scheduling) AND at least one of Slurm / Volcano / Kueue / Ray / KubeRay.
Strong DDD instincts — bounded contexts, public contracts, no shared databases, one-context-one-repo discipline.
Plugin framework design — you have built (or substantively contributed to) a real extension framework with a uniform manifest + lifecycle.
Writing fluency — you can author and maintain a multi-thousand-line architecture document under review without it drifting; you can also write a one-pager an executive will read.
Cross-team operating tempo — design reviews, runbook authorship, on-call shadowing, post-mortem facilitation Hyperscale or NeoCloud experience.