Who we are

Kinara is a Bay Area-based venture backed company. Our architecture is based on research done at Stanford University by Rehan Hameed and Wajahat Qadeer under the guidance of legendary Prof. Mark Horowitz (http://www-vlsi.stanford.edu/~horowitz/) and Prof. Christos Kozyrakis (http://csl.stanford.edu/~christos/).

Job Summary

As a Principal Engineer – Validation & DevOps, you will be responsible for establishing and managing the processes, tools, and frameworks necessary for rigorous validation of our software and systems, as well as building and maintaining a robust DevOps infrastructure. You will serve as a technical leader, guiding cross-functional teams to ensure that our products meet the highest standards of quality, reliability, and performance. This role combines deep technical expertise with strategic planning and process optimization, driving improvements in product validation, automation, and continuous delivery.
 

Key Responsibilities:

Validation Leadership:

• Design, implement, and manage comprehensive validation strategies and testing methodologies to ensure the reliability, accuracy, and performance of our products.
• Develop and maintain automated testing frameworks and continuous validation pipelines that integrate with our development lifecycle.
• Oversee the validation of both hardware and software systems in partnership with quality assurance and product teams.

DevOps Strategy & Execution:

• Architect and implement a scalable DevOps infrastructure that supports rapid development, deployment, and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines.
• Develop and integrate automation scripts, configuration management, and monitoring solutions to optimize the release process and ensure system stability.
• Collaborate with engineering, operations, and security teams to implement best practices for infrastructure as code (IaC), containerization, and cloud-based deployments

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Mentorship:

• Partner with engineering, product, customer support teams to define technical requirements and ensure alignment between development and operational objectives.
• Mentor and lead a team of validation engineers and DevOps specialists, fostering a culture of excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Serve as a subject matter expert in validation methodologies and DevOps practices, regularly sharing insights, conducting technical reviews, and facilitating knowledge transfer within the organization.

Process Optimization & Innovation:

• Evaluate, select, and integrate state-of-the-art tools and technologies to enhance both validation and DevOps processes.
• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and reporting metrics to measure the efficacy of the validation and deployment pipelines.
• Drive initiatives to identify and resolve bottlenecks in the build, test, and deployment processes, ensuring end-to-end quality and performance.

Technical Leadership & Architecture:

• Provide technical direction for the design and maintenance of systems that support automated validation, testing, and continuous integration/deployment.
• Contribute to the overall product roadmap by identifying opportunities to improve operational efficiency and system resilience.
• Lead cross-disciplinary projects, ensuring that validation and operational aspects are integral to the overall system architecture.

Required Qualifications:

Educational Background:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Computer Engineering, or a related field. Advanced degrees or relevant certifications are a plus

Professional Experience:

• 10+ years of experience in software engineering, with significant exposure to validation, DevOps, and infrastructure automation.
• Demonstrable experience in architecting and implementing CI/CD pipelines, automated testing frameworks, and large-scale deployment solutions.
• In-depth knowledge of scripting languages (e.g., Python, Shell), configuration management tools (e.g., Ansible, Chef, Puppet), containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes), and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).

Technical Skills:

• Strong understanding of software validation methodologies, test automation, and quality assurance best practices.
• Hands-on expertise with version control systems, build automation tools, and monitoring solutions.
• Proven ability to design and implement infrastructure as code (IaC) and leverage container orchestration systems.

Leadership & Communication:

• Excellent leadership and mentoring skills, with a track record of building and guiding high-performing teams.
• Outstanding problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong project management skills and experience driving cross-functional initiatives to successful completion.

What We Offer:

• The opportunity to lead and shape the validation and deployment processes at a forward-thinking company.
• A dynamic, collaborative work environment that encourages innovation and continuous learning.
• Competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and significant career growth opportunities.
• A chance to work on cutting-edge technologies and help set industry benchmarks in quality and operational excellence.

Work culture

We at Kinara have an environment that fosters innovation. Our team has technology experts who understand the big picture and mentors who coach passionate professionals to work on the most exciting challenges. We share responsibilities in everything we do, where every point of view is valued. Join us!

Now tell us your story. We are looking forward to reviewing your application.

Make your mark!