Platform Engineer - On Prem Kubernetes Platform

Career Area:

Job Description:

Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc.

When you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do – but also about each other.  We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here – we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it.

Job Summary

We are seeking a Platform Engineer to design, build, and operate a next‑generation on‑premise Kubernetes platform supporting mission‑critical applications. This is a senior, hands‑on role responsible for platform architecture, reliability, security, and production readiness.

The role also plays a key part in modernizing software delivery by leveraging Generative AI and agentic development tools, acting as a human‑in‑the‑loop technical leader to ensure responsible, high‑quality AI‑assisted engineering.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect, build, and operate a high‑availability on‑prem Kubernetes platform for mission‑critical workloads.
• Own Kubernetes lifecycle management including cluster bootstrap, upgrades, hardening, backup, and recovery.
• Lead troubleshooting of complex platform issues across Kubernetes control plane, networking, storage, and scheduling.
• Partner with SRE, DevSecOps, Security, and Infrastructure teams to ensure production readiness and operational excellence.
• Define and enforce platform security, reliability, scalability, and operability standards.
• Leverage Generative AI and agentic tools to accelerate platform and infrastructure engineering.
• Act as a human‑in‑the‑loop authority for AI‑assisted and agentic development, defining guardrails and quality standards.
• Provide technical leadership through design reviews, code reviews, and mentoring of platform engineers.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years of experience in platform engineering, infrastructure, or distributed systems.
• Strong hands‑on expertise with Kubernetes in production environments.
• Proven experience building and operating high‑availability, mission‑critical platforms.
• Experience working with Linux, containers, networking, and storage systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with on‑prem, edge, or air‑gapped Kubernetes deployments.
• Experience with infrastructure‑as‑code and automation (e.g., Terraform, Ansible, GitOps).
• Experience partnering closely with SRE and Security teams in regulated or operationally critical environments.
• Hands‑on experience using Generative AI or agentic tools to improve engineering productivity and quality.
• Prior experience as a Senior Individual Contributor for platform teams.

Posting Dates:

Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply

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