Principal Platform Engineer

Do you want to change the world? We do, too. SunPower is changing the way our world is powered every day with a passionate and driven team in North America and the Philippines. SunPower provides world-class solar solutions to residential customers across the U.S. with a commitment to a superior customer experience. We welcome forward thinkers, freedom chasers and all those demanding better, cleaner energy to join us.
Summary of Role:
As a Principal Platform Engineer, you will lead the design and implementation of our platform architecture, driving innovation and efficiency across our cloud-based infrastructure. This senior role requires a strategic thinker with a deep understanding of cloud computing, container orchestration, CI/CD methodologies, and system monitoring. You will mentor a team of engineers, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and ensure our infrastructure supports our strategic goals with optimal performance and security. 

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Architect and implement cloud and cloud-native solutions on AWS, ensuring scalability, security, and compliance. 
• Lead the deployment and management of Kubernetes clusters, optimizing for performance, security, and reliability. 
• Design and oversee CI/CD pipelines, promoting automation and best practices across the development lifecycle. 
• Define and implement monitoring standards for observability centered around Datadog. Ensure system health and performance meet defined SLOs.  
• Serve as a technical mentor across SunPower engineering teams, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement. 
• Collaborate with senior management to align platform strategies with business objectives. 
• Drive the adoption of new technologies and methodologies, staying ahead of industry trends. 
• Lead incident response and resolution, improving system resilience through thorough post-mortem analysis and preventive measures. 

Required Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field. 
• Extensive experience in cloud computing, especially with AWS services. 
• Deep expertise in Kubernetes and containerization technologies 
• Proven track record of designing and implementing CI/CD workflows. 
• Mastery of monitoring and observability tools, particularly Datadog. 
• Strong leadership skills and experience mentoring engineering teams. 
• Exceptional problem-solving, strategic thinking, and communication abilities. 
• Demonstrated ability to drive technical innovation and efficiency improvements. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Relevant industry certifications (AWS, Kubernetes, etc.). 
• Experience with the Argo Project (CD, Rollouts, Workflows) 
• Experience with Opensource technologies such as – Cert-Manager, Traefik, FluentBit, Karpenter. 
• Experience in managing self-hosted GitHub Actions Runners at scale 
• Experience with infrastructure as code (IaC) using Terraform, CDK, Cross Plane, or similar. 
• Advanced scripting skills (Python, Go) and automation expertise. 
• Broad knowledge of network architecture and security protocols. 

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several US geographic markets. The base pay for this position ranges from $195,700/year in our lowest geographic market up to $293,600 /year in our highest geographic market. Pay is based on several factors including market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Depending on the position offered, other forms of compensation may be provided as part of a total compensation package including annual bonus eligibility, short and long-term incentives, and a comprehensive and competitive benefits program that includes health insurance coverage, employee wellness, life and disability insurance, a retirement savings plan, paid holidays, paid time off, and so much more.  For more information, please visit our benefits site at thttps://us.sunpower.com/employees-benefits.
Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and underrepresented minorities are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At SunPower, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
Equal Employment OpportunityThe Company is an equal employment opportunity employer and makes employment decisions, including but not limited to, hiring, firing, promotion, demotion, training, and/or compensation, on the basis of merit. Employm