Docker & Kubernetes Containerization Specialist

Overview:

Michael Tan's team in Sydney, Australia, is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior Docker and Kubernetes Engineer to lead our critical containerization efforts. This project involves comprehensively analyzing our existing applications (both monolithic and distributed), containerizing them using Docker, and then efficiently deploying and orchestrating them on a robust Kubernetes cluster. Our primary goals are to significantly improve application portability, enhance scalability, optimize resource utilization, and streamline our deployment processes, laying the foundational groundwork for a robust cloud-native strategy that aligns with our growth initiatives in the Australian market. The successful candidate will be instrumental in transforming our application delivery pipeline.

Responsibilities:

• Application Assessment & Containerization Strategy:
  • Conduct a thorough assessment of Michael Tan's team's current application portfolio to identify suitable candidates for containerization, focusing on dependencies and performance characteristics.
  • Define optimal Dockerization strategies, including efficient multi-stage builds, image optimization techniques, and best practices for container security and vulnerability scanning.
  • Collaborate closely with our development teams to understand application runtime requirements, existing build processes, and integration points.
•  Docker Image Creation & Optimization:
  • Develop highly optimized, secure, and production-ready Dockerfiles for various application components (e.g., front-end services, back-end APIs, specific microservices, data processing components).
  • Implement Docker Compose configurations for local development, testing, and integration environments, ensuring consistency across developer workstations.
  • Integrate Docker image building and tagging into existing or new automated CI pipelines, ensuring version control and traceability.
•  Kubernetes Deployment & Orchestration:
  • Design and develop robust, declarative Kubernetes manifests (e.g., Deployments, Services, Ingress, ConfigMaps, Secrets, Persistent Volumes, StatefulSets) for deploying applications efficiently.
  • Implement advanced Kubernetes features such as Horizontal Pod Autoscaling (HPA), Vertical Pod Autoscaling (VPA), Network Policies, and Pod Security Policies for enhanced resilience and security.
  • Set up and configure a new Kubernetes cluster (or optimize an existing one) on a chosen cloud provider (e.g., AWS EKS, Azure AKS, GCP GKE, or a managed service relevant to the Australian region) or on-premise, ensuring high availability.
  • Utilize Helm charts for packaging, versioning, and deploying complex applications and their dependencies on Kubernetes, enabling repeatable deployments.
•  CI/CD Integration & Comprehensive Observability:
  • Design and implement end-to-end CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI, Argo CD, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps) for automated container image building, rigorous testing, and seamless deployment to Kubernetes environments.
  • Integrate comprehensive observability solutions (centralized logging with ELK Stack/Loki, robust monitoring with Prometheus/Grafana, distributed tracing with Jaeger/OpenTelemetry) within the Kubernetes environment for deep, real-time insights into containerized application health, performance, and operational issues.
  • Implement advanced security best practices for Kubernetes, including network segmentation, secrets management, and regular security audits.
•  Troubleshooting, Knowledge Transfer & Advisory:
  • Proactively diagnose and troubleshoot complex containerization and Kubernetes-related issues, including networking challenges, storage performance, and application-specific runtime problems.
  • Provide comprehensive, detailed documentation of the Dockerization process, Kubernetes deployments, CI/CD pipelines, and operational runbooks.
  • Conduct in-depth training sessions and hands-on workshops for Michael Tan's development and operations teams on Docker, Kubernetes, and associated cloud-native best practices, empowering them for future self-sufficiency.
• Required Qualifications:
  • Minimum 3+ years of hands-on experience in DevOps or Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) roles, with at least 4 years specifically focused on Docker and Kubernetes in production environments.
  • Expert-level proficiency in Docker for containerizing diverse applications, including deep understanding of Dockerfile best practices, image optimization, multi-stage builds, and Docker Compose.
  • Extensive experience with Kubernetes cluster management, including deployment, scaling, networking (CNI), storage (CSI), security, and troubleshooting.
  • Strong command of YAML for Kubernetes resource definitions and Helm for package management.
  • Proven experience in designing and implementing robust CI/CD pipelines for containerized applications, demonstrating automation skills.
  • Familiarity with major cloud-managed Kubernetes services (e.g., AWS EKS, Azure AKS, GCP GKE) is highly desirable, with a preference for experience relevant to the APAC region.
  • Solid understanding of Linux operating systems, networking fundamentals, and advanced shell scripting.
  • Experience with observability tools (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK Stack, Jaeger) in a Kubernetes context.
  • Excellent problem-solving skills for complex distributed systems and networking challenges.
  • Strong communication, collaboration, and mentorship skills to work effectively with and empower development and operations teams.
  • Relevant certifications (e.g., CKA - Certified Kubernetes Administrator, CKAD - Certified Kubernetes Application Developer, CKS - Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist) are a significant advantage.

Key Skills:

• Docker
• Kubernetes
• Containerization
• Container Orchestration
• Helm, CI/CD
• DevOps
• Microservices
• Cloud-Native
• AWS EKS
• Azure AKS
• GCP GKE
• YAML
• Linux
• Shell Scripting
• Prometheus
• Grafana
• Elasticsearch
• Logstash
• Kibana
• Jaeger
• Network Policies
• Persistent Storage (PV/PVC)
• Troubleshooting
• Automation
• Security
• Scalability
• Resilience
• Observability

Expectations:

Michael Tan's team expects a highly skilled, pragmatic, and results-oriented engineer who can drive our containerization initiative from initial assessment to successful production deployment. The freelancer should be a hands-on expert, capable of delivering a stable, scalable, and secure Kubernetes environment that meets our specific business needs in Sydney, Australia. We value clear, actionable documentation, effective knowledge transfer to our internal teams, and a proactive approach to problem-solving and continuous optimization. We are looking for a true partner in our cloud-native journey.

Expectations for Support from Freelancer:

• Responsiveness: Prompt communication and response to inquiries (within 4-8 hours during Sydney business hours) for architectural clarifications and critical issues.
• Availability: Willingness to be available for scheduled architectural review meetings and urgent consultations, potentially accommodating time zone differences with prior arrangement.
• Troubleshooting Advisory: Provide expert guidance and hands-on troubleshooting support for complex containerization or Kubernetes integration challenges that arise during initial development and deployment.
• Documentation Updates: Proactively keep all documentation (Dockerfiles, Kubernetes manifests, CI/CD pipelines) current with any changes or optimizations made.
• Ongoing Advisory: Offer continued advisory support and mentorship to our internal development and operations teams as they further develop and manage the containerized applications and Kubernetes infrastructure.

Project Goals:

• Accelerated Deployment & Release Cycles: Significantly reduce the time and effort required to deploy new features and updates to production.
• Improved Application Portability & Consistency: Ensure applications can run seamlessly across different environments (dev, test, prod, cloud, on-premise) without configuration drift.
• Enhanced Scalability & Resource Utilization: Achieve elastic scalability for applications to handle fluctuating loads efficiently, optimizing underlying infrastructure costs.
• Strengthened Application Resilience: Implement self-healing capabilities and robust fault tolerance within the Kubernetes environment.
• Standardized Development & Operations Workflows: Establish consistent practices for building, deploying, and managing applications across teams.
• Empowered Internal Teams: Provide comprehensive knowledge transfer and training to enable our teams to confidently manage and evolve the containerized ecosystem.