Senior OpenShift Platform Engineer - WebSphere Modernization

Client is undertaking a strategic Modernization 3.0 initiative to migrate legacy Web. Sphere Application Server workloads onto a modern Open. Shift Container Platform. We are seeking a Senior Open. Shift Platform Engineer with deep Red Hat platform engineering expertise and a strong DevOps/SRE background to lead containerization and migration efforts in a mission-critical government tax environment.

The ideal candidate brings hands-on experience building and operating enterprise-grade Open. Shift clusters, automating infrastructure delivery with Terraform and Git. Ops tooling, and guiding application teams through container-native transformation. This is a high-impact engagement where your platform engineering skills will directly enable them deliver faster, more resilient processing capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

Lead the design, build, and operationalizing of Red Hat Open. Shift clusters to host modernized Web. Sphere workloads, ensuring high availability, security, and compliance with government standards. Drive the containerization and migration of legacy Web. Sphere Application Server (WAS) applications to Open. Shift-native deployments, leveraging tools such as IBM Transformation Advisor where applicable.

Define and implement Git. Ops-based deployment pipelines using ArgoCD and GitHub Actions to automate application delivery across Our Client development, staging, and production environments. Author and maintain reusable Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) modules using Terraform and Ansible to provision and manage Open. Shift platform components and supporting cloud infrastructure.

Perform SRE-aligned platform operations including performance tuning, capacity planning, incident response, and software lifecycle management for Open. Shift environments. Engage Client application and architecture teams to define container migration strategies, establish deployment standards, and support onboarding of Web.

Sphere-based services to the Open. Shift platform. Implement and manage observability stacks (Prometheus, Grafana, Thanos, Datadog) to provide end-to-end monitoring, alerting, and SLO/SLA visibility across modernized Our Client tax system components. Establish and enforce Open. Shift platform security posture including RBAC, network policies, image scanning, and secrets management in alignment with Our Client and government compliance requirements.

Collaborate with IBM delivery leads and Client stakeholders to track modernization progress, manage risks, and communicate platform health and migration milestones. Contribute to internal capability building by mentoring junior engineers, documenting platform run books, and sharing Red Hat Open. Shift best practices within the Our Client engagement team.

Requirements

Required Skills & Experience Red Hat Open. Shift Container Platform - cluster deployment, configuration, upgrades, and day-2 operations in enterprise environments Kubernetes administration with CKA-level proficiency, including workload management, Helm/Kustomize packaging, and namespace governance CI/CD pipeline engineering using Git.

Ops patterns with ArgoCD, GitHub Actions, Jenkins, or equivalent tooling Infrastructure-as-Code delivery using Terraform and Ansible across cloud or on-premise environments Containerization of enterprise Java applications, with an understanding of Web. Sphere or equivalent application server migration pathways Observability and monitoring platform management using Prometheus, Grafana, Thanos, or Datadog in production SRE contexts Cloud platform experience across at least one of IBM Cloud, AWS, or Azure including networking, storage, and identity fundamentals Stakeholder engagement and technical consulting skills, with experience working in regulated or government sector environments Preferred Skills Hands-on experience with IBM Web.

Sphere Application Server modernization tools such as IBM Transformation Advisor or Web. Sphere Liberty migration Exposure to IBM Cloud Paks and Open. Shift-based middleware deployments in financial services or government contexts Experience with Kafka or event-driven architecture patterns supporting microservices decomposition from monolithic Java applications Familiarity with Our Client, South African government IT governance frameworks, or equivalent public sector compliance and procurement standards Scripting and automation proficiency in Python or Java to support tooling integration and platform customization Knowledge of VMware v.

Sphere or on-premise virtualization platforms relevant to hybrid cloud and lift-and-shift migration scenarios