Principal Platform Software Engineer

Oracle•Nashville, TN

8h•$105,900 - $234,600

About The Position

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) builds and operates massive-scale, integrated cloud services in a distributed, multi-tenant environment. Oracle Kubernetes Engine (OKE) is OCI’s managed Kubernetes service, enabling customers to deploy, operate, and scale Kubernetes clusters through integration with OCI Compute, Networking, Storage, Identity, Security, Observability, and Developer services. OKE is a highly available 24x7 service that is expanding its capabilities, scalability, operational excellence, OCI integrations, and support for demanding cloud-native workloads. The role is described as a Senior Software Developer (IC3) and as a Principal Engineer on the OKE team. The engineer designs, develops, tests, deploys, and operates software for provisioning, upgrading, and managing Kubernetes clusters across OCI regions. Work spans Kubernetes lifecycle management, distributed control plane services, automation, developer productivity tooling, and platform capabilities. The engineer collaborates with OCI teams and has end-to-end ownership from design and implementation through production operations, contributing to service reliability, scalability, security, and customer experience.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Computer Science or Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
At least 6 years of experience building and operating production software systems, preferably distributed systems or cloud services.
Strong programming experience in Java or Go.
Strong fundamentals in data structures, algorithms, operating systems, networking, and distributed systems.
Good understanding of Kubernetes fundamentals, including pods, deployments, services, controllers, cluster operations, and cloud-native application patterns.
Experience with containers, Docker, Kubernetes, or related cloud-native technologies.
Experience with CI/CD systems, automated testing, and modern software development practices.
Experience using AI-assisted software development tools for coding, testing, debugging, and documentation while maintaining code quality, security, and sound engineering judgment.
Strong debugging, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.
Excellent communication skills, a strong sense of ownership, and ability to collaborate effectively across teams.
Experience operating highly available production services, including on-call rotations, incident response, and operational excellence.

Nice To Haves

Experience building or operating multi-tenant cloud infrastructure or managed services.
Experience with Kubernetes platforms such as OKE, EKS, GKE, or AKS.
Experience with OCI or other public cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP.
Familiarity with Kubernetes internals, controllers/operators, cluster lifecycle management, networking, or storage.
Experience with observability platforms, including logging, metrics, tracing, and incident response.
Experience developing automation, developer productivity tools, or operational tooling.
Experience contributing to open-source software or cloud-native communities.

Responsibilities

Design, develop, test, deploy, and operate features for Oracle Kubernetes Engine and related cloud-native services.
Build scalable distributed systems that provision, upgrade, and manage Kubernetes clusters across OCI regions.
Improve the reliability, scalability, performance, and operational efficiency of OKE services.
Develop automation, tooling, and testing frameworks that simplify operations, improve engineering productivity, and enhance service quality.
Debug complex production issues across Kubernetes, networking, compute, storage, and OCI infrastructure services.
Collaborate with partner teams across OCI to design and deliver integrated cloud platform capabilities and improve customer experience.
Participate in technical design discussions, code reviews, operational reviews, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Own features throughout their lifecycle, from design and implementation through production operations and continuous improvement.
Contribute to operating a highly available 24x7 cloud service with a focus on reliability, security, scalability, and operational excellence.
Troubleshoot issues across multiple layers of the technology stack and drive them to resolution.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision insurance, including expert medical opinion.
Short-term and long-term disability insurance.
Life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance.
Supplemental life insurance for employees, spouses, and children.
Health care and dependent care Flexible Spending Accounts.
Pre-tax commuter and parking benefits.
401(k) Savings and Investment Plan with company match.
Paid time off, including flexible vacation for eligible salaried employees or accrued vacation for other eligible employees.
11 paid holidays.
Paid sick leave: 72 hours upon hire, refreshed annually, with unused hours carrying over up to a 112-hour cap.
Paid parental leave.
Adoption assistance.
Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
Financial planning and group legal benefits.
Voluntary auto, homeowner, and pet insurance.
Potential eligibility for bonus, equity, and compensation deferral.