Sr. DevOps SME

Job Title: Sr. DevOps SME  (Storage Platform) – SME with 13+yrs exp ( Not DeVops Engineer )

Client: AHEAD
Job Type: Contract to Hire

Visa : GC/ USC
Location: Fully Remote (Candidates must reside outside a 50-mile radius of San Ramon, CA)
Duration: March 2026 – June 2026 | Approx. 500 Hours
Interview Process: 2–3 Video Interview Rounds

LinkedIn is must.

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly experienced Sr. DevOps Engineer – Storage Platforms with deep expertise in Software Defined Storage (SDS), Kubernetes, and Linux infrastructure within mission-critical enterprise environments. This role focuses heavily on storage engineering, automation, Infrastructure-as-Code, and GitOps practices to support scalable and resilient private cloud platforms.

The ideal candidate will be a true Storage SME, not a general DevOps or Cloud Engineer, with strong hands-on experience in enterprise storage systems, Kubernetes platforms, Linux administration, and storage automation.

Key Responsibilities

Deploy, automate, and support large-scale Software Defined Storage (SDS) platforms across private and public cloud environments. 
Manage and support enterprise storage solutions including Pure Storage, HPE, NetApp, Ceph, and Longhorn. 
Implement Kubernetes CSI storage integrations for VM and bare-metal environments. 
Build Infrastructure-as-Code solutions using Terraform, Ansible, Helm, Git, Python, and Bash. 
Develop and maintain CI/CD pipelines for infrastructure deployment, upgrades, testing, and rollback. 
Implement monitoring, observability, and alerting solutions using Prometheus, Loki, and Grafana. 
Perform advanced troubleshooting across storage, Kubernetes, Linux, networking, and virtualization layers. 
Support backup and recovery platforms, preferably Rubrik. 
Create technical documentation, architecture diagrams, operational runbooks, and knowledge base articles. 
Participate in incident response, root cause analysis, and on-call support rotations. 
Collaborate with global engineering and SRE teams on operational best practices and change management. 
 

Required Skills & Experience

6+ years of experience supporting enterprise storage and Kubernetes platforms. 
Strong hands-on expertise with Software Defined Storage solutions such as Ceph and Longhorn. 
Experience with enterprise storage platforms including Pure Storage, NetApp, and HPE. 
Strong knowledge of block, file, and object storage technologies. 
Experience with Fibre Channel (Cisco MDS), NVMe-oF, and iSCSI fabrics. 
Expert-level Linux administration experience (Ubuntu, RHEL, CentOS). 
Strong Kubernetes administration and troubleshooting experience. 
Experience with Infrastructure-as-Code tools including Terraform, Ansible, and Helm. 
Strong scripting experience with Python and Bash. 
Experience with Git, GitOps, CI/CD pipelines, and automation frameworks. 
Experience supporting 24x7 production environments. 
Hands-on experience with KVM, OpenStack, or SUSE Harvester environments. 
Strong communication and documentation skills. 
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience. 
 

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with OpenStack Cinder multi-backend administration. 
Experience with Rubrik backup platforms. 
Knowledge of CIS/NIST security standards and ITIL practices. 
Experience in telco, edge cloud, or large enterprise environments. 
Certifications such as: 
CKA (Certified Kubernetes Administrator) 
CKS (Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist) 
Red Hat Ceph Storage Certification 
Master’s degree preferred. 
 

Important Notes

Client is specifically seeking a Storage Platform SME and not a general DevOps or Cloud Engineer. 
Candidates must be open to converting to full-time employment. 
Sponsorship is not available for this role. 
Remote candidates are accepted nationwide as long as they are located outside a 50-mile radius of San Ramon, CA.