Application Guide

How to Apply for Platform Infrastructure Engineer

at SPAN

About SPAN

SPAN is a mission-driven clean energy company that builds intuitive home interfaces to simplify electrification and decarbonization. By enabling homes and vehicles to run on clean energy and creating a more resilient grid, SPAN offers a rare chance to work on technology that directly combats climate change. Employees join a passionate team designing products that make a tangible environmental impact.

About This Role

As a Platform Infrastructure Engineer at SPAN, you will lead the design, implementation, and maintenance of next-generation infrastructure and developer platforms. Leveraging Kubernetes, Pulumi, and Istio, you'll build scalable systems that support SPAN's clean energy products, directly enabling faster innovation and reliable service for homeowners. This remote role in India offers the opportunity to shape the foundation of a growing climate-tech leader.

A Day in the Life

A typical day might involve collaborating with development teams to optimize their deployment pipelines, writing Pulumi code to provision cloud resources, and tuning Istio configurations for better traffic management. You'll also monitor system health, troubleshoot issues, and research new technologies to keep SPAN's platform cutting-edge. Expect a mix of hands-on engineering, strategic planning, and cross-team collaboration, all while working remotely with a mission-driven team.

Who SPAN Is Looking For

  • Proven experience designing and managing Kubernetes clusters in production, with a strong understanding of networking, security, and scaling.
  • Hands-on expertise with infrastructure-as-code tools like Pulumi (or similar, e.g., Terraform) and service mesh technologies such as Istio.
  • Self-starter with an entrepreneurial spirit, comfortable working autonomously in a remote setting and driving projects from concept to completion.
  • Passion for clean energy and SPAN's mission, with a desire to apply infrastructure skills to accelerate electrification and decarbonization.

Tips for Applying to SPAN

  1. 1

    Highlight specific projects where you used Kubernetes, Pulumi, and Istio—quantify impact (e.g., reduced deployment time by X%, improved uptime).

  2. 2

    Emphasize your ability to work remotely and independently; SPAN values self-starters, so mention past remote successes or self-initiated projects.

  3. 3

    Connect your infrastructure work to SPAN's mission: explain how reliable, scalable platforms enable clean energy adoption and grid resilience.

  4. 4

    Show familiarity with SPAN's products (e.g., SPAN Panel) and how infrastructure supports their performance and user experience.

  5. 5

    Include links to your GitHub, technical blog, or contributions to open-source infrastructure projects to demonstrate hands-on expertise.

What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

In your cover letter, emphasize: 1) Your hands-on experience with Kubernetes, Pulumi, and Istio, and how you've used them to solve real-world scaling challenges. 2) Your entrepreneurial spirit and ability to lead infrastructure initiatives autonomously in a remote environment. 3) Your passion for clean energy and how you align with SPAN's mission to enable electrification for all. 4) Concrete examples of how your work improved developer productivity or system reliability, directly contributing to business goals.

Generate Cover Letter →

Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • Explore SPAN's product lineup, especially the SPAN Panel and SPAN Drive, to understand how they integrate with home energy systems and what infrastructure demands they create.
  • Read SPAN's engineering blog or press releases to learn about their tech stack, recent infrastructure challenges, and how they approach scalability and reliability.
  • Understand the basics of electrification and decarbonization in the built environment—this context will help you connect your work to SPAN's mission during interviews.
  • Check out SPAN's company values and mission statement on their website and LinkedIn to align your answers with their culture.

Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

  1. 1 Deep dive into your experience with Kubernetes: How have you designed, deployed, and managed clusters? What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
  2. 2 Infrastructure as Code with Pulumi: Describe a complex infrastructure deployment you automated. How did you handle state management, secrets, and rollbacks?
  3. 3 Service mesh with Istio: How have you used Istio for traffic management, security, or observability? What trade-offs did you consider?
  4. 4 Scenario: SPAN needs to scale its platform to support 10x more homes. How would you approach capacity planning, cost optimization, and reliability?
  5. 5 Behavioral: Tell us about a time you took ownership of a critical infrastructure project from ideation to production. How did you drive it forward as a self-starter?
Practice Interview Questions →

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Avoid generic infrastructure experience—tailor your application to show specific use of Kubernetes, Pulumi, and Istio, as these are core to the role.
  • Don't overlook the mission-driven aspect; SPAN seeks candidates who are genuinely excited about clean energy, not just tech for tech's sake.
  • Avoid implying you need constant direction; SPAN values self-starters, so demonstrate autonomy and initiative in your examples.

Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

  1. 1

    Application Review

    1-2 weeks

  2. 2

    Initial Screening

    Phone call or written assessment

  3. 3

    Interviews

    1-2 rounds, usually virtual

  4. ✓

    Offer

    Congratulations!