Kubernetes Engineer Jobs in USA with Visa Sponsorship
Kubernetes Engineers are in high demand at U.S. tech companies, and many actively sponsor H-1B visa and O-1 visas for this role. The position qualifies as a specialty occupation, making visa sponsorship straightforward for candidates with a relevant degree and hands-on container orchestration experience. For detailed occupation requirements, see the O*NET profile.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
Cullerton Group has a new opportunity for an IT Software Engineer 5 – Senior Kubernetes Platform Engineer in Peoria, Illinois. The work will be performed 100% onsite, five days per week, with no remote or hybrid options. This is a 12-month position that can lead to permanent employment with our client. Compensation is $74/hr W-2 plus full benefits (vision, dental, health insurance, 401k, and holiday pay).
JOB SUMMARY
The Senior Kubernetes Platform Engineer will lead the design, deployment, operation, and continuous improvement of enterprise Kubernetes platforms supporting advanced AI workloads across cloud and on-premises environments. This role focuses on establishing secure, scalable, highly available Kubernetes infrastructure, implementing GitOps-driven automation, and ensuring reliable platform operations for enterprise AI applications. The engineer will develop platform standards for security, multi-tenancy, observability, infrastructure provisioning, and lifecycle management while collaborating with globally distributed engineering teams. The ideal candidate will have extensive hands-on Kubernetes platform engineering experience, deep Linux and infrastructure expertise, and a strong background in Terraform, Helm, GitOps, and enterprise security practices.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Lead the design, deployment, administration, and lifecycle management of production-grade Kubernetes platforms across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments, ensuring high availability, scalability, reliability, and operational consistency.
- Develop and maintain Infrastructure as Code and GitOps-driven automation using Terraform, Helm, Argo CD, Flux, or related technologies to automate cluster provisioning, deployments, upgrades, patching, scaling, and configuration management.
- Implement Kubernetes security and governance controls, including role-based access control (RBAC), network policies, secrets and key management, admission policies, workload isolation, and production cluster hardening.
- Establish platform observability, monitoring, incident response, service reliability objectives, and operational readiness practices while troubleshooting complex issues involving Linux, Kubernetes networking, storage, and container runtime environments.
- Collaborate with application, infrastructure, security, and AI engineering teams to establish standardized deployment patterns, support enterprise AI workloads, improve platform adoption, and optimize infrastructure performance, scalability, and cost efficiency.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related technical discipline.
- 10+ years of relevant professional experience in Kubernetes platform engineering, cloud infrastructure, DevOps, site reliability engineering, or closely related enterprise infrastructure roles.
- Proven experience designing, building, operating, and evolving production-grade Kubernetes platforms across cloud, on-premises, or hybrid environments.
- Demonstrated experience managing large-scale Kubernetes environments, including platform reliability, security, cluster operations, upgrades, and lifecycle management.
- Deep technical expertise in Linux operating systems, Kubernetes cluster networking, storage architecture, and infrastructure troubleshooting.
- Hands-on experience with Terraform for Infrastructure as Code, automated provisioning, and enterprise platform infrastructure management.
- Strong experience using Helm for Kubernetes application deployment, release management, and configuration management.
- Experience with GitOps tools such as Argo CD or Flux to manage production deployments, configurations, and platform automation.
- Strong hands-on Kubernetes security experience, including RBAC, network policies, secrets management, admission or policy enforcement, and production cluster hardening.
- Experience supporting at least one major cloud platform, preferably AWS or Microsoft Azure, along with enterprise cloud or hybrid infrastructure environments.
- Knowledge of platform monitoring, observability, incident response, operational readiness, and reliability management practices.
- Strong troubleshooting and root cause analysis skills involving complex infrastructure, networking, storage, and runtime issues.
- Ability to collaborate with globally distributed application, security, infrastructure, and platform engineering teams.
- Strong technical communication, problem-solving, and independent decision-making skills.
- Willingness to participate in operational support, on-call activities, maintenance planning, and disaster recovery readiness.
- Ability to work 100% onsite in Peoria, IL, five days per week, starting Day 1.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD), or Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS) certification.
- Experience with managed Kubernetes services and enterprise distributions, including Amazon EKS, Azure AKS, Google GKE, Red Hat OpenShift, or Rancher.
- Experience supporting enterprise AI platforms, AI infrastructure, or shared AI development environments.
- Familiarity with Accenture AI Refinery or comparable enterprise AI platforms.
- Experience with service mesh technologies supporting traffic management, platform security, and resilience.
- Experience with OpenTelemetry or modern observability frameworks for distributed systems and infrastructure monitoring.
- Knowledge of container image security, vulnerability scanning, software supply chain security, and workload protection.
- Experience designing secure multi-tenant Kubernetes platforms with strong governance and workload isolation.
- Familiarity with disaster recovery, high availability, service-level objectives, and enterprise operational readiness.
- Experience improving platform automation, infrastructure cost efficiency, performance optimization, and developer enablement.
- Previous experience supporting large enterprise, manufacturing, industrial technology, or globally distributed engineering environments.
WHY THIS ROLE?
This position offers an opportunity to build and advance enterprise Kubernetes infrastructure supporting innovative AI technologies for a global leader in heavy machinery and manufacturing. You will contribute to the foundational architecture of a shared enterprise AI platform, implement modern GitOps and infrastructure automation practices, and strengthen the security, reliability, and scalability of critical cloud and on-premises environments. Cullerton Group provides a professional environment with growth potential, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities to develop specialized expertise in Kubernetes platform architecture, enterprise AI infrastructure, and cloud-native engineering.
INTRODUCTION
Cullerton Group has a new opportunity for an IT Software Engineer 5 – Senior Kubernetes Platform Engineer in Peoria, Illinois. The work will be performed 100% onsite, five days per week, with no remote or hybrid options. This is a 12-month position that can lead to permanent employment with our client. Compensation is $74/hr W-2 plus full benefits (vision, dental, health insurance, 401k, and holiday pay).
JOB SUMMARY
The Senior Kubernetes Platform Engineer will lead the design, deployment, operation, and continuous improvement of enterprise Kubernetes platforms supporting advanced AI workloads across cloud and on-premises environments. This role focuses on establishing secure, scalable, highly available Kubernetes infrastructure, implementing GitOps-driven automation, and ensuring reliable platform operations for enterprise AI applications. The engineer will develop platform standards for security, multi-tenancy, observability, infrastructure provisioning, and lifecycle management while collaborating with globally distributed engineering teams. The ideal candidate will have extensive hands-on Kubernetes platform engineering experience, deep Linux and infrastructure expertise, and a strong background in Terraform, Helm, GitOps, and enterprise security practices.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Lead the design, deployment, administration, and lifecycle management of production-grade Kubernetes platforms across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments, ensuring high availability, scalability, reliability, and operational consistency.
- Develop and maintain Infrastructure as Code and GitOps-driven automation using Terraform, Helm, Argo CD, Flux, or related technologies to automate cluster provisioning, deployments, upgrades, patching, scaling, and configuration management.
- Implement Kubernetes security and governance controls, including role-based access control (RBAC), network policies, secrets and key management, admission policies, workload isolation, and production cluster hardening.
- Establish platform observability, monitoring, incident response, service reliability objectives, and operational readiness practices while troubleshooting complex issues involving Linux, Kubernetes networking, storage, and container runtime environments.
- Collaborate with application, infrastructure, security, and AI engineering teams to establish standardized deployment patterns, support enterprise AI workloads, improve platform adoption, and optimize infrastructure performance, scalability, and cost efficiency.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related technical discipline.
- 10+ years of relevant professional experience in Kubernetes platform engineering, cloud infrastructure, DevOps, site reliability engineering, or closely related enterprise infrastructure roles.
- Proven experience designing, building, operating, and evolving production-grade Kubernetes platforms across cloud, on-premises, or hybrid environments.
- Demonstrated experience managing large-scale Kubernetes environments, including platform reliability, security, cluster operations, upgrades, and lifecycle management.
- Deep technical expertise in Linux operating systems, Kubernetes cluster networking, storage architecture, and infrastructure troubleshooting.
- Hands-on experience with Terraform for Infrastructure as Code, automated provisioning, and enterprise platform infrastructure management.
- Strong experience using Helm for Kubernetes application deployment, release management, and configuration management.
- Experience with GitOps tools such as Argo CD or Flux to manage production deployments, configurations, and platform automation.
- Strong hands-on Kubernetes security experience, including RBAC, network policies, secrets management, admission or policy enforcement, and production cluster hardening.
- Experience supporting at least one major cloud platform, preferably AWS or Microsoft Azure, along with enterprise cloud or hybrid infrastructure environments.
- Knowledge of platform monitoring, observability, incident response, operational readiness, and reliability management practices.
- Strong troubleshooting and root cause analysis skills involving complex infrastructure, networking, storage, and runtime issues.
- Ability to collaborate with globally distributed application, security, infrastructure, and platform engineering teams.
- Strong technical communication, problem-solving, and independent decision-making skills.
- Willingness to participate in operational support, on-call activities, maintenance planning, and disaster recovery readiness.
- Ability to work 100% onsite in Peoria, IL, five days per week, starting Day 1.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD), or Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS) certification.
- Experience with managed Kubernetes services and enterprise distributions, including Amazon EKS, Azure AKS, Google GKE, Red Hat OpenShift, or Rancher.
- Experience supporting enterprise AI platforms, AI infrastructure, or shared AI development environments.
- Familiarity with Accenture AI Refinery or comparable enterprise AI platforms.
- Experience with service mesh technologies supporting traffic management, platform security, and resilience.
- Experience with OpenTelemetry or modern observability frameworks for distributed systems and infrastructure monitoring.
- Knowledge of container image security, vulnerability scanning, software supply chain security, and workload protection.
- Experience designing secure multi-tenant Kubernetes platforms with strong governance and workload isolation.
- Familiarity with disaster recovery, high availability, service-level objectives, and enterprise operational readiness.
- Experience improving platform automation, infrastructure cost efficiency, performance optimization, and developer enablement.
- Previous experience supporting large enterprise, manufacturing, industrial technology, or globally distributed engineering environments.
WHY THIS ROLE?
This position offers an opportunity to build and advance enterprise Kubernetes infrastructure supporting innovative AI technologies for a global leader in heavy machinery and manufacturing. You will contribute to the foundational architecture of a shared enterprise AI platform, implement modern GitOps and infrastructure automation practices, and strengthen the security, reliability, and scalability of critical cloud and on-premises environments. Cullerton Group provides a professional environment with growth potential, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities to develop specialized expertise in Kubernetes platform architecture, enterprise AI infrastructure, and cloud-native engineering.
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Visa Sponsorship as a Kubernetes Engineer
Target cloud-native companies with dedicated platform teams
Companies running large-scale infrastructure on AWS, GCP, or Azure are most likely to sponsor Kubernetes Engineers. Look for roles on platform, SRE, or DevOps teams where Kubernetes expertise is a core requirement, not a nice-to-have.
Emphasize your degree field alongside your certifications
Sponsoring employers need to prove the role is a specialty occupation. A degree in computer science, software engineering, or information systems directly supports that case. Certifications like CKA or CKAD strengthen your application but don't replace degree documentation.
Highlight production-scale Kubernetes experience in your resume
Employers filing an H-1B petition must justify the degree requirement. Quantifying your experience with cluster management, workload scaling, and multi-tenant environments makes it easier for their legal team to build a strong specialty occupation argument.
Australian citizens should prioritize the E-3 visa pathway
The E-3 visa has no lottery, no annual cap pressure, and processes in a matter of weeks at Australian consulates. Kubernetes Engineers qualify easily under the specialty occupation standard, making E-3 one of the fastest paths to U.S. employment for Australians.
Ask about cap-exempt employers if you missed the H-1B lottery
Universities, nonprofit research institutions, and government-affiliated organizations are exempt from the H-1B annual cap. Some run significant cloud infrastructure and do hire Kubernetes Engineers. These roles can get you status year-round, not just in April.
Frame your open-source contributions as evidence of specialty
Contributions to Kubernetes upstream projects, CNCF tools, or well-known Helm charts demonstrate expertise beyond general software skills. Hiring managers at sponsoring companies notice this, and it gives immigration attorneys concrete evidence to support your petition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Kubernetes Engineer role qualify for H-1B sponsorship?
Yes. Kubernetes Engineering qualifies as a specialty occupation because the work requires at minimum a bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a closely related field. USCIS has consistently approved H-1B visa petitions for cloud infrastructure and DevOps roles at this level of technical specialization. Employers still need to document why the specific position requires a degree, but this is rarely a problem for senior or mid-level Kubernetes roles.
What visa options exist for Kubernetes Engineers beyond the H-1B?
Australian citizens can use the E-3 visa, which has no lottery and can be obtained in weeks. Canadians and Mexicans may qualify for the TN visa under the engineer category. Candidates with exceptional peer recognition, conference speaking history, or significant open-source contributions may qualify for the O-1A. You can browse sponsoring employers across these visa types on Migrate Mate.
Does my degree field matter if I have strong Kubernetes experience?
It matters for the H-1B specialty occupation standard. USCIS requires that the role normally requires a degree in a specific field, and your degree should align with that field. A computer science or engineering degree is the cleanest fit. If your degree is in an unrelated field, three years of direct work experience can substitute for each year of missing education, though this complicates the petition.
How common is H-1B sponsorship for Kubernetes and DevOps roles?
Very common. Infrastructure, platform, and DevOps engineering roles appear frequently in H-1B Labor Condition Application filings. Large tech companies, cloud consulting firms, and financial services companies with engineering teams are consistent sponsors. Roles that require Kubernetes expertise specifically tend to sit at a seniority level where employers are more willing to absorb sponsorship costs and timelines.
What should I look for when evaluating a sponsoring employer?
Check whether the company has a history of H-1B filings and look at their approval rates. Smaller startups sometimes offer sponsorship but lack the legal infrastructure to navigate RFEs or denials. Larger companies with dedicated immigration counsel move faster and handle complications better. Migrate Mate filters employers by sponsorship history so you can focus your applications on companies with a real track record.
What is the prevailing wage requirement for sponsored Kubernetes Engineer jobs?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.