Platform Application Engineer

Criterion Systems LLC, part of Cherokee Federal, is seeking a skilled Platform Engineer to design, build, and maintain robust automation and deployment frameworks. The role involves deploying and managing complex helm charts, maintaining configuration-as-code repositories, and collaborating with development teams for scalable platform operations.

Responsibilities:

• Develop, maintain, and optimize complex automation scripts primarily written in Python to support platform deployment and management
• Write and maintain custom Dockerfiles to create efficient and secure container images
• Design, develop, and maintain Helm charts to deploy applications and infrastructure components
• Write tests for and test helm-charts thoroughly for each release cycle
• Deploy, manage, and troubleshoot Helm charts across dozens of Kubernetes instances/environments ensuring high availability and consistency
• Implement and manage configuration-as-code frameworks to ensure system configurations are reproducible and version controlled
• Develop, maintain, and optimize automated CI/CD pipelines using GitLab CI/CD, integrating with other tools and services as needed
• Collaborate with development, operations, and QA teams to ensure seamless integration of automation into the platform’s lifecycle
• Document automation processes, deployment procedures, configurations, and standards clearly and comprehensively
• Monitor, review, and optimize platform performance and automation workflows; troubleshoot issues proactively
• Stay current with industry best practices, tooling, and emerging technologies related to automation, container orchestration, and CI/CD
• Other duties as assigned

Requirements:

• U.S. citizenship documentation required
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience
• Strong proficiency in Python scripting with experience writing complex automation scripts
• Hands-on experience writing and maintaining custom Dockerfiles and managing containerized applications
• Demonstrated expertise in Helm chart development, templating, and management
• Experience deploying, upgrading, and managing Helm charts across multiple Kubernetes clusters or environments
• Solid understanding of Kubernetes concepts and ecosystem
• Experience in setting up and maintaining CI/CD pipelines, preferably GitLab CI/CD
• Familiarity with configuration-as-code tools (e.g., GitOps practices, Helm values management, Kustomize, or similar)
• Strong understanding of version control systems, primarily Git
• Excellent troubleshooting, problem-solving, and analytical skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with an emphasis on clear documentation and cross-team collaboration
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Experience with other programming languages (Java, Go, etc.)
• Knowledge of other container orchestration frameworks or cloud platforms (e.g., OpenShift, AKS, EKS, GKE)
• Familiarity with monitoring and logging tools (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack)
• Understanding of security best practices in containerized deployments (image scanning, secrets management, RBAC)
• Experience with chaos engineering or automated testing within CI/CD pipelines
• Contributions to open-source projects or Helm charts are a plus
• Certifications related to Kubernetes (CKA/CKAD), Docker, or DevOps practices