Associate Principal, Cloud Engineering

To be considered for this position, applications and resumes are accepted only through our careers site by directly applying to the posted job. We do not accept unsolicited resumes or sales solicitations from staffing agencies. Any OCC employee wishing to submit a referral must do so through their Workday account. Any resume submitted outside of an active job posting will not be considered for employment.

Summary

This role will perform a range of activities required to maintain and continuously automate a large, complex Kubernetes-based cloud computing environment. You'll work alongside the team to apply best practices for the management, configuration, high availability, and administration of Kubernetes clusters and containerized workloads with cloud-native technologies. This role supports the creation of new infrastructure and environments as part of the broader Kubernetes/container orchestration goals across the business. The ideal candidate is passionate about cloud-native technologies and the Kubernetes ecosystem, eager to grow into more complex project work, and mindful of the regulatory/compliance demands on our company (e.g. CIS, NIST, etc).

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each primary duty satisfactorily.

Reports to the Director of Platform Automation and Cloud Engineering

• Configure, implement, and support Kubernetes clusters, contributing to a fully automated workflow for provisioning and managing a highly available container orchestration environment using infrastructure as code
• Assist in developing and maintaining Kubernetes operators, controllers, and custom resources to extend cluster functionality and automate application lifecycle management
• Support DevOps development activities involving tools such as Docker, Kafka, container runtimes, and Kubernetes ecosystem tools
• Participate in Kubernetes cluster build-outs, upgrades, software installation, maintenance and support, including patches, security fixes, end-of-life preparation, and version upgrades
• Assist in implementing and managing Kubernetes networking solutions, service mesh architectures, runtime security policies, and RBAC configurations
• Help ensure the reliability of Kubernetes platforms and containerized services within your area of responsibility, contributing to internal and external SLA and quality standards
• Contribute to capacity planning within Kubernetes clusters and the underlying cloud platform
• Support the implementation of initiatives within your assigned area of responsibility, with accountability for compliance with controls and security requirements
• Contribute to technology roadmaps and end-of-life plans for Kubernetes versions, container runtimes, and related cloud-native technologies
• Write and maintain documentation of relevant Kubernetes architectures, systems, procedures and processes
• Communicate project and operational service issues promptly, with observations and recommendations for corrective measures
• Participate in the implementation of production changes during defined maintenance windows and support on-call rotation
• Maintain appropriate work/personal balance within the team
• Participate in rotational support schedules for afterhours and weekend work for area of responsibility
• Foster an atmosphere of trust, respect, and high performance while displaying strong ethics and integrity
• Manage own task planning and prioritization, meeting project deadlines while maintaining a high quality of work
• Support corrective actions to address audit and other regulatory or compliance findings
• Other duties as assigned

Supervisory Responsibilities:

NA

Qualifications:

The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary functions.

• [Required] Good consultative, communication, team player and analytical skills, with the ability to interact regularly with teams distributed across the US
• [Required] Working knowledge of Kubernetes architecture, container orchestration, and cloud-native infrastructure design and components, such as: etcd, networking, storage, and container runtimes
• [Required] Hands-on experience with Kubernetes cluster creation, maintenance, support, and administration in production environments
• [Required] Practical experience with Kubernetes networking (CNI plugins, service types, ingress controllers), runtime security (Pod Security Standards, OPA/Gatekeeper, network policies), and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
• [Required] Experience supporting highly available Kubernetes environments for 24/7 availability
• [Required] Experience working in an environment with a defined production change control process
• [Required] Demonstrated history of working within deadlines and ability to work well under pressure

Technical Skills:

• [Required] Hands-on experience with AWS cloud services and implementing Kubernetes on AWS (EKS or self-managed clusters)
• [Required] Experience with Infrastructure as Code using Terraform for provisioning and managing cloud infrastructure and Kubernetes resources
• [Required] Solid coding experience in Go or Python (Go preferred for Kubernetes operator/controller development), with the ability to discuss code you've written
• [Required] Hands-on experience with Kubernetes ecosystem tools including: Helm, kubectl, container runtimes (containerd, CRI-O), and monitoring/observability tools
• [Required] Experience with CI/CD tools such as Jenkins, GitLab CI, or GitHub Actions
• [Required] Experience with version control using GitHub or similar platforms
• [Preferred] Experience with configuration management tools such as Ansible, Puppet, or Chef
• [Preferred] Exposure to Kubernetes operator/controller development using operator frameworks (Kubebuilder, Operator SDK, or similar) — via open-source CNCF contributions or in-house development
• [Preferred] Experience with Rancher and RKE2 (Rancher Kubernetes Engine 2) Kubernetes distribution
• [Preferred] Familiarity with service mesh technologies (Istio, Linkerd) and Envoy proxy configuration
• [Preferred] Exposure to multi-tenancy architectures in Kubernetes environments
• [Preferred] Experience with GitOps-based continuous deployment using FluxCD, ArgoCD, or Rancher Fleet
• [Preferred] Experience with Kafka and event-driven architectures

Education and/or Experience:

• [Required] Bachelor's degree, preferably in a technical discipline (Computer Science, Mathematics, Engineering, etc.), or equivalent combination of education and experience
• [Required] 4+ years' experience in IT systems installation, operations, administration, and maintenance of cloud systems / virtualized servers, with demonstrated experience in Kubernetes and container orchestration platforms
• [Preferred] Experience working in a financial services or highly regulated environment

Certificates or Licenses:

• [Preferred] CKA, CKS certifications desired
• [Preferred] AWS Solutions Architect Associate Certification or higher
• [Preferred] Relevant industry certifications such as Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud Platform

Who We Are

About Us

The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) is the world's largest equity derivatives clearing organization. Founded in 1973, OCC is dedicated to promoting stability and market integrity by delivering clearing and settlement services for options, futures and securities lending transactions. As a Systemically Important Financial Market Utility (SIFMU), OCC operates under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. OCC has more than 100 clearing members and provides central counterparty (CCP) clearing and settlement services to 19 exchanges and trading platforms. More information about OCC is available at

What We Offer

A highly collaborative and supportive environment developed to encourage work-life balance and employee wellness. Some of these components include:

A hybrid work environment, up to 2 days per week of remote work

Tuition Reimbursement to support your continued education

Student Loan Repayment Assistance

Technology Stipend allowing you to use the device of your choice to connect to our network while working remotely

Generous PTO and Parental leave

Competitive health benefits including medical, dental and vision

About Us

The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) is the world's largest equity derivatives clearing organization. Founded in 1973, OCC is dedicated to promoting stability and market integrity by delivering clearing and settlement services for options, futures and securities lending transactions. As a Systemically Important Financial Market Utility (SIFMU), OCC operates under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. OCC has more than 100 clearing members and provides central counterparty (CCP) clearing and settlement services to 19 exchanges and trading platforms. More information about OCC is available at

Benefits

A highly collaborative and supportive environment developed to encourage work-life balance and employee wellness. Some of these components include:

• A hybrid work environment, up to 2 days per week of remote work
• Tuition Reimbursement to support your continued education
• Student Loan Repayment Assistance
• Technology Stipend allowing you to use the device of your choice to connect to our network while working remotely
• Generous PTO and Parental leave
• 401k Employer Match
• Competitive health benefits including medical, dental and vision

Visit for more information.

Compensation

• The salary range listed for any given position is exclusive of fringe benefits and potential bonuses. If hired at OCC, your final base salary compensation will be determined by factors such as skills, experience and/or education.
• In addition, we believe in the importance of pay equity and consider internal equity of our current team members as part of any final offer.
• We typically do not hire at the maximum of the range in order to allow for future and continued salary growth. We also offer a substantial benefits package as noted on
• All employees may be eligible for a discretionary bonus. Discretionary bonuses are based on various factors, including, but not limited to, company and individual performance and are not guaranteed.

Salary Range

$124,500.00 - $196,900.00

Incentive Range

8% to 15%

This position is eligible for an annual discretionary incentive compensation award, for which the target range is listed above (see Incentive Range ). The amount of such award, if any, will be based on various factors, including without limitation, both individual and company performance.

Step 1
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Step 2
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Step 3
If you are called in for an interview, a representative from OCC will contact you to set up a date, time, and location.

For more information about OCC , please click here.

OCC is an Equal Opportunity Employer