Principal Engineer, Kubernetes Storage (Trident)

Own the Kubernetes story for the worlds #1 storage OS.

Trident was the first open-source out-of-tree dynamic storage provisioner for Kubernetes. We shipped it before CSI was a spec. Today its how thousands of teams run stateful workloads on NetApp and it runs in production at some of the largest Kubernetes estates on the planet.

Were looking for the person who decides where it goes next.

What youll actually do

Youll set the architecture for persistent storage and data protection on Kubernetes at NetApp. That means real decisions with real consequences: how volumes behave under failure what the snapshot and recovery story looks like across clouds where we invest upstream and where we dont.

This is a hands-on principal role. Youll be in the Go code in design reviews and on calls with customers who are running something hard and need it to work. Youll partner with product management on the roadmap instead of receiving it. And when we take a position in the CSI community or on a conference stage youre the one taking it.

Why this team

ONTAP manages hundreds of exabytes for more than 30000 customers. Trident is the bridge between that and the cloud-native world and the bridge is still being built. There is a lot of surface area here for someone who wants their architectural decisions to show up in other peoples production clusters.

We build in the open we argue about designs and we ship. If you want ownership over a problem that matters to a large number of engineers this is it.

Specifically:

• Lead architecture for Trident and the Kubernetes data services around it
• Design and ship production Go not just diagrams
• Guide engineers through complex cross-team technical work
• Work directly with customers on escalations requirements and validation
• Raise the bar on testing debugging and performance
• Run PoCs and R&D on where Kubernetes storage is heading
• Represent NetApp upstream and in the open-source community

What we need

• 10 years building software or equivalent demonstrated impact
• Strong production Go
• Deep Kubernetes knowledge: architecture APIs controllers and operators and how storage actually gets consumed
• Real experience with persistent storage in Kubernetes (CSI volume lifecycle or comparable)
• Solid fundamentals in distributed systems data structures and systems design
• Hands-on with at least one major cloud (AWS Azure or GCP)
• The ability to explain a design clearly to engineers to PM and to a frustrated customer
• Comfort working in an Agile team

What helps

• Youve built or maintained a CSI driver or Kubernetes storage controller in production
• Open-source contributions in Kubernetes CSI or CNCF projects
• Python for tooling test and automation
• Data protection on Kubernetes: snapshots clones backup DR
• Experience with ONTAP or other enterprise and cloud-native storage platforms
• A track record leading technical work across teams

Bachelors degree in technical area of study: engineering disciplines

Masters degree in technical field such as engineering software development preferred with less additional experience stated above