Software Engineer - Apollo Systems
Palantir · New York, NY · Onsite
Palantir
Palantir Technologies is a data analytics and software company founded in 2003 by Peter Thiel, Alex Karp, and others, initially built around intelligence and defense work for agencies like the CIA. Its platforms—Gotham, Foundry, Apollo, and the newer AIP—help government and commercial clients integrate sprawling datasets into usable operational tools, competing with the likes of Palo Alto Networks, C3.ai, and traditional government IT contractors, while also encroaching on enterprise data territory held by Snowflake and Databricks. Since its Denver-based IPO in 2020, Palantir has pushed hard into commercial markets, expanding beyond defense and intelligence into healthcare, manufacturing, and supply chain operations.
Gig description
A World-Changing Company Palantir builds the world’s leading software for data-driven decisions and operations. By bringing the right data to the people who need it, our platforms empower our partners to develop lifesaving drugs, forecast supply chain disruptions, locate missing children, and more. The Role Apollo is Palantir’s autonomous software management and deployment platform. It enables seamless, continuous delivery of mission-critical software (Foundry, Gotham, AIP) across a vast range of environments: on-prem, public cloud, disconnected (air-gapped) networks, and highly regulated settings (including IL-5 and FedRAMP). As a Software Engineer on the Apollo team, you’ll build and operate a large-scale distributed system to allow the remote operation and maintenance of Kubernetes clusters. Our mission is to extract the entire state of a cluster into a portable, high-performance artifact within minutes, enabling full and almost instant cluster reconstruction from the ground up—all while pushing the limits of speed, reliability, and scale. You’ll design and implement backup and restore solutions for Kubernetes, leveraging proprietary compression infrastructure tailored to Palantir’s unique deployment models. You’ll also build and optimize our container artifact store, which is based on the OCI (Open Container Initiative) distribution spec—the industry standard for storing and distributing container images and artifacts. You’ll own the backbone of every environment Apollo supports, from hyperscalers to Army trucks. If you’re excited by challenges at the intersection of container technologies like OCI and docker, storage, and distributed systems, you’ll find opportunities here to dive deep into storage formats and low-level optimizations, where milliseconds matter. As we increasingly automate cluster creation and management on diverse hardware, you’ll play a key role in scaling Palantir’s presence at the edge and solving tough distributed systems problems. You’ll own the full development lifecycle—from idea generation and design, through implementation, to operation and support—while collaborating closely with both technical and non-technical stakeholders to deliver robust, impactful infrastructure. The usage of AI tools (Claude Code/Codex/Copilot) is highly encouraged!
Requirements to meet
Disclaimer
Suggestions only — review each course yourself to judge whether it meets the role's requirements. Completing a course doesn't guarantee proficiency or that you'll qualify; hiring standards vary by employer.
Skills required
Kubernetes (required)
GapCourses that may help you meet this requirement:
Kubernetes for the Absolute Beginners with Hands-on Labs
Coursera · beginner · $49 · 10h · ★ 4.7
This course directly covers Kubernetes, which appears as a requirement in the Software Engineer - Apollo Systems posting at a beginner level and can be completed in approximately 10 hours.
Introduction to project FarmVibes.AI
Microsoft Learn · beginner · Free · 16m
This course covers Kubernetes, which appears as a requirement in the Software Engineer - Apollo Systems posting at a beginner level and can be completed in approximately 0 hours.
Monitor hybrid virtual machines, containers, and network resources
Microsoft Learn · beginner · Free · 1.5h
This beginner course covers monitoring containers and network resources, providing foundational exposure relevant to the Kubernetes skill gap required for the Software Engineer - Apollo Systems role.
Docker (required)
GapCourses that may help you meet this requirement:
Build a containerized web application with Docker
Microsoft Learn · beginner · Free · 57m · ★ 4.6
This course directly covers Docker, which appears as a requirement in the Software Engineer - Apollo Systems posting at a beginner level and can be completed in approximately 1 hours.
Docker for Beginners with Hands-on labs
Coursera · beginner · $49 · 10h · ★ 4.6
This course directly covers Docker, which appears as a requirement in the Software Engineer - Apollo Systems posting at a beginner level and can be completed in approximately 10 hours.
Leverage GitHub Actions to publish to GitHub Packages
Microsoft Learn · intermediate · Free · 41m · ★ 4.8
This intermediate course covers Docker, directly addressing the Docker skill gap required for the Software Engineer - Apollo Systems role.
CI/CD (required)
GapCourses that may help you meet this requirement:
Introduction to Git
Microsoft Learn · beginner · Free · 1.5h · ★ 4.8
This course is recommended for the CI/CD skill gap, though no specific matched keywords or content evidence are available to confirm direct coverage of CI/CD topics.
Manage software delivery by using a release based workflow on GitHub
Microsoft Learn · beginner · Free · 1.5h · ★ 4.8
This course covers CI/CD, which appears as a requirement in the Software Engineer - Apollo Systems posting at a beginner level and can be completed in approximately 2 hours.
Introduction to GitHub Copilot Business
Microsoft Learn · beginner · Free · 23m · ★ 4.7
This course covers CI/CD, which appears as a requirement in the Software Engineer - Apollo Systems posting at a beginner level and can be completed in approximately 0 hours.
Distributed Systems (required)
GapCourses that may help you meet this requirement:
Distributed Systems and Web Services
Coursera · intermediate · $49/mo · 20h
This course directly covers Distributed Systems, which appears as a requirement in the Software Engineer - Apollo Systems posting at an intermediate level and can be completed in approximately 20 hours.
Principles of Computer Systems
MIT Learn · advanced · Free
This course directly covers Distributed Systems, which appears as a requirement in the Software Engineer - Apollo Systems posting at an advanced level.
Supply Chain (required)
GapCourses that may help you meet this requirement:
Supply Chain Management and Analytics
Coursera · beginner · $49/mo · 30h · ★ 4.8
This course directly covers Supply Chain, which appears as a requirement in the Software Engineer - Apollo Systems posting at a beginner level and can be completed in approximately 30 hours.
Get started with Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management
Microsoft Learn · beginner · Free · 2h · ★ 4.7
This beginner course directly addresses the Supply Chain skill gap for the Software Engineer - Apollo Systems role by covering core supply and chain concepts in just under two hours.
Supply Chain Logistics
Coursera · beginner · $49/mo · 11h · ★ 4.7
This course directly covers Supply Chain, which appears as a requirement in the Software Engineer - Apollo Systems posting at a beginner level and can be completed in approximately 11 hours.