Lead Kubernetes Engineer

At Zelis, we Get Stuff Done. So, let's get to it!

A Little About Us

Zelis is modernizing the healthcare financial experience across payers, providers, and healthcare consumers. We serve more than 750 payers, including the top five national health plans, regional health plans, TPAs and millions of healthcare providers and consumers across our platform of solutions. Zelis sees across the system to identify, optimize, and solve problems holistically with technology built by healthcare experts - driving real, measurable results for clients.

At Zelis, AI is woven into the fabric of how we work. Every associate is expected - and empowered - to partner with AI to challenge the status quo, accelerate innovation, and amplify their impact. This is a place for builders with a growth mindset who act with agility, embrace change, and use modern technology to shape smarter solutions, exceptional experiences, and the future of our industry for our clients, customers, and our culture.

A Little About You

You bring a unique blend of personality and professional expertise to your work, inspiring others with your passion and dedication. Your career is a testament to your diverse experiences, community involvement, and the valuable lessons you've learned along the way. You are more than just your resume; you are a reflection of your achievements, the knowledge you've gained, and the personal interests that shape who you are.

Position Overview

This role serves as a technical authority for cloud strategy and architecture. Influences enterprise-wide cloud adoption and modernization initiatives. Involves defining architectural standards, leading migration projects, and evaluating emerging technologies. Ensures that cloud solutions align with business objectives while maintaining scalability, security, and operational excellence. Job Description

Key Responsibilities

Platform Ownership & Strategy

• Architect and operationalize a Kubernetes platform(s) on AWS supporting multi-account, multi-region deployments aligned with AWS Well-Architected principles.

• Define platform capabilities including compute autoscaling, pod networking, network policies, load balancing, and storage drivers.

• Define paved path container standards and support consumption of those standards.

• Lead platform roadmap development and cross-functional alignment with architecture, security, FinOps, and product engineering.

Operational Responsibilities

• Operating System, Kubelet, CRI & AMI Configuration : Define and own lifecycle management, patching, and performance tuning of worker nodes.

• Worker Node Scaling : Design and manage autoscaling groups, node pools, and lifecycle automation.

• VPC Configuration : Architect secure and scalable VPCs, subnets, route tables, NAT gateways, and security groups.

• EKS Cluster Configuration : Manage cluster-level settings including version upgrades, endpoint access, audit logging, and control plane integrations.

• Add-ons Management : Deploy and maintain cluster add-ons such as CoreDNS, kube-proxy, metrics server, and custom controllers.

• Policies & Governance : Define and enforce RBAC, network policies, pod security standards, and IAM roles for service accounts.

• Quotas & Budgets : Implement resource quotas, tagging strategies, and budget controls to support chargeback models and cost transparency.

Operational Excellence

• Drive standardization in tooling, automation, patching, and observability across Kubernetes clusters.

• Own SLAs, SLOs, incident response playbooks, and platform reliability engineering practices.

Developer Enablement

• Develop templates and automation to empower developers to build and run Kubernetes platform(s).

• Build and maintain reusable service catalog products, CDK with Python, and CI/CD pipelines to support self-service infrastructure provisioning.

• Champion developer experience through clear interfaces, documentation, and onboarding support.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with architecture, security, FinOps, DevOps, and product teams to align platform capabilities with business outcomes.

• Influence enterprise-wide infrastructure strategy through technical leadership and thought partnership.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in cloud-native infrastructure, with deep expertise in Kubernetes (e.g., Native, Amazon EKS and Amazon ECS).

• Proven track record of designing and operating production-grade Kubernetes platforms in multi-account AWS environments.

• Strong proficiency in infrastructure-as-code (CDK with Python), AWS DevOps native CI/CD tooling, and observability stacks (e.g. CloudWatch).

• Experience implementing security controls, RBAC, and compliance frameworks (e.g., CIS Benchmarks).

• Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction across multiple teams and domains.

Preferred Experience

• Familiarity with GitOps workflows, and container security.

• Exposure to platform engineering and internal developer platforms.

• Experience with Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Azure Container Apps, Azure Container Instances (ACI), and Azure App Service for Containers is a plus.

• Experience in regulated industries (e.g., healthcare, finance) is a plus.

Please note at this time we are unable to proceed with candidates who require visa sponsorship now or in the future.

Location and Workplace Flexibility

Zelis is headquartered in the U.S., with multiple locations across the country and in Hyderabad, India. Check out our locations to learn more about our offices. All employee work locations are based on the needs of the position and are determined by the Leadership team. In-office work and activities vary based on work and team objectives in accordance with Company policies.

While location expectations vary by role, candidates within approximately 50 miles of a U.S. office are generally preferred to support collaboration when needed. Our hybrid approach is flexible, and in-office presence is guided by team and business needs rather than a fixed weekly schedule.

Equal Employment Opportunity
Zelis is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and encourage you to apply even if you don't meet 100% of the qualifications for the role. We believe in the value of diverse perspectives and experiences and are committed to building an inclusive workplace for all.

Accessibility Support
We are dedicated to ensuring our application process is accessible to all candidates. If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran and require a reasonable accommodation with any part of the application and/or interview process, please email View email address on click.appcast.io.

Disclaimer

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities, duties, and skills from time to time.