Founder-led · technically screened
Kubernetes is powerful and easy to misuse. We screen Kubernetes engineers for the operational depth that keeps clusters secure, reliable and debuggable at 3am — not just familiarity with kubectl.
Kubernetes orchestrates containerised workloads and is the backbone of most cloud-native platforms. Doing it well spans cluster architecture, networking, security, autoscaling and the surrounding ecosystem (Helm, GitOps, service meshes, observability).
Every Kubernetes developer is technically assessed by us, a former software developer, before you spend a minute interviewing.
Talk to us and we’ll recommend the right approach.
Kubernetes developer pay tracks the software engineer ladder, so these are the reference bands we benchmark against, by seniority and city. See the full salary benchmarks for the detail.
| Seniority | London | Berlin | Amsterdam | New York |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-level | £55k–£85k | €55k–€85k | €55k–€85k | $120k–$150k |
| Senior | £85k–£120k | €85k–€120k | €80k–€115k | $150k–$200k |
| Staff / Principal | £120k–£150k | €115k–€145k | €110k–€140k | $190k–$240k |
Reference bands, benchmarked to our software-engineer placement data · reviewed July 2026.
FAQ
With realistic operational scenarios — a failing rollout, a networking issue, a scaling problem — to assess cluster architecture, security (RBAC/policies) and debugging depth. Familiarity with kubectl is table stakes; running it reliably at scale is what we screen for.
Often overlapping. Kubernetes expertise usually sits within a platform, DevOps or SRE role. We scope whether you need deep Kubernetes/platform specialism or a broader DevOps hire.
Genuine production Kubernetes depth is relatively scarce, so a real technical screen and an active network matter for reaching strong people quickly.
Tell us what you’re hiring for and we’ll come back with a plan, and usually a technically screened shortlist faster than you’d expect.