About Us
Core42, a leader in AI-powered cloud and digital infrastructure, is driving transformative technology solutions globally. Leveraging advanced resources and partnerships, Core42 empowers clients to harness sovereign AI infrastructure, especially in sectors with stringent regulatory needs. With a mission to redefine digital transformation, we combine sovereign capabilities with scalable, high-performance compute infrastructure, positioning itself at the forefront of AI innovation in the Middle East and beyond.
The Opportunity
We are seeking a Principal Platform Architect specializing in Kubernetes, OpenShift, and cloud platform infrastructure to define and drive the long-term architecture strategy for Core42's cloud-native ecosystem.
This is a senior technical leadership role focused on designing scalable, secure, and resilient platform capabilities across private, hybrid, and public cloud environments. You will play a key role in shaping enterprise Kubernetes and OpenShift platforms supporting AI/ML workloads, managed services, and customer-facing cloud solutions.
Acting as a technical authority across platform engineering, infrastructure, operations, and security teams, you will lead architectural strategy, governance, and innovation initiatives across the organization.
Key Responsibilities
Platform Architecture & Strategy
- Define and lead the long-term architecture roadmap for Kubernetes, OpenShift, and cloud-native platforms
- Design scalable, resilient, and highly available multi-cluster Kubernetes architectures
- Establish standards and governance for platform engineering and cloud-native operations
Kubernetes & OpenShift Engineering
- Architect and govern Kubernetes fleet management and hosted control plane solutions
- Lead architecture decisions across automation, GitOps, Infrastructure as Code, and observability
- Design integration patterns between Kubernetes/OpenShift and core infrastructure services
Security, Reliability & Operations
- Define operational models covering upgrades, lifecycle management, disaster recovery, and resiliency
- Establish platform security standards including RBAC, secrets management, encryption, and zero-trust principles
- Develop observability and monitoring strategies across logging, metrics, tracing, and alerting
Technical Leadership & Governance
- Act as the senior technical authority for Kubernetes and OpenShift architecture
- Lead architecture reviews, governance discussions, and technical mentorship initiatives
- Communicate technical strategies, risks, and recommendations to leadership and stakeholders
Innovation & Continuous Improvement
- Lead proof-of-concept initiatives, benchmarking, and production rollout activities
- Evaluate emerging platform technologies, operators, and tooling
- Support incident analysis, root cause investigations, and capacity planning initiatives
Qualifications & Experience
Required
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related discipline
- 12+ years of experience in infrastructure, cloud platform, or platform engineering environments
- Deep expertise in Kubernetes and OpenShift architecture across enterprise-scale environments
- Strong experience designing multi-cluster, hybrid cloud, and cloud-native platforms
- Hands-on experience with GitOps, CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Ansible, etc.)
- Advanced knowledge of distributed systems, networking, storage, SDN technologies, and service mesh architectures
- Strong understanding of observability platforms including Prometheus, Grafana, OpenTelemetry, ELK/OpenSearch
- Strong Linux administration, automation, and scripting skills (Python, Bash, or similar)
Preferred
- Experience with hosted control plane and fleet management technologies such as Gardener and Kamaji
- Experience integrating Kubernetes/OpenShift with OpenStack and enterprise infrastructure services
- Exposure to AI/ML platforms including OpenShift AI, Kubeflow, MLFlow, and GPU-enabled Kubernetes environments
- Knowledge of enterprise architecture frameworks such as TOGAF or Zachman
- Relevant certifications in Kubernetes, OpenShift, cloud computing, or enterprise architecture.
What we're looking for
A highly experienced platform architect with deep technical expertise and strong strategic leadership capabilities. You bring a forward-thinking mindset, strong problem-solving ability, and the capability to influence architecture decisions across large-scale enterprise environments. You thrive in complex, fast-paced environments and are passionate about building resilient, scalable cloud-native platforms.
What working at Core42 offers
With a diverse team of 1,100+ employees from 68 nationalities, we foster an inclusive, innovative and collaborative environment. At Core42, we foster a culture grounded in trust, accountability and high performance. We are united by our values: Grit, where we overcome challenges with resilience and determination, Passion, which drives us to pursue excellence in everything we do, and Impact, as we aim to inspire progress and create meaningful change. Our team members thrive in an environment where each person's contributions propel us forward, and together, we commit to achieving extraordinary results.
- Competitive Salary: We offer an attractive salary package based on your skills and experience
- Yearly Bonus: In recognition of your contributions, you will receive a performance-based annual bonus
- Exclusive Discount Cards: Access special benefits with Esaad and Fazaa cards, offering discounts across a wide range of services
- Premium Family Insurance: We provide comprehensive health coverage, including dental, vision and life insurance, ensuring the well-being of you and your family
- Learning & Development: We offer access to top-tier learning platforms to help you grow in your career. Learn at your own pace with unlimited access to premium courses
