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K3S Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Pacer Group

K3S Engineer

Portland, OR · On-site

K3S Engineer Job Location: Portland, Oregon Jon Duration: 3 Months, Contract to Hire Job Summary: * K3s Deployment & Hybrid Cluster Management * The K3SEngineer will contribute to Converix's platform ...

CYNET SYSTEMS

Rancher and Kubernetes SME

Princeton, NJ · On-site

$51 - $56/hr

Strong expertise in Rancher including RKE, RKE2, and K3s. * Deep understanding of Kubernetes architecture, control plane, etcd, networking, and storage. * Experience designing and managing high ...

Link, LLC

DevOps, BS+7 (Strong Kubernetes), BS+7

Annapolis, MD · On-site

$52.25 - $71.50/hr

SE1 level will also be considered, but must have the strong Kubernetes background (3+ years). • Strong (3+ years) Kubernetes installation and experience (Rancher/RKE/K3S based is preferred) • ...

LTD Global

Kubernetes Platform Engineer

Berkeley, CA · On-site

$95 - $100/hr

Manage the full lifecycle of Kubernetes clusters (on-premises K3s/RKE2, GKE, and EKS), including upgrades, security patching, scaling, and capacity planning * Troubleshoot cluster-level issues ...

LTD Global

Kubernetes Platform Engineer

Berkeley, CA · On-site

$95 - $100/hr

Manage the full lifecycle of Kubernetes clusters (on-premises K3s/RKE2, GKE, and EKS), including upgrades, security patching, scaling, and capacity planning * Troubleshoot cluster-level issues ...

Joby Aviation

Senior Software Engineer

Santa Cruz, CA · Remote

$117K - $193K/yr

Support Kubernetes-based deployments in edge environments (e.g., K3s, MicroK8s), contributing to deployment patterns and operational tooling as needed. * Drive engineering quality through code review ...

Hadrian

Infrastructure Engineer

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$115K - $151K/yr

Responsibilities : • Design and implement cloud infrastructure on AWS using Terraform/OpenTofu • Build and manage Kubernetes clusters (EKS in cloud, K0s/K3s at the edge) • Build CI/CD pipelines ...

Innowhyte Inc

Experience designing and implementing bare metal Kubernetes solutions (LXC/LXD, Podman, K3s, etc.). * Hands-on experience with: * Container networking (CNI): Calico, Cilium, Multus, eBPF. * Container ...

Joby Aviation

Senior Software Engineer

Santa Cruz, CA · On-site

$117K - $193K/yr

Support Kubernetes-based deployments in edge environments (e.g., K3s, MicroK8s), contributing to deployment patterns and operational tooling as needed. * Drive engineering quality through code review ...

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K3S information

What are some common challenges faced by professionals managing K3s clusters in production environments?

Managing K3s clusters in production often involves unique challenges such as ensuring high availability with lightweight resources, configuring secure networking, and handling storage in resource-constrained environments. Professionals may also need to integrate K3s with existing CI/CD pipelines and monitor cluster health without the overhead of heavier Kubernetes distributions. Collaboration with DevOps engineers and developers is typical, as deploying and scaling applications requires close coordination and efficient troubleshooting.

What is K3S?

K3S is a lightweight, certified Kubernetes distribution designed for resource-constrained environments such as edge, IoT, or development systems. Developed by Rancher Labs, it simplifies Kubernetes installation and management by reducing dependencies and the overall footprint. K3S is easy to deploy, requires less memory and CPU than standard Kubernetes, and is well-suited for running containerized applications where a full-scale Kubernetes cluster is unnecessary.

What is the difference between K3S vs Kubernetes Administrator?

AspectK3SKubernetes Administrator
CertificationsNone required, but familiarity with Kubernetes recommendedTypically requires Kubernetes certifications (CKA, CKAD)
Work EnvironmentLightweight, edge, or IoT environmentsData centers, enterprise cloud environments
UsageDeployment of lightweight Kubernetes clustersManaging full-scale Kubernetes clusters

While K3S is a lightweight Kubernetes distribution suited for edge and IoT deployments, Kubernetes Administrators manage full-scale Kubernetes clusters in enterprise environments. Both roles require knowledge of Kubernetes, but K3S is designed for simplicity and resource efficiency, whereas Kubernetes Administrators handle complex configurations and scaling.

What job pays $400,000 a year without a degree?

A K3S engineer or specialist in the tech industry can potentially earn $400,000 annually through expertise in Kubernetes, cloud infrastructure, and DevOps practices. Such high salaries often require extensive experience, certifications, and skills in managing large-scale systems, but they do not necessarily require a formal degree.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a K3s Administrator, and why are they important?

To thrive as a K3s Administrator, you need a strong understanding of container orchestration, Linux systems, and networking, often supported by experience with Kubernetes and related certifications. Familiarity with K3s-specific tools, cloud platforms, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure-as-code systems like Helm or Terraform is typically required. Excellent problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and effective communication are crucial soft skills in this role. These abilities ensure reliable cluster management, smooth deployments, and collaborative troubleshooting in dynamic DevOps environments.
Infographic showing various K3S job openings in the United States as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 88% Full Time, 3% Part Time, and 9% Contract. Highlights an 82% Physical, 9% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution.
K3S Engineer

K3S Engineer

Pacer Group

Portland, OR • On-site

Contractor

Posted 3 days ago

Job description

Job Title: K3S Engineer
Job Location: Portland, Oregon
Jon Duration: 3 Months, Contract to Hire
Job Summary:
  • K3s Deployment & Hybrid Cluster Management
  • The K3SEngineer will contribute to Converix’s platform by managing Kubernetes (K3s) deployments across hybrid architectures (x86, ARM, and specialized accelerators).
  • The role ensures multi-node configurations are provisioned, operated, and maintained reliably, enabling application manifests to be deployed in a declarative, GitOps-driven way.
  • This work provides the foundation for higher-level PaaS services and developer self-service.
Job Responsabilities:
 
Cluster Provisioning & Configuration
  • Deploy and configure K3s clusters across heterogeneous hardware (bare metal, ARM/x86 nodes, and accelerators).
  • Manage hybrid, multi-node topologies (single-node edge clusters, dual-node HA, and multi-node deployments).
  • Define and maintain consistent OS images, networking, and storage settings across nodes.
Declarative Deployment Enablement
  • Implement GitOps workflows for declarative application management (e.g., ArgoCD, Flux).
  • Define, validate, and manage Kubernetes manifests, Helm charts, and CRDs.
  • Automate lifecycle management of applications and infrastructure through declarative pipelines.
Operations & Reliability
  • Monitor and maintain cluster health, including networking, storage, and node availability.
  • Implement self-healing, scaling, and failover strategies for hybrid deployments.
  • Develop and maintain backup/restore, upgrade, and security hardening processes.
Integration & Hybrid Architecture
  • Enable interoperability across ARM and x86 nodes in the same deployment.
  • Configure workloads to leverage specialized accelerators (e.g., GPUs, DPUs, FPGAs).
  • Ensure consistent declarative workflows regardless of underlying hardware architecture.
Collaboration & Documentation
  • Work with DevOps, SRE, and PaaS teams to align K3s cluster deployments with platform goals.
  • Document cluster provisioning, deployment flows, and operational playbooks.
  • Train internal teams on hybrid K3s management and declarative deployment practices.
Mandatory Skills:
  • Hands-on experience with K3s/Kubernetes deployment and lifecycle management.
  • Strong understanding of multi-node hybrid clusters across x86, ARM, and accelerators.
  • Proficiency with GitOps tools (ArgoCD, Flux) and declarative deployment workflows.
  • Experience with container runtime configuration (containerd, CRI-O, Docker).
  • Familiarity with Linux OS images, networking (CNI), and storage provisioning (CSI).
  • Knowledge of infrastructure-as-code tools (Terraform, Ansible, Helm).
  • Strong debugging skills for cluster bring-up, networking, and workload scheduling.