Principal DevOps Engineer | JobSetuu

Description

Job Overview

• Source: Jobicy

Job Description

Company Description

NBCUniversal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. We create world-class content, which we distribute across our portfolio of film, television, and streaming, and bring to life through our global theme park destinations, consumer products, and experiences. We own and operate leading entertainment and news brands, including NBC, NBC News, NBC Sports, Telemundo, NBC Local Stations, Bravo, and Peacock, our premium ad-supported streaming service. We produce and distribute premier filmed entertainment and programming through our powerhouse film and television studios, including Universal Pictures, DreamWorks Animation, and Focus Features, and the four global television studios under the Universal Studio Group banner, and operate industry-leading theme parks and experiences around the world through Universal Destinations & Experiences, including Universal Orlando Resort, home to Universal Epic Universe, and Universal Studios Hollywood. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation. Visit www.nbcuniversal.com for more information.

Our impact is rooted in improving the communities where our employees, customers, and audiences live and work. We have a rich tradition of giving back and ensuring our employees have the opportunity to serve their communities. We champion an inclusive culture and strive to attract and develop a talented workforce to create and deliver a wide range of content reflecting our world.

Job Description

We are looking for a Principal DevOps Engineer to architect and evolve the platform that powers NBC’s broadcast production environments. As a senior technical leader on the NBC Production Application Engineering team, you will design a Kubernetes-native platform that automates the provisioning, lifecycle management, and delivery of cloud infrastructure at enterprise scale.

Our team leverages infrastructure-as-code, custom Kubernetes controllers, and GitOps workflows to orchestrate resources across complex multi-account and hybrid cloud environments. Built to support the complex demands of live broadcast production, this platform spans compute provisioning, dynamic software defined networking, hybrid DNS models, remote Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), and robust configuration management via Puppet. Because we operate at the cutting edge of the cloud-native ecosystem, we are never shy about contributing upstream to the open-source projects we rely on to improve our solutions and push the industry forward.

In this role, you will drive the technical vision of the platform. You will write production Go services, architect cloud-native solutions, and establish the engineering standards our teams rely on. This role requires deep fluency across Kubernetes internals, cloud infrastructure, Go systems programming, and a passion for mentoring engineers.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Platform Architecture & Vision: Architect a Kubernetes-native platform that models broadcast infrastructure as custom resources. Lead the technical strategy leveraging Crossplane compositions and custom Go functions to automate provisioning across multi-account AWS environments and on-prem control rooms.
• Systems Engineering & Integrations: Design, build, and maintain production-grade Kubernetes operators, controllers, and internal platform APIs in Go. You will actively develop custom Crossplane providers to deeply integrate external enterprise platforms (such as NRCS, Venafi, and Infoblox) into our control plane, managing resource lifecycles and approval workflows.
• Infrastructure & Networking Delivery: Lead the design of cloud networking, DNS strategies, and cross-account connectivity across hybrid environments, automating VPC topology and dynamic network routing.
• Cross-Discipline Collaboration: Partner closely with broadcast systems engineers, system integrators, and external vendors to bridge the gap between broadcast hardware and automated infrastructure. You will lead efforts to "Puppet-ize" bare-metal compute configurations and integrate proprietary vendor solutions into our configuration-as-code ecosystem.
• Technical Leadership: Serve as a technical authority for the team. Write RFCs, drive architectural decisions, mentor engineers, and establish high-confidence CI/CD pipelines, testing strategies, and GitHub Actions automation.
• Access & Security Strategy: Own the platform's authorization model, designing hierarchical RBAC systems, resource identifier schemes, and identity integrations that enforce fine-grained access control.
• Operational Excellence: Drive GitOps-based continuous delivery (Flux, Kustomize, Helm) and manage configuration-as-code for compute fleets using Puppet. Ensure deep operational visibility by designing comprehensive observability and alerting stacks.
• VDI Integration: Oversee the integration of remote desktop/VDI connectivity solutions, focusing on session authentication, credential management, and gateway routing.

Qualifications

• Experience: 10+ years of experience designing, building, and operating production infrastructure and cloud-native platforms at enterprise scale.
• Software Engineering: Strong proficiency in Go (systems-level programming, API servers) and deep experience building Kubernetes controllers/operators using patterns like controller-runtime and kubebuilder.
• Kubernetes Internals: Expert-level knowledge of the Kubernetes ecosystem, including CRD/XRD generation, operators, informers, admission webhooks, and RBAC.
• Crossplane & Control Planes: Deep production experience with Crossplane, including composite resources, composition functions, and specifically developing custom Crossplane providers in Go to integrate external enterprise platforms.
• AWS & Networking: Extensive production experience with AWS multi-account architectures, cross-account networking patterns, and identity federation. Requires depth across EKS, EC2, VPC, IAM, STS, SSM, Secrets Manager, Route 53, and S3.
• GitOps Delivery: Production experience with GitOps tooling, specifically Flux (HelmRelease, Kustomization) or ArgoCD for continuous delivery on Kubernetes.
• Configuration Management: Hands-on experience with Puppet, including module development, PuppetDB, Hiera, and r10k.
• APIs & Security: Experience designing REST APIs with middleware patterns and modern authentication (OAuth/JWT). Keen eye for information security, including cross-account IAM trust chains, least-privilege policies, JWT token lifecycles, and secrets abstraction.
• Observability: Strong background in designing telemetry platforms using Grafana, Prometheus/Mimir, Loki, OpenTelemetry, and metrics collection agents (Alloy, Prometheus Node Exporter).
• Databases: Working knowledge of PostgreSQL, SQLite or similar relational databases, encompassing schema design, migrations, and query optimization.
• Communication: Excellent problem-solving skills with a proven ability to present architectural decisions to executives, engage with vendors, and write clear technical documentation.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Familiarity with broadcast/media production workflows and the strict operational constraints of live production environments.
• Experience with the Crossplane function SDK for building custom composition functions in Go, and operating in Kubernetes disaster recovery situations (Velero cluster restoration, backups).
• Familiarity with VDI Solutions (NICE DCV, Leostream, PCoIP, etc), machine identity workflows, and PKI certificate management (Venafi or similar).
• Networking & Gateway: Experience with hybrid DNS architectures (Infoblox), software-defined networking (VPC peering, Transit Gateway, Direct Connect, CloudWan), and Envoy Gateway / Gateway API.
• Ecosystem Tooling: Familiarity with advanced testing frameworks (k6, KUTTL, etc), SOPS for encrypted GitOps configurations, and local development workflows (Air, kind/colima).
• Scripting: Ability to script routine tasks in Bash and PowerShell.
• Open Source: Active contributions to open-source projects, particularly within the CNCF / Kubernetes ecosystem.

Fully Remote: This position has been designated as fully remote, meaning that the position is expected to contribute from a non-NBCUniversal worksite, most commonly an employee’s residence. 

• This position is eligible for company sponsored benefits, including medical, dental and vision insurance, 401(k), paid leave, tuition reimbursement, and a variety of other discounts and perks. Learn more about the benefits offered by NBCUniversal by visiting the Benefits page of the Careers website. Salary range: $180,000 - $230,000 (bonus eligible) 

Additional Information

As part of our selection process, external candidates may be required to attend an in-person interview with an NBCUniversal employee at one of our locations prior to a hiring decision. NBCUniversal's policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law. 

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access nbcunicareers.com as a result of your disability. You can request reasonable accommodations by emailing AccessibilitySupport@nbcuni.com.

For LA County and City Residents Only: NBCUniversal will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories, or arrest or conviction records, in a manner consistent with relevant legal requirements, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative For Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, where applicable.

Expert Career Tips for Principal DevOps Engineer Roles

To succeed in a competitive market as a Principal DevOps Engineer, you need more than just technical skills. Here are some expert strategies to elevate your profile:

• Build a Strong Portfolio: For technical roles, a clean GitHub or a personal project site is essential. For non-technical roles, a case study portfolio demonstrating problem-solving and impact is equally valuable. Show, don't just tell, what you have achieved in your previous positions.
• Master the Narrative: When interviewing, use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers. Quantify your results wherever possible—mentioning "increased efficiency by 20%" is much more impactful than saying "improved efficiency."
• Continuous Learning: The industry moves fast. Whether it's staying updated with the latest AI tools or mastering a new management methodology, continuous professional development is key. Consider obtaining industry-recognized certifications that align with Principal DevOps Engineer requirements.
• Networking: Connect with other professionals in similar roles. Join online communities, attend webinars, and engage in meaningful discussions on professional social networks. Often, the best opportunities come through referrals and community engagement.
• Soft Skills Matter: Communication, empathy, and leadership are often the deciding factors between two equally qualified technical candidates. Cultivate these skills as they are universally valued across all industries and seniority levels.

Additionally, research the specific company's culture and values. Tailoring your application to show how you align with their mission can significantly increase your chances of moving forward in the process.

Salary & Compensation

Salary not disclosed; typically competitive for the role.

Work Arrangement

Type: On-Site

Standard business hours at the office.

Comprehensive Application Strategy & Hiring Process

Applying for a new role is a marathon, not a sprint. Follow this strategic approach to maximize your success rate:

1. Initial Research & Tailoring

Don't send the same resume to every employer. Spend at least 30 minutes researching the company. Look for recent news, their product roadmap, and their team structure. Modify your summary and core competencies to reflect the specific keywords found in the job description.

2. The Perfect Cover Letter

If the application allows for a cover letter, use it to tell a story that your resume cannot. Explain why you are passionate about this specific company and how your unique background makes you the perfect fit for the challenges they are currently facing.

3. Navigating the Multi-Stage Interview

Most modern hiring processes involve 3-5 stages. This typically includes a recruiter screen, a technical or skill-based assessment, a peer interview, and a final leadership round. Prepare for each stage differently: focus on enthusiasm and fit for the recruiter, technical depth for the assessment, and strategic vision for the leadership round.

4. Post-Interview Follow-Up

Always send a personalized thank-you note within 24 hours of each interview. Reference a specific topic discussed during the call to demonstrate your active listening and genuine interest in the role.

By following these steps, you demonstrate a high level of professionalism and attention to detail that sets you apart from the average applicant.

Typical Interview Process

1. Resume screening
2. HR call
3. Skill interview
4. Final manager interview
5. Offer

Tip: Research the company's products and culture.

Global Market Intelligence & Relocation Insights

At JobSetuu, we specialize in helping talent navigate the global job market. Here is what you need to know about the current landscape in Global and beyond:

The demand for skilled professionals is increasingly borderless. For roles based in Global, understanding the local cost of living, visa requirements (if applicable), and cultural nuances is vital. If this is a remote role, consider the time zone alignment and the asynchronous communication culture of the hiring organization.

Relocation Support: Many forward-thinking companies offer relocation packages that include moving stipends, temporary housing, and legal assistance with work permits. When evaluating an offer, look beyond the base salary—consider the total compensation package, including equity, bonuses, and healthcare benefits.

Work-Life Balance Trends: Hybrid and remote work have become standard in many regions. Research the local labor laws and common practices regarding work hours and vacation time to ensure the role aligns with your lifestyle goals.

Leveraging JobSetuu's tools can help you compare salaries across different cities and understand the "purchasing power" of your potential offer, ensuring you make an informed decision for your long-term career path.

Skills & Competency Roadmap for Professional Development

To remain competitive in Professional Development, we recommend focusing on the following core competencies over the next 12-18 months:

• Technical Mastery: Deepen your expertise in the core tools and languages relevant to your field. For developers, this might be cloud architecture; for marketers, it might be data-driven attribution modeling.
• AI Augmentation: Learn how to leverage generative AI and automation tools to increase your productivity. Understanding how to integrate these technologies into your workflow is becoming a non-negotiable skill.
• Leadership & Strategy: Even in individual contributor roles, the ability to think strategically and lead projects from inception to completion is highly valued. Focus on stakeholder management and high-level project planning.
• Data Literacy: The ability to interpret data and use it to drive decisions is essential across all business functions. Familiarize yourself with data visualization and basic analytical concepts.

By investing in these areas, you not only prepare yourself for the role you are applying for today but also build a resilient foundation for the opportunities of tomorrow.

Apply via JobSetuu

Discover your next career milestone on JobSetuu. This Principal DevOps Engineer position is part of our commitment to bringing you the most relevant and high-impact job openings globally. At JobSetuu, we simplify your job search by aggregating premier listings and providing the tools you need to stand out. Don't miss the chance to elevate your professional journey—explore more opportunities and career insights on our platform today.