Senior Infrastructure / Platform Engineer

Overview

We are hiring a senior-level infrastructure engineer to own and evolve our internal production systems. This role replaces most responsibilities currently handled by external IT for advanced infrastructure, reliability, and security work.

Tier-1 helpdesk, laptop management, and user onboarding are handled by a remote IT support provider. This role is focused on on-prem Kubernetes, system reliability, networking, and automation, not end-user support.

Our environment spans multiple physical sites connected via VPN, running production workloads on Kubernetes with GitOps-based deployment.

What You Will Do

Platform and Reliability Engineering

- Design, deploy, and operate on-prem Kubernetes clusters.

- Manage cluster lifecycle including node provisioning, upgrades, and decommissioning.

- Operate and scale Longhorn storage.

- Implement GitOps workflows using ArgoCD.

- Design backup, restore, and disaster recovery strategies for clusters and data.

- Define and monitor SLOs, alerts, and failure scenarios.

- Lead incident response for infrastructure-level outages.

Systems and Infrastructure

- Own physical and virtual server infrastructure across multiple sites.

- Design and maintain internal storage systems and local S3-compatible services.

- Plan capacity, redundancy, and failure domains.

- Manage lifecycle of infrastructure hardware in coordination with vendors.

Networking

- Design and maintain a multi-site network connected via VPN.

- Own internal routing, VLANs, firewall policies, and segmentation.

- Operate DNS, DHCP, and IP address management.

- Monitor and troubleshoot cross-site network performance and reliability.

Security and Compliance

- Maintain a secure baseline for infrastructure and Kubernetes.

- Integrate and operate HSM-backed security controls.

- Implement secrets management and access controls.

- Prepare infrastructure to support compliance frameworks and audits.

- Own backup integrity, restore testing, and ransomware readiness.

Automation and Tooling

- Build and maintain Infrastructure as Code for systems and networking.

- Reduce manual operational work through automation.

- Support CI/CD pipelines as they relate to infrastructure and deployment.

- Standardize and document operational workflows.

Vendor and Contractor Coordination

- Define technical boundaries and escalation paths with external IT support.

- Review and approve infrastructure-impacting changes.

- Serve as the final escalation point for system-level issues.

Documentation and Knowledge Sharing

- Maintain architecture diagrams, runbooks, and recovery procedures.

- Ensure critical systems are documented to avoid single points of failure.

- Communicate system changes and risks clearly to leadership and engineering teams.

Required Qualifications

- Senior-level experience operating Linux-based infrastructure.

- Strong hands-on experience with Kubernetes in production.

- Experience operating on-prem or hybrid infrastructure.

- Solid understanding of networking fundamentals and VPNs.

- Experience with GitOps workflows and declarative infrastructure.

- Strong troubleshooting skills across system, network, and storage layers.

- Ability to own systems end-to-end without heavy process overhead.

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience with Longhorn or distributed storage systems.

- Experience with ArgoCD.

- Experience operating S3-compatible storage systems.

- Familiarity with HSMs and hardware-backed security.

- Experience preparing systems for compliance frameworks.

- Experience in small or mid-sized engineering organizations.

Work Environment

- Hybrid role with on-site presence as needed for infrastructure work.

- Collaboration with engineering, leadership, and external IT partners.

- Senior-level autonomy and ownership.

About the Company

Jupiter Volta is an exciting and dynamic early-stage startup that is actively developing novel plasma processing technologies with groundbreaking new applications ranging from commercialized fusion energy to clean fertilizer manufactured with zero carbon emissions.

As a member of our small but talented team of engineers and scientists, you will have the opportunity to contribute to different areas of expertise as project needs dictate, and expand your skillset to meet project needs. We are looking for a dynamic self-starter with a pragmatic approach, who is capable of working independently and incrementally towards ambitious goals via the application of foundational engineering principles. Our ideal candidate seeks an exciting mission-driven technical challenge, and will thrive in our team culture of innovation, excellence, and passion for changing the world.

Compensation will include equity and be awarded by experience.

Pay: $110,000.00 - $140,000.00 per year

Benefits:

- 401(k)

- Dental insurance

- Health insurance

- Paid time off

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Berkeley, CA