(Senior) Gardener Core Engineer (f/m/d)

We help the world run better . At SAP, we keep it simple: you bring your best to us, and we'll bring out the best in you. We're builders touching over 20 industries and 80% of global commerce, and we need your unique talents to help shape what's next. The work is challenging – but it matters. You'll find a place where you can be yourself, prioritize your wellbeing, and truly belong. What's in it for you? Constant learning, skill growth, great benefits, and a team that wants you to grow and succeed.

What you bring:

Summary:

We’re not just offering a job, we’re inviting you to shape the future of cloud-native infrastructure at SAP and in all of Europe. The Gardener project powers SAP’s global landscape as the Kubernetes management solution and is trusted as the foundation for countless enterprise workloads at SAP and outside. We have committed to open source by donating Gardener into a neutral foundation.

This is growth, not replacement. We’re not just offering a job, we’re inviting you to shape the future of cloud-native infrastructure at SAP and in all of Europe. We have committed to open source by donating our projects into the neutral NeoNephos foundation. Make your mark, invite others, and discover #SAPEUAICloudCareers. Let’s build what’s next together.

Our Core team is contributing to Gardener by providing and maintaining the fundamental building blocks of Gardener – enabling the management of thousands of Kubernetes clusters across different private and public cloud environments. Our team is focusing on Go and leveraging the Kubernetes operator patterns for development. If you are interested in cloud-native technologies and development, then this is the place to be for you.

We’re building Apeiro , an open-source reference architecture that strengthens Europe’s digital sovereignty. This initiative is part of a broader movement to ensure security, sustainability, and compliance for cloud-to-edge computing. By joining us, you’ll contribute to a project that’s not just technical, it’s strategic for Europe’s future.

The Role:

• Use your Kubernetes and Go expertise to contribute to Gardener’s core components – the foundational building blocks that enable Gardener to manage thousands of Kubernetes clusters across various cloud providers.
• Make the deployment and operational procedures for Gardener installations/landscapes (e.g. update management) as easy and smooth as possible for landscape operators.
• Explore new fields for Gardener to deploy Kubernetes clusters – such as edge environments or bare-metal datacenter setups – and address the associated challenges.
• Contribute by developing and maintaining Kubernetes controller code that Gardener is composed of, defining and aligning technical concepts for new feature and capabilities, providing code reviews – all within the context of the open-source Gardener project.
• Become overtime a Gardener maintainer and fulfill all related tasks and challenges.
• Collaborate with stakeholders and other teams and translate their needs into scalable and maintainable solutions.
• Continuously learn and apply new technologies in the sector to stay up to date.

What you bring:

• Very good understanding of Kubernetes, cloud and container technologies.
• Proven hands-on software engineering experience with Go.
• Strong experience with Kubernetes extensions concepts like CRDs, operator patterns, dynamic admission control, aggregation/extension api-servers etc.
• Familiarity with Linux systems and command line interfaces.
• Experiences with multiple private and public cloud providers like AWS, Azure, GCP or Openstack are beneficial.
• At least 5 years of professional experience in a related field.
• A degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
• Good communication skills in English, both written and verbal.

We value your familiarity with the technology stack, but even more, we appreciate your talent for understanding complex problems and driving solutions. Your expertise will be essential in fostering effective communication and ensuring that each project advances in line with our strategic goals.

Meet your team:

We are a team of builders, innovators, and collaborators. Our culture is rooted in openness and trust. We believe the best ideas come from diverse perspectives, and we create space for every voice to be heard.

We thrive on curiosity and continuous learning. This is a place where you can make an impact that matters. Your work will influence not only SAP but also Europe’s digital future. We support each other, we push boundaries together, and we never stop exploring what’s next.

We are extremely proud of what we have built, and we would like you to be part of this journey. We build not only a few projects; we are the backbone of SAP’s cloud-native infrastructure and a leading open-source solution trusted across industries. This is growth, not replacement. If you know someone who also wants to be part of this journey, explore #oracareers and join together.

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