diff --git a/.github/workflows/auto-tests-e2e.yaml b/.github/workflows/auto-tests-e2e.yaml
index 9691995c..ad987843 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/auto-tests-e2e.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/auto-tests-e2e.yaml
@@ -19,10 +19,6 @@ on:
       - 'backup/**'
       - '*.md'
 
-env:
-  MINIKUBE_CPUS_NUMBER: 2
-  MINIKUBE_MEMORY_AMOUNT: 6144
-
 jobs:
   run-tests:
     if: github.event.pull_request.draft == false
@@ -35,11 +31,9 @@ jobs:
       - name: Set up env vars
         run: |
           echo "GO111MODULE=on" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-          echo "CHANGE_MINIKUBE_NONE_USER=true" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-          echo "MINIKUBE_WANTUPDATENOTIFICATION=false" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-          echo "MINIKUBE_WANTREPORTERRORPROMPT=false" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           echo "GO_VERSION=v$(sed -n 's/GO_VERSION=//p' config.base.env | tr -d '\n' | tr -d '"')" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           echo "HELM_VERSION=v$(sed -n 's/HELM_VERSION=//p' config.base.env | tr -d '\n' | tr -d '"')" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          echo "KIND_CLUSTER_NAME=$(sed -n 's/KIND_CLUSTER_NAME=//p' config.base.env | tr -d '\n' | tr -d '"')" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           echo "GOPATH=/home/runner/go" >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
       - name: Prepare go environment
@@ -53,16 +47,21 @@ jobs:
       - name: Verify code formatting
         run: make verify
 
+      - name: Kind setup
+        uses: helm/kind-action@v1.9.0
+        with:
+          cluster_name: ${{env.KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}}
+          config: kind-cluster.yaml
+
       - name: Prepare environment for e2e
         run: |
           sudo apt-get update
           sudo apt-get install socat
-          sudo mkdir -p $HOME/.kube $HOME/.minikube
-          sudo chown -R $USER $HOME/.kube $HOME/.minikube
-          make minikube-start \
-          MINIKUBE_DRIVER='docker' \
-          MEMORY_AMOUNT=${{ env.MINIKUBE_MEMORY_AMOUNT }} \
-          CPUS_NUMBER=${{ env.MINIKUBE_CPUS_NUMBER }}
+          sudo mkdir -p $HOME/.kube
+          sudo chown -R $USER $HOME/.kube
+
+      - name: Jenkins Operator - e2e - list tests
+        run: make e2e E2E_TEST_ARGS='-ginkgo.v -ginkgo.dryRun'
 
       - name: Jenkins Operator - e2e
         run: make e2e E2E_TEST_ARGS='-ginkgo.v'
@@ -75,4 +74,3 @@ jobs:
           randomns=$(kubectl get ns| grep -i 'ns[0-9]\+' |cut -d ' ' -f 1)
           kubectl get pods -n ${randomns}
           kubectl get events -n ${randomns}
-          kubectl logs -l app=jenkins-operator -n ${randomns}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/auto-tests-helm.yaml b/.github/workflows/auto-tests-helm.yaml
index 41a7353e..6c75fa19 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/auto-tests-helm.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/auto-tests-helm.yaml
@@ -19,10 +19,6 @@ on:
       - 'backup/**'
       - '*.md'
 
-env:
-  MINIKUBE_CPUS_NUMBER: 2
-  MINIKUBE_MEMORY_AMOUNT: 6144
-
 jobs:
   run-tests:
     if: github.event.pull_request.draft == false
@@ -35,11 +31,9 @@ jobs:
       - name: Set up env vars
         run: |
           echo "GO111MODULE=on" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-          echo "CHANGE_MINIKUBE_NONE_USER=true" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-          echo "MINIKUBE_WANTUPDATENOTIFICATION=false" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-          echo "MINIKUBE_WANTREPORTERRORPROMPT=false" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           echo "GO_VERSION=v$(sed -n 's/GO_VERSION=//p' config.base.env | tr -d '\n' | tr -d '"')" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           echo "HELM_VERSION=v$(sed -n 's/HELM_VERSION=//p' config.base.env | tr -d '\n' | tr -d '"')" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          echo "KIND_CLUSTER_NAME=$(sed -n 's/KIND_CLUSTER_NAME=//p' config.base.env | tr -d '\n' | tr -d '"')" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           echo "GOPATH=/home/runner/go" >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
       - name: Prepare go environment
@@ -53,20 +47,21 @@ jobs:
       - name: Verify code formatting
         run: make verify
 
+      - name: Kind setup
+        uses: helm/kind-action@v1.9.0
+        with:
+          cluster_name: ${{env.KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}}
+          config: kind-cluster.yaml
+
       - name: Prepare environment for e2e
         run: |
           sudo apt-get update
           sudo apt-get install socat
-          sudo mkdir -p $HOME/.kube $HOME/.minikube
-          sudo chown -R $USER $HOME/.kube $HOME/.minikube
-          make minikube-start \
-            MINIKUBE_DRIVER='docker' \
-            MEMORY_AMOUNT=${{ env.MINIKUBE_MEMORY_AMOUNT }} \
-            CPUS_NUMBER=${{ env.MINIKUBE_CPUS_NUMBER }}
+          sudo mkdir -p $HOME/.kube
+          sudo chown -R $USER $HOME/.kube
 
       - name: Jenkins Operator - Helm Chart tests
         run: |
           git reset --hard
           make helm-lint
-          eval $(bin/minikube docker-env)
           make helm-e2e E2E_TEST_ARGS='-ginkgo.v'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-nightly.yaml b/.github/workflows/release-nightly.yaml
index 6f504836..3012bd26 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-nightly.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-nightly.yaml
@@ -8,10 +8,6 @@ on:
         description: "Flag for skipping the tests. If set to true (without quotation marks), the workflow will skip tests and go straight to releasing the nightly build. Use with caution!"
         required: false
 
-env:
-  MINIKUBE_CPUS_NUMBER: 2
-  MINIKUBE_MEMORY_AMOUNT: 6144
-
 jobs:
   publish-image:
     name: Publish nightly snapshot
@@ -23,9 +19,6 @@ jobs:
       - name: Prep - Set up env vars
         run: |
           echo "GO111MODULE=on" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-          echo "CHANGE_MINIKUBE_NONE_USER=true" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-          echo "MINIKUBE_WANTUPDATENOTIFICATION=false" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-          echo "MINIKUBE_WANTREPORTERRORPROMPT=false" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           echo "GO_VERSION=v$(sed -n 's/GO_VERSION=//p' config.base.env | tr -d '\n' | tr -d '"')" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           echo "HELM_VERSION=v$(sed -n 's/HELM_VERSION=//p' config.base.env | tr -d '\n' | tr -d '"')" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           echo "KIND_CLUSTER_NAME=$(sed -n 's/KIND_CLUSTER_NAME=//p' config.base.env | tr -d '\n' | tr -d '"')" >> $GITHUB_ENV
@@ -56,12 +49,15 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           sudo apt-get update
           sudo apt-get install socat
-          sudo mkdir -p $HOME/.kube $HOME/.minikube
-          sudo chown -R $USER $HOME/.kube $HOME/.minikube
-          make minikube-start \
-            MINIKUBE_DRIVER='docker'  \
-            MEMORY_AMOUNT=${{ env.MINIKUBE_MEMORY_AMOUNT }} \
-            CPUS_NUMBER=${{ env.MINIKUBE_CPUS_NUMBER }}
+          sudo mkdir -p $HOME/.kube
+          sudo chown -R $USER $HOME/.kube
+
+      - name: Prep - Kind setup
+        if: ${{ github.event.inputs.skipTests != 'true' }}
+        uses: helm/kind-action@v1.9.0
+        with:
+          cluster_name: ${{env.KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}}
+          config: kind-cluster.yaml
 
       - name: Test - e2e
         if: ${{ github.event.inputs.skipTests != 'true' }}
@@ -72,20 +68,8 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           git reset --hard
           make helm-lint
-          eval $(bin/minikube docker-env)
           make helm-e2e E2E_TEST_ARGS='-ginkgo.v'
 
-      - name: Prep - Destroy minikube
-        if: ${{ github.event.inputs.skipTests != 'true' }}
-        run: |
-          make minikube-destroy
-
-      - name: Prep - Kind setup
-        if: ${{ github.event.inputs.skipTests != 'true' }}
-        uses: helm/kind-action@v1.9.0
-        with:
-          cluster_name: ${{env.KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}}
-
       - name: Test - bats
         if: ${{ github.event.inputs.skipTests != 'true' }}
         run: make bats-tests
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 7ad94bd3..a620f072 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -94,13 +94,46 @@ e2e: deepcopy-gen manifests ## Runs e2e tests, you can use EXTRA_ARGS
 	RUNNING_TESTS=1 go test -parallel=1 "./test/e2e/" -ginkgo.v -tags "$(BUILDTAGS) cgo" -v -timeout 60m -run "$(E2E_TEST_SELECTOR)" \
 		-jenkins-api-hostname=$(JENKINS_API_HOSTNAME) -jenkins-api-port=$(JENKINS_API_PORT) -jenkins-api-use-nodeport=$(JENKINS_API_USE_NODEPORT) $(E2E_TEST_ARGS)
 
+## HELM Section
+
+.PHONY: helm
+HAS_HELM := $(shell command -v helm 2> /dev/null)
+helm: ## Download helm if it's not present, otherwise symlink
+	@echo "+ $@"
+ifeq ($(strip $(HAS_HELM)),)
+    mkdir -p $(PROJECT_DIR)/bin
+    curl -Lo $(PROJECT_DIR)/bin/helm.tar.gz https://get.helm.sh/helm-v$(HELM_VERSION)-$(PLATFORM)-amd64.tar.gz && tar xzfv $(PROJECT_DIR)/bin/helm.tar.gz -C $(PROJECT_DIR)/bin
+    mv $(PROJECT_DIR)/bin/$(PLATFORM)-amd64/helm $(PROJECT_DIR)/bin/helm
+    rm -rf $(PROJECT_DIR)/bin/$(PLATFORM)-amd64
+    rm -rf $(PROJECT_DIR)/bin/helm.tar.gz
+else
+    mkdir -p $(PROJECT_DIR)/bin
+	test -L $(PROJECT_DIR)/bin/helm || ln -sf $(shell command -v helm) $(PROJECT_DIR)/bin/helm
+endif
+
+.PHONY: helm-lint
+helm-lint: helm
+	bin/helm lint chart/jenkins-operator
+
+.PHONY: helm-release-latest
+helm-release-latest: helm
+	mkdir -p /tmp/jenkins-operator-charts
+	mv chart/jenkins-operator/*.tgz /tmp/jenkins-operator-charts
+	cd chart && ../bin/helm package jenkins-operator
+	mv chart/jenkins-operator-*.tgz chart/jenkins-operator/
+	bin/helm repo index chart/ --url https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jenkinsci/kubernetes-operator/master/chart/ --merge chart/index.yaml
+	mv /tmp/jenkins-operator-charts/*.tgz chart/jenkins-operator/
+
 .PHONY: helm-e2e
 IMAGE_NAME := quay.io/$(QUAY_ORGANIZATION)/$(QUAY_REGISTRY):$(GITCOMMIT)-amd64
 
 helm-e2e: helm container-runtime-build-amd64 ## Runs helm e2e tests, you can use EXTRA_ARGS
+	kind load docker-image ${IMAGE_NAME} --name $(KIND_CLUSTER_NAME)
 	@echo "+ $@"
 	RUNNING_TESTS=1 go test -parallel=1 "./test/helm/" -ginkgo.v -tags "$(BUILDTAGS) cgo" -v -timeout 60m -run "$(E2E_TEST_SELECTOR)" -image-name=$(IMAGE_NAME) $(E2E_TEST_ARGS)
 
+## CODE CHECKS section
+
 .PHONY: vet
 vet: ## Verifies `go vet` passes
 	@echo "+ $@"
@@ -155,7 +188,7 @@ run: export WATCH_NAMESPACE = $(NAMESPACE)
 run: export OPERATOR_NAME = $(NAME)
 run: fmt vet install-crds build ## Run the executable, you can use EXTRA_ARGS
 	@echo "+ $@"
-ifeq ($(KUBERNETES_PROVIDER),minikube)
+ifeq ($(KUBERNETES_PROVIDER),kind)
 	kubectl config use-context $(KUBECTL_CONTEXT)
 endif
 ifeq ($(KUBERNETES_PROVIDER),crc)
@@ -294,12 +327,6 @@ container-runtime-run: ## Run the container in docker, you can use EXTRA_ARGS
 		--volume $(HOME)/.kube/config:/home/jenkins-operator/.kube/config \
 		quay.io/${QUAY_ORGANIZATION}/$(QUAY_REGISTRY):$(GITCOMMIT) /usr/bin/jenkins-operator $(OPERATOR_ARGS)
 
-.PHONY: minikube-run
-minikube-run: export WATCH_NAMESPACE = $(NAMESPACE)
-minikube-run: export OPERATOR_NAME = $(NAME)
-minikube-run: minikube-start run ## Run the operator locally and use minikube as Kubernetes cluster, you can use OPERATOR_ARGS
-	@echo "+ $@"
-
 .PHONY: crc-run
 crc-run: export WATCH_NAMESPACE = $(NAMESPACE)
 crc-run: export OPERATOR_NAME = $(NAME)
@@ -322,14 +349,6 @@ ifndef HAS_GEN_CRD_API_REFERENCE_DOCS
 endif
 	$(GEN_CRD_API)/$(GEN_CRD_API) -config gen-crd-api-config.json -api-dir $(PKG)/api/$(API_VERSION) -template-dir $(GEN_CRD_API)/template -out-file documentation/$(VERSION)/jenkins-$(API_VERSION)-scheme.md
 
-.PHONY: check-minikube
-check-minikube: ## Checks if KUBERNETES_PROVIDER is set to minikube
-	@echo "+ $@"
-	@echo "KUBERNETES_PROVIDER '$(KUBERNETES_PROVIDER)'"
-ifneq ($(KUBERNETES_PROVIDER),minikube)
-	$(error KUBERNETES_PROVIDER not set to 'minikube')
-endif
-
 .PHONY: check-crc
 check-crc: ## Checks if KUBERNETES_PROVIDER is set to crc
 	@echo "+ $@"
@@ -338,44 +357,10 @@ ifneq ($(KUBERNETES_PROVIDER),crc)
 	$(error KUBERNETES_PROVIDER not set to 'crc')
 endif
 
-.PHONY: helm
-HAS_HELM := $(shell which $(PROJECT_DIR)/bin/helm)
-helm: ## Download helm if it's not present
-	@echo "+ $@"
-ifndef HAS_HELM
-	mkdir -p $(PROJECT_DIR)/bin
-	curl -Lo bin/helm.tar.gz https://get.helm.sh/helm-v$(HELM_VERSION)-$(PLATFORM)-amd64.tar.gz && tar xzfv bin/helm.tar.gz -C $(PROJECT_DIR)/bin
-	mv $(PROJECT_DIR)/bin/$(PLATFORM)-amd64/helm $(PROJECT_DIR)/bin/helm
-	rm -rf $(PROJECT_DIR)/bin/$(PLATFORM)-amd64
-	rm -rf $(PROJECT_DIR)/bin/helm.tar.gz
-endif
-
-.PHONY: minikube
-HAS_MINIKUBE := $(shell which $(PROJECT_DIR)/bin/minikube)
-minikube: ## Download minikube if it's not present
-	@echo "+ $@"
-ifndef HAS_MINIKUBE
-	mkdir -p $(PROJECT_DIR)/bin
-	wget -O $(PROJECT_DIR)/bin/minikube https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/download/v$(MINIKUBE_VERSION)/minikube-$(PLATFORM)-amd64
-	chmod +x $(PROJECT_DIR)/bin/minikube
-endif
-
-.PHONY: minikube-start
-minikube-start: minikube check-minikube ## Start minikube
-	@echo "+ $@"
-	bin/minikube status && exit 0 || \
-	bin/minikube start --kubernetes-version $(MINIKUBE_KUBERNETES_VERSION) --dns-domain=$(CLUSTER_DOMAIN) --extra-config=kubelet.cluster-domain=$(CLUSTER_DOMAIN) --driver=$(MINIKUBE_DRIVER) --memory $(MEMORY_AMOUNT) --cpus $(CPUS_NUMBER)
-
-.PHONY: minikube-destroy
-minikube-destroy: ## Stop and destroy minikube
-	@echo "+ $@"
-	bin/minikube stop
-	bin/minikube delete
-
 .PHONY: kind-setup
 kind-setup: ## Setup kind cluster
 	@echo "+ $@"
-	kind create cluster --name $(KIND_CLUSTER_NAME)
+	kind create cluster --config kind-cluster.yaml --name $(KIND_CLUSTER_NAME)
 
 .PHONY: kind-clean
 kind-clean: ## Delete kind cluster
@@ -464,20 +449,6 @@ endif
 	go mod vendor -v
 	@echo
 
-.PHONY: helm-lint
-helm-lint: helm
-	@echo "+ $@"
-	bin/helm lint chart/jenkins-operator
-
-.PHONY: helm-release-latest
-helm-release-latest: helm
-	@echo "+ $@"
-	mkdir -p /tmp/jenkins-operator-charts
-	mv chart/jenkins-operator/*.tgz /tmp/jenkins-operator-charts
-	cd chart && ../bin/helm package jenkins-operator
-	mv chart/jenkins-operator-*.tgz chart/jenkins-operator/
-	bin/helm repo index chart/ --url https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jenkinsci/kubernetes-operator/master/chart/ --merge chart/index.yaml
-	mv /tmp/jenkins-operator-charts/*.tgz chart/jenkins-operator/
 
 # Download and build hugo extended locally if necessary
 HUGO_PATH = $(shell pwd)/bin/hugo
@@ -601,12 +572,10 @@ kubebuilder:
 	source ${ENVTEST_ASSETS_DIR}/setup-envtest.sh; fetch_envtest_tools $(ENVTEST_ASSETS_DIR); setup_envtest_env $(ENVTEST_ASSETS_DIR);
 
 # install cert-manager v1.5.1
-.PHONY: install-cert-manager
-install-cert-manager: minikube-start
+install-cert-manager: kind-setup
 	kubectl apply -f https://github.com/jetstack/cert-manager/releases/download/v1.5.1/cert-manager.yaml
 
-.PHONY: uninstall-cert-manager
-uninstall-cert-manager: minikube-start
+uninstall-cert-manager: kind-setup
 	kubectl delete -f https://github.com/jetstack/cert-manager/releases/download/v1.5.1/cert-manager.yaml
 
 # Deploy the operator locally along with webhook using helm charts
diff --git a/config.base.env b/config.base.env
index 697bb7e3..d7bc92bf 100644
--- a/config.base.env
+++ b/config.base.env
@@ -1,16 +1,16 @@
+ALL_IN_ONE_DEPLOY_FILE_PREFIX="all-in-one"
+API_VERSION_NEXT="v1alpha3"
+API_VERSION="v1alpha2"
+CLUSTER_DOMAIN="cluster.local"
+GEN_CRD_API="gen-crd-api-reference-docs"
+GO_VERSION="1.15.6"
+HELM_VERSION="3.12.3"
+IMAGE_PULL_MODE="local"
+KIND_CLUSTER_NAME="jenkins"
+LATEST_LTS_VERSION="2.440.1"
 NAME="kubernetes-operator"
-OPERATOR_SDK_VERSION="1.33.0"
-GO_VERSION="1.20.3"
+NAMESPACE="default"
+OPERATOR_SDK_VERSION="1.3.0"
 PKG="github.com/jenkinsci/kubernetes-operator"
 QUAY_ORGANIZATION="jenkins-kubernetes-operator"
 QUAY_REGISTRY="operator"
-NAMESPACE="default"
-API_VERSION="v1alpha2"
-API_VERSION_NEXT="v1alpha3"
-ALL_IN_ONE_DEPLOY_FILE_PREFIX="all-in-one"
-GEN_CRD_API="gen-crd-api-reference-docs"
-IMAGE_PULL_MODE="local"
-HELM_VERSION="3.12.3"
-CLUSTER_DOMAIN="cluster.local"
-LATEST_LTS_VERSION="2.440.1"
-KIND_CLUSTER_NAME="jenkins"
diff --git a/config.crc.env b/config.crc.env
deleted file mode 100644
index 8bead977..00000000
--- a/config.crc.env
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-KUBERNETES_PROVIDER=crc
-
-JENKINS_API_HOSTNAME_COMMAND=crc ip
-JENKINS_API_PORT=0
-JENKINS_API_USE_NODEPORT=true
-
-CRC_OC_PROJECT=default
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/config.kind.env b/config.kind.env
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b4e7ddf1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config.kind.env
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+JENKINS_API_HOSTNAME_COMMAND=echo localhost
+JENKINS_API_PORT=0
+JENKINS_API_USE_NODEPORT=true
+KUBERNETES_PROVIDER=kind
+KUBECTL_CONTEXT=kind-jenkins
diff --git a/config.minikube.env b/config.minikube.env
deleted file mode 100644
index 944978fc..00000000
--- a/config.minikube.env
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
-KUBERNETES_PROVIDER=minikube
-
-MINIKUBE_KUBERNETES_VERSION=v1.24.8
-MINIKUBE_DRIVER=virtualbox
-MINIKUBE_VERSION=1.28.0
-KUBECTL_CONTEXT=minikube
-
-JENKINS_API_HOSTNAME_COMMAND=bin/minikube ip
-JENKINS_API_PORT=0
-JENKINS_API_USE_NODEPORT=true
diff --git a/flake.lock b/flake.lock
index 513664d6..4190dfaa 100644
--- a/flake.lock
+++ b/flake.lock
@@ -43,11 +43,11 @@
     },
     "nixpkgs": {
       "locked": {
-        "lastModified": 1707451808,
-        "narHash": "sha256-UwDBUNHNRsYKFJzyTMVMTF5qS4xeJlWoeyJf+6vvamU=",
+        "lastModified": 1708751719,
+        "narHash": "sha256-0uWOKSpXJXmXswOvDM5Vk3blB74apFB6rNGWV5IjoN0=",
         "owner": "nixos",
         "repo": "nixpkgs",
-        "rev": "442d407992384ed9c0e6d352de75b69079904e4e",
+        "rev": "f63ce824cd2f036216eb5f637dfef31e1a03ee89",
         "type": "github"
       },
       "original": {
diff --git a/kind-cluster.yaml b/kind-cluster.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..726f6137
--- /dev/null
+++ b/kind-cluster.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+apiVersion: kind.x-k8s.io/v1alpha4
+kind: Cluster
+nodes:
+- role: control-plane
+  extraPortMappings:
+  - containerPort: 30303
+    hostPort: 30303
+    listenAddress: "0.0.0.0"
+    protocol: tcp
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/e2e/jenkins_test.go b/test/e2e/jenkins_test.go
index 0417964c..1543c465 100644
--- a/test/e2e/jenkins_test.go
+++ b/test/e2e/jenkins_test.go
@@ -145,6 +145,7 @@ func createJenkinsCRSafeRestart(name, namespace string, seedJob *[]v1alpha2.Seed
 			Service: v1alpha2.Service{
 				Type: corev1.ServiceTypeNodePort,
 				Port: constants.DefaultHTTPPortInt32,
+				NodePort: 30303,
 			},
 		},
 	}
@@ -239,10 +240,12 @@ func verifyJenkinsAPIConnection(jenkins *v1alpha2.Jenkins, namespace string) (je
 func restartJenkinsMasterPod(jenkins *v1alpha2.Jenkins) {
 	_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, "Restarting Jenkins master pod\n")
 	jenkinsPod := getJenkinsMasterPod(jenkins)
+	_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, "Jenkins pod: %+v\n", jenkinsPod)
 	Expect(K8sClient.Delete(context.TODO(), jenkinsPod)).Should(Succeed())
 
 	Eventually(func() (bool, error) {
 		jenkinsPod = getJenkinsMasterPod(jenkins)
+		fmt.Printf("Jenkins pod deletion timestamp: %v\n", jenkinsPod.DeletionTimestamp)
 		return jenkinsPod.DeletionTimestamp != nil, nil
 	}, 45*retryInterval, retryInterval).Should(BeTrue())
 
diff --git a/test/e2e/restorebackup_test.go b/test/e2e/restorebackup_test.go
index 34d1ffb2..cb895853 100644
--- a/test/e2e/restorebackup_test.go
+++ b/test/e2e/restorebackup_test.go
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ func createPVC(namespace string) {
 			Namespace: namespace,
 		},
 		Spec: corev1.PersistentVolumeClaimSpec{
-			AccessModes: []corev1.PersistentVolumeAccessMode{corev1.ReadWriteMany},
+			AccessModes: []corev1.PersistentVolumeAccessMode{corev1.ReadWriteOnce},
 			Resources: corev1.ResourceRequirements{
 				Requests: corev1.ResourceList{
 					corev1.ResourceStorage: resource.MustParse("1Gi"),
@@ -212,6 +212,7 @@ func createJenkinsWithBackupAndRestoreConfigured(name, namespace string) *v1alph
 			Service: v1alpha2.Service{
 				Type: corev1.ServiceTypeNodePort,
 				Port: constants.DefaultHTTPPortInt32,
+				NodePort: 30303,
 			},
 		},
 	}
diff --git a/test/e2e/test_utility.go b/test/e2e/test_utility.go
index f3c06b4c..7b62003f 100644
--- a/test/e2e/test_utility.go
+++ b/test/e2e/test_utility.go
@@ -167,6 +167,7 @@ func RenderJenkinsCR(name, namespace string, seedJob *[]v1alpha2.SeedJob, groovy
 			Service: v1alpha2.Service{
 				Type: corev1.ServiceTypeNodePort,
 				Port: constants.DefaultHTTPPortInt32,
+				NodePort: 30303,
 			},
 			Roles: []rbacv1.RoleRef{
 				{
diff --git a/test/e2e/wait.go b/test/e2e/wait.go
index 720352b9..4d4b97a0 100644
--- a/test/e2e/wait.go
+++ b/test/e2e/wait.go
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 var (
-	retryInterval = time.Second * 5
+	retryInterval = time.Second * 10
 )
 
 func WaitForJenkinsBaseConfigurationToComplete(jenkins *v1alpha2.Jenkins) {
@@ -53,6 +53,8 @@ func waitForRecreateJenkinsMasterPod(jenkins *v1alpha2.Jenkins) {
 		}
 		pods := &corev1.PodList{}
 		err := K8sClient.List(context.TODO(), pods, lo)
+		// debug print
+		_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(ginkgo.GinkgoWriter, "Pods: %+v\n", pods)
 		if err != nil {
 			return false, err
 		}
diff --git a/variables.mk b/variables.mk
index 5367de37..4a917c71 100644
--- a/variables.mk
+++ b/variables.mk
@@ -18,14 +18,14 @@ define strip_quotes
 $(shell echo $(1) | sed -e 's/^"//' -e 's/"$$//')
 endef
 
-include config.base.env
-$(foreach var,$(shell cat config.base.env),$(eval $(call strip_quotes,$(var))))
-
 # Import config
 # You can change the default config with `make config="config_special.env" build`
-config ?= config.minikube.env
+config ?= config.kind.env
 include $(config)
 
+include config.base.env
+$(foreach var,$(shell cat config.base.env),$(eval $(call strip_quotes,$(var))))
+
 # Set an output prefix, which is the local directory if not specified
 PREFIX?=$(shell pwd)