Sr Infrastructure Engineer I (Kubernetes EKS Engineer)
Principal Financial Group
Remote · Des Moines, IA · Posted October 22, 2026
Just laid off? Start here: a plan for the first weeks
See every open role at Principal Financial Group
More in Iowa job market · Financial Services & Banking · Engineering jobs
More roles at Principal Financial Group
- Senior Product Manager 1 (Digital Experience) · Des Moines, IA
- Sr Operations Analyst · Des Moines, IA
- Regional Managing Director - Principal Financial Network · Overland Park, KS
- Senior Compliance Analyst (AML) · Des Moines, IA
- Market Director - Advisory
- Assistant Director - Field Compliance & Business Support · Des Moines, IA
Where Des Moines, IA ranks
Where Des Moines, IA placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.
November 2026
- #2Best cities for pay after cost of living in the Midwest$147k · of 20
- #2Best all-round cities for mid-career professionals in the Midwest78 / 100 · of 20
- #2Best all-round cities for remote workers in the Midwest90 / 100 · of 20
- #4Best cities for remote-friendly jobs17% · of 100
- #6Best all-round cities for AI careers in the Midwest66 / 100 · of 20
- #7Best all-round cities for remote workers84 / 100 · of 100
Rankings about engineering jobs
- Best cities for software and engineering jobs #1 San Francisco (3,412 openings)
- Best cities for engineering pay after cost of living #1 San Mateo ($216k)
- Most requested AI skills in engineering jobs #1 AI tools in daily work (6.1%)
- AI tools named most often in engineering jobs #1 Claude (1.7%)
- Employers with the most engineering jobs #1 Amazon (2,992 roles)
How AI is used in this kind of work
Among computer network architects, AI is already used for some of the tasks. Measured exposure for computer network architects: 20% (some).
Share of this job’s tasks that AI is already used for at work, from real usage. It is not a forecast of job loss, and a low number means no use seen yet. Source: Anthropic Economic Index.
Skills this job asks for
Say which you have and which you want to build. We use it to match you to jobs like this one.
About the job
What You'll Do As a Senior Infrastructure Engineer I (Kubernetes EKS Engineer), you will be responsible for the design, implementation, and management of Kubernetes clusters on AWS using Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS). You will work closely with our DevOps, development, and security teams to ensure that our cloud infrastructure is highly available, secure, and optimized for performance. Key Responsibilities: Design, deploy, and lead Kubernetes clusters on AWS EKS Integrate with CI/CD pipelines for containerized applications Automate Kubernetes management tasks using Helm, Terraform, and other infrastructure-as-code tools Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize Kubernetes cluster performance and resource allocation Implement security best practices for EKS, including role-based access control (RBAC) and network policies Collaborate with development and operations teams to integrate Kubernetes into the software development lifecycle Run cluster scaling, upgrades, and capacity planning for production environments Ensure high availability and disaster recovery readiness of critical applications running on Kubernetes Develop and maintain documentation for Kubernetes architecture, processes, and best practices Provide technical guidance and mentorship Operating at the intersection of financial services and technology, Principal builds financial tools that help our customers live better lives. We take pride in being a purpose-led firm, motivated by our mission to make financial security accessible to all. Our mission, integrity, and customer focus have made us a trusted leader for more than 140 years. As Principal continues to modernize its systems, this role will offer you an exciting opportunity to build solutions that will directly impact our long-term strategy and tech stack, all while ensuring that our products are robust, scalable, and secure! Who You Are Associate's or bachelor's degree (preference in a computer science, technology, engineering or math-related field) and 8+ years’ work experience or equivalent experience 2+ years of hands-on experience with Kubernetes, ideally with AWS EKS Expertise in container orchestration, microservices architecture, and Docker Strong proficiency with AWS services such as EC2, S3, IAM, and VPC Experience in DevOps, cloud engineering, or a related field Experience with infrastructure-as-code tools like Terraform, CloudFormation, or Ansible Proficiency in Helm for running Kubernetes applications Experience with CI/CD pipeline tools (e.g. ArgoCD) Solid understanding of Kubernetes security, including RBAC, network policies, and secrets management Proven knowledge of networking concepts, including load balancing, DNS, and firewalls Experience with monitoring tools such as Prometheus and Grafana Familiarity with agile and DevOps methodologies Skills That Will Help You Stand Out AWS Certified Solutions Architect or Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) Familiarity with GitOps workflows using ArgoCD Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment Salary Range Information Salary ranges below reflect targeted base salaries. Non-sales positions have the opportunity to participate in a bonus program. Sales positions are eligible for sales incentives, and in some instances a bonus plan, whereby total compensation may far exceed base salary depending on individual performance. Actual compensation for all roles will be based upon geographic location, work experience, education, licensure requirements and/or skill level and will be finalized at the time of offer. Salary Range (Non-Exempt expressed as hourly; Exempt expressed as yearly) $105000 - $165000 / year Salary Details The following locations are examples of market-specific salary ranges across different geographies. Wichita, KS: $105,000 - $123,000 / year Des Moines, IA: $110,000 - $130,000 / year Charlotte, NC: $116,000 - $136,000 / year Chicago/Minneapolis: $127,000 - $150,000 / year Los Angeles/New York City: $140,000 - $165,000 / year Time Off Program Flexible Time Off (FTO) is provided to salaried (exempt) employees and provides the opportunity to take time away from the office with pay for vacation, personal or short-term illness. Employees don’t accrue a bank of time off under FTO and there is no set number of days provided. Pension Eligible Yes Work Environment This role offers in-office, hybrid (blending at least three office days in a typical workweek), and remote work arrangements (only if residing more than 30 miles from Des Moines, IA, Raleigh, NC, or Charlotte, NC). You’ll work with your leader to figure out which option may align best based on several factors. Work Authorization/Sponsorship At this time, we're not considering candidates that need any type of immigration sponsorship now or in the future or those needing work authorization for this role. (This includes, but is not limited to students on F1-OPT, F1-CPT, J-1, etc.) Nonimmigrant Workers and Green Card for Employment-Based Immigrants Investment Code of Ethics For Principal Global Investors positions, you’ll need to follow an Investment Code of Ethics related to personal and business conduct as well as personal trading activities for you and members of your household. These same requirements may also apply to other positions across the organization. Experience Principal At Principal, we value connecting on both a personal and professional level. Together, we’re imagining a more purpose-led future for financial services – and that starts with you. Our success depends on the unique experiences, backgrounds, and talents of our employees. And we support our employees the same way we support our customers: with comprehensive, competitive benefit offerings crafted to protect their physical, financial, and social well-being. Check out our careers site to learn more about our purpose, values and benefits. Principal is an Equal Opportunity Employer All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status. Posting Window We will accept applications for 3 full days following the Original Posting Date, after which the posting may remain open or be removed based upon applications received. If we choose to post the job again, we will accept additional applications for at least 1 full day following the Most Recently Posted Date. Please submit applications in a timely manner as there is no guarantee the posting will be available beyond the applicable deadline. Original Posting Date 10/22/2026 Most Recently Posted Date 10/22/2026 Principal uses artificial intelligence tools to assist in reviewing and evaluating job applications, fraud prevention, and candidate matching and comparisons. These AI tools support our human recruiters in the initial review process but do not make final hiring decisions without human involvement. By submitting your application, you acknowledge this use of AI in our recruitment process. Please review our Workforce (U.S.) Privacy Notice for more details on our practices and your data privacy rights. LinkedIn Remote Hashtag #LI-Remote
As a Senior Infrastructure Engineer I (Kubernetes EKS Engineer), you will be responsible for the design, implementation, and management of Kubernetes clusters on AWS using Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS). You will work closely with our DevOps, development, and security teams to ensure that our cloud infrastructure is highly available, secure, and optimized for performance. Key Responsibilities: Design, deploy, and lead Kubernetes clusters on AWS EKS Integrate with CI/CD pipelines for containerized applications Automate Kubernetes management tasks using Helm, Terraform, and other infrastructure-as-code tools Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize Kubernetes cluster performance and resource allocation Implement security best practices for EKS, including role-based access control (RBAC) and network policies Collaborate with development and operations teams to integrate Kubernetes into the software development lifecycle Run cluster scaling, upgrades, and capacity planning for production environments Ensure high availability and disaster recovery readiness of critical applications running on Kubernetes Develop and maintain documentation for Kubernetes architecture, processes, and best practices Provide technical guidance and mentorship Operating at the intersection of financial services and technology, Principal builds financial tools that help our customers live better lives. We take pride in being a purpose-led firm, motivated by our mission to make financial security accessible to all. Our mission, integrity, and customer focus have made us a trusted leader for more than 140 years. As Principal continues to modernize its systems, this role will offer you an exciting opportunity to build solutions that will directly impact our long-term strategy and tech stack, all while ensuring that our products are robust, scalable, and secure!
Associate's or bachelor's degree (preference in a computer science, technology, engineering or math-related field) and 8+ years’ work experience or equivalent experience 2+ years of hands-on experience with Kubernetes, ideally with AWS EKS Expertise in container orchestration, microservices architecture, and Docker Strong proficiency with AWS services such as EC2, S3, IAM, and VPC Experience in DevOps, cloud engineering, or a related field Experience with infrastructure-as-code tools like Terraform, CloudFormation, or Ansible Proficiency in Helm for running Kubernetes applications Experience with CI/CD pipeline tools (e.g. ArgoCD) Solid understanding of Kubernetes security, including RBAC, network policies, and secrets management Proven knowledge of networking concepts, including load balancing, DNS, and firewalls Experience with monitoring tools such as Prometheus and Grafana Familiarity with agile and DevOps methodologies Skills That Will Help You Stand Out AWS Certified Solutions Architect or Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) Familiarity with GitOps workflows using ArgoCD Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment