Experience
Summary#
Kubernetes Platform Engineer specializing in enterprise-scale infrastructure automation, secure platform architecture, and developer enablement. Proven track record designing and operating OpenShift and Kubernetes environments across bare metal, virtual, and cloud platforms (GCP). Expert in building reliable, automated systems through Infrastructure as Code, CI/CD pipeline engineering, and policy-driven platform management. Strong background in platform security, compliance automation, and supply chain security from dedicated Cloud Security team experience.
Experience Timeline#
Below is a concise visual timeline of roles. Bullet points highlight collaborative impact. Select Full details → for the full detail page about an experience.
K8s Platform Engineer - Team Lead
Nov 2025 – Present
Ford Motor Company
- Lead platform engineering team managing enterprise OpenShift environments serving 1000+ internal customers
- Architect and develop CLI tooling in Go for infrastructure automation (HPE iLO, OneView)
- Orchestrate multi-team incident response for critical infrastructure issues
- Mentor team members and lead Ford Kubernetes User Group bi-quarterly (100+ engineers)
Full details →Kubernetes Security Specialist
May 2025 – Nov 2025
Ford Motor Company
- Kubernetes SME for Cloud Security org; led container security, policy enforcement, and secure SDLC architecture
- Built secure image repository infrastructure with Tekton, Quay, GCR, and automated supply chain security
- Authored enterprise container security policies for Ford Cloud Standard
- Deployed Kyverno policy enforcement and engineered compliance infrastructure (CIS, NIST)
Full details →MBA
May 2024
Oakland University
- Completed graduate coursework focusing on the intersection of business strategy and information technology
- Developed advanced skills in IT governance, enterprise architecture, and technology management
- Balanced full-time professional work with evening and weekend graduate studies
Kubernetes Platform Engineer
Jan 2022 – Mar 2025
Ford Motor Company
- Managed OpenShift platform operations including upgrades, patching, and lifecycle management
- Led Ford Kubernetes User Group, establishing knowledge-sharing culture and promoting platform adoption
- Developed and maintained Terraform modules as reusable infrastructure patterns
- Served as on-call engineer for platform availability and incident response
Full details →DevOps Engineer
Sep 2020 – Dec 2022
Ford Motor Company
- Engineered CI/CD pipelines for mobile platforms using ConcourseCI (Android) and CircleCI (iOS)
- Led Hackathon team to develop production tooling from concept to deployment
- Built full-stack applications using SpringBoot, JavaScript, Angular, and Bootstrap
Full details →BS, Information Technology
May 2020
Oakland University
- Completed undergraduate degree with focus on systems administration and network infrastructure
- Gained foundational knowledge in programming, databases, and IT operations
- Applied classroom concepts through internship experiences in enterprise environments
IT Intern
Jun 2019 – Sep 2020
KOSTAL Group
- Built early container proofs of concept (Grafana, NetBox) informing future platform direction
- Delivered Grafana dashboards surfacing network metrics during remote work transition
- Provided broad IT operations support across networking, monitoring, and endpoints
Full details →SAP Intern
Oct 2018 – May 2019
KOSTAL Group
- Produced SAP training media and written guides accelerating employee onboarding
- Converted training materials into Moodle courses improving accessibility
- Supported upgrade activities, gaining exposure to ERP release and change management cycles
Full details →Jr. System Administrator
May 2018 – Oct 2018
Oakland University
- Assisted in managing Linux and Windows server environments
- Provided technical support and troubleshooting for university systems
Client Service Technician
Sep 2017 – May 2018
Oakland University
- Provided helpdesk support for students and faculty
- Maintained computer lab hardware and software
Skills#
K8s & Containers: OpenShift/Kubernetes, Podman, bare metal & cloud deployments
IaC & GitOps: Terraform, Ansible, GitOps, policy-as-code (Kyverno)
Cloud Platforms: Google Cloud Platform (Cloud Run, GCR, IAM, Compute Engine), Azure Entra ID
CI/CD & Automation: Tekton, ConcourseCI, CircleCI, GitOps workflows
Programming: Go, Python, JavaScript, Bash scripting, CLI development
Platform Security: Pod Security Standards, RBAC, Kyverno, RHACS, compliance automation (CIS, NIST)
Supply Chain Security: Cosign signing, SBOM generation, Trivy scanning, Quay, GCR, artifact attestation
Dev Tooling: Red Hat Dev Spaces, GitHub Codespaces, Dev containers, Podman Compose
AI-Assisted Development: GitHub Copilot (daily use with custom agents)
Deployable Manifest#
Apply this YAML to your Kubernetes environment to implement your own!
apiVersion: cv.resume/v1
kind: Human
metadata:
name: garrett-holland-dev
namespace: garrett-dev
labels:
location: Detroit, MI
role: Senior Kubernetes Platform Engineer
annotations:
linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garrettholland/
github: https://github.com/glholland
spec:
replica: 1
headline: Senior Kubernetes Platform Engineer
location: Detroit, MI
skills:
- Kubernetes
- OpenShift
- Go
- Terraform
- Ansible
- GitOps
- Tekton
- Kyverno
- Google Cloud
- Python
- JavaScript
- GitHub Copilot
experience:
- company: Ford Motor Company
position: Kubernetes Platform Engineer
period: Nov 2025 - Present
- company: Ford Motor Company
position: K8s Platform Engineer - Team Lead
period: Nov 2025 - Present
- company: Ford Motor Company
position: Kubernetes Security Specialist
period: May 2025 - Nov 2025
- company: Ford Motor Company
position: Kubernetes Platform Engineer
period: Jan 2022 - May 2025
- company: Ford Motor Company
position: DevOps Engineer
period: Sep 2020 - Dec 2022
- company: KOSTAL Group
position: IT Intern
period: Jun 2019 - Sep 2020
- company: KOSTAL Group
position: SAP Intern
period: Oct 2018 - May 2019
education:
- institution: Oakland University
degree: MBA
field: Management of Information Systems
year: 2024
- institution: Oakland University
degree: BS
field: Information Technology
year: 2020
status:
available: true
currentRole: K8s Platform Engineer - Team Lead
lastUpdated: "2026-03-28T00:00:00Z"