diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index baf81073530..3dcaa884a4a 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -453,6 +453,7 @@ check-deps:
 
 
 # CAAS related targets
+export OCI_BUILDER         ?= docker
 DOCKER_USERNAME            ?= jujusolutions
 DOCKER_BUILDX_CONTEXT      ?= juju-make
 DOCKER_STAGING_DIR         ?= ${BUILD_DIR}/docker-staging
@@ -487,7 +488,9 @@ image-check-build-skip:
 docker-builder:
 ## docker-builder: Makes sure that there is a buildx context for building the
 ## oci images
+ifeq ($(OCI_BUILDER),docker)
 	-@docker buildx create --name ${DOCKER_BUILDX_CONTEXT}
+endif
 
 .PHONY: image-check
 operator-image: image-check docker-builder
@@ -526,7 +529,7 @@ host-install:
 .PHONY: minikube-operator-update
 minikube-operator-update: host-install operator-image
 ## minikube-operator-update: Push up the newly built operator image for use with minikube
-	docker save "$(shell ${OPERATOR_IMAGE_PATH})" | minikube image load --overwrite=true -
+	$(OCI_BUILDER) save "$(shell ${OPERATOR_IMAGE_PATH})" | minikube image load --overwrite=true -
 
 .PHONY: microk8s-operator-update
 microk8s-operator-update: host-install operator-image
@@ -536,7 +539,7 @@ microk8s-operator-update: host-install operator-image
 .PHONY: k3s-operator-update
 k3s-operator-update: host-install operator-image
 ## k3s-operator-update: Push up the newly built operator image for use with k3s
-	docker save "$(shell ${OPERATOR_IMAGE_PATH})" | sudo k3s ctr images import -
+	$(OCI_BUILDER) save "$(shell ${OPERATOR_IMAGE_PATH})" | sudo k3s ctr images import -
 
 .PHONY: check-k8s-model
 check-k8s-model:
@@ -548,7 +551,7 @@ check-k8s-model:
 local-operator-update: check-k8s-model operator-image
 ## local-operator-update: Build then update local operator image
 	$(eval kubeworkers != juju status -m ${JUJU_K8S_MODEL} kubernetes-worker --format json | jq -c '.machines | keys' | tr  -c '[:digit:]' ' ' 2>&1)
-	docker save "$(shell ${OPERATOR_IMAGE_PATH})" | gzip > ${DOCKER_STAGING_DIR}/jujud-operator-image.tar.gz
+	$(OCI_BUILDER) save "$(shell ${OPERATOR_IMAGE_PATH})" | gzip > ${DOCKER_STAGING_DIR}/jujud-operator-image.tar.gz
 	$(foreach wm,$(kubeworkers), juju scp -m ${JUJU_K8S_MODEL} ${DOCKER_STAGING_DIR}/jujud-operator-image.tar.gz $(wm):/tmp/jujud-operator-image.tar.gz ; )
 	$(foreach wm,$(kubeworkers), juju ssh -m ${JUJU_K8S_MODEL} $(wm) -- "zcat /tmp/jujud-operator-image.tar.gz | docker load" ; )
 
diff --git a/caas/Dockerfile b/caas/Dockerfile
index b8dee2e2a09..b64a2383d87 100644
--- a/caas/Dockerfile
+++ b/caas/Dockerfile
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 FROM public.ecr.aws/ubuntu/ubuntu:20.04
 ARG TARGETOS
 ARG TARGETARCH
-ARG BUILDOS
 
 # Add the syslog user for audit logging.
 RUN useradd --system -M syslog
diff --git a/make_functions.sh b/make_functions.sh
index a69c163a4a8..29accabc458 100755
--- a/make_functions.sh
+++ b/make_functions.sh
@@ -11,10 +11,11 @@ JUJUD_BIN_DIR=${JUJUD_BIN_DIR:-${BUILD_DIR}/bin}
 JUJU_BUILD_NUMBER=${JUJU_BUILD_NUMBER:-}
 
 # Docker variables
+OCI_BUILDER=${OCI_BUILDER:-docker}
 DOCKER_USERNAME=${DOCKER_USERNAME:-jujusolutions}
 DOCKER_BUILDX_CONTEXT=${DOCKER_BUILDX_CONTEXT:-juju-make}
 DOCKER_STAGING_DIR="${BUILD_DIR}/docker-staging"
-DOCKER_BIN=${DOCKER_BIN:-$(which docker || true)}
+DOCKER_BIN=${DOCKER_BIN:-$(which ${OCI_BUILDER} || true)}
 
 readonly docker_staging_dir="docker-staging"
 
@@ -22,10 +23,10 @@ readonly docker_staging_dir="docker-staging"
 # Docker staging directory under the build path. The staging directory's path
 # is returned as the output of this function.
 _make_docker_staging_dir() {
-  dir="${BUILD_DIR}/${docker_staging_dir}"
-  rm -rf "$dir"
-  mkdir -p "$dir"
-  echo "$dir"
+    dir="${BUILD_DIR}/${docker_staging_dir}"
+    rm -rf "$dir"
+    mkdir -p "$dir"
+    echo "$dir"
 }
 
 _juju_version() {
@@ -39,23 +40,23 @@ _image_version() {
 }
 
 microk8s_operator_update() {
-  echo "Uploading image $(operator_image_path) to microk8s"
-  # For macos we have to push the image into the microk8s multipass vm because
-  # we can't use the ctr to stream off the local machine.
-  if [[ $(uname) = "Darwin" ]]; then
-    tmp_docker_image="/tmp/juju-operator-image-${RANDOM}.image"
-    docker save $(operator_image_path) | multipass transfer - microk8s-vm:${tmp_docker_image}
-    microk8s ctr --namespace k8s.io image import ${tmp_docker_image}
-    multipass exec microk8s-vm rm "${tmp_docker_image}"
-    return
-  fi
-
-  # Linux we can stream the file like normal.
-  docker save "$(operator_image_path)" | microk8s.ctr --namespace k8s.io image import -
+    echo "Uploading image $(operator_image_path) to microk8s"
+    # For macos we have to push the image into the microk8s multipass vm because
+    # we can't use the ctr to stream off the local machine.
+    if [[ $(uname) = "Darwin" ]]; then
+        tmp_docker_image="/tmp/juju-operator-image-${RANDOM}.image"
+        "${DOCKER_BIN}" save $(operator_image_path) | multipass transfer - microk8s-vm:${tmp_docker_image}
+        microk8s ctr --namespace k8s.io image import ${tmp_docker_image}
+        multipass exec microk8s-vm rm "${tmp_docker_image}"
+        return
+    fi
+
+    # Linux we can stream the file like normal.
+    "${DOCKER_BIN}" save "$(operator_image_path)" | microk8s.ctr --namespace k8s.io image import -
 }
 
 juju_version() {
-  (cd "${PROJECT_DIR}" && go run version/helper/main.go)
+    (cd "${PROJECT_DIR}" && go run version/helper/main.go)
 }
 
 operator_image_release_path() {
@@ -85,52 +86,67 @@ operator_image_path() {
 build_push_operator_image() {
     build_multi_osarch=${1-""}
     if [[ -z "$build_multi_osarch" ]]; then
-      build_multi_osarch="$(go env GOOS)/$(go env GOARCH)"
+        build_multi_osarch="$(go env GOOS)/$(go env GOARCH)"
     fi
 
     # We need to find any ppc64el references and move the build artefacts over
     # to ppc64le so that it works with Docker.
     for platform in $build_multi_osarch; do
-      if [[ "$platform" = *"ppc64el"* ]]; then
-        echo "detected operator image build for ppc64el \"${platform}\""
-        new_platform=$(echo "$platform" | sed 's/ppc64el/ppc64le/g')
-        echo "changing platform \"${platform}\" to platform \"${new_platform}\""
-
-        platform_dir="${BUILD_DIR}/$(echo "$platform" | sed 's/\//_/g')"
-        new_platform_dir="${BUILD_DIR}/$(echo "$new_platform" | sed 's/\//_/g')"
-        if ! [[ -d "$platform_dir" ]]; then
-          echo "platform build directory \"${platform_dir}\" does not exist"
-          exit 1
+        if [[ "$platform" = *"ppc64el"* ]]; then
+            echo "detected operator image build for ppc64el \"${platform}\""
+            new_platform=$(echo "$platform" | sed 's/ppc64el/ppc64le/g')
+            echo "changing platform \"${platform}\" to platform \"${new_platform}\""
+
+            platform_dir="${BUILD_DIR}/$(echo "$platform" | sed 's/\//_/g')"
+            new_platform_dir="${BUILD_DIR}/$(echo "$new_platform" | sed 's/\//_/g')"
+            if ! [[ -d "$platform_dir" ]]; then
+                echo "platform build directory \"${platform_dir}\" does not exist"
+                exit 1
+            fi
+
+            echo "copying platform build directory \"${platform_dir}\" to \"${new_platform_dir}\""
+            cp -r "$platform_dir" "$new_platform_dir"
         fi
-
-        echo "copying platform build directory \"${platform_dir}\" to \"${new_platform_dir}\""
-        cp -r "$platform_dir" "$new_platform_dir"
-      fi
     done
     build_multi_osarch=$(echo "$build_multi_osarch" | sed 's/ppc64el/ppc64le/g')
 
     push_image=${2:-"false"}
 
-    output="-o type=oci,dest=${BUILD_DIR}/oci.tar.gz"
-    if [[ "$push_image" = true ]]; then
-      output="-o type=image,push=true"
-    elif [[ $(echo "$build_multi_osarch" | wc -w) -eq 1 ]]; then
-      output="-o type=docker"
-    fi
 
     build_multi_osarch=$(echo $build_multi_osarch | sed 's/ /,/g')
 
     WORKDIR=$(_make_docker_staging_dir)
     cp "${PROJECT_DIR}/caas/Dockerfile" "${WORKDIR}/"
     cp "${PROJECT_DIR}/caas/requirements.txt" "${WORKDIR}/"
-    BUILDX_NO_DEFAULT_ATTESTATIONS=true DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1 "$DOCKER_BIN" buildx build \
-        --builder "$DOCKER_BUILDX_CONTEXT" \
-        -f "${WORKDIR}/Dockerfile" \
-        -t "$(operator_image_path)" \
-        --platform="$build_multi_osarch" \
-        --provenance=false \
-        ${output} \
-        "${BUILD_DIR}"
+    if [[ "${OCI_BUILDER}" = "docker" ]]; then
+        output="-o type=oci,dest=${BUILD_DIR}/oci.tar.gz"
+        if [[ "$push_image" = true ]]; then
+            output="-o type=image,push=true"
+        elif [[ $(echo "$build_multi_osarch" | wc -w) -eq 1 ]]; then
+            output="-o type=docker"
+        fi
+        BUILDX_NO_DEFAULT_ATTESTATIONS=true DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1 "$DOCKER_BIN" buildx build \
+            --builder "$DOCKER_BUILDX_CONTEXT" \
+            -f "${WORKDIR}/Dockerfile" \
+            -t "$(operator_image_path)" \
+            --platform="$build_multi_osarch" \
+            --provenance=false \
+            ${output} \
+            "${BUILD_DIR}"
+    elif [[ "${OCI_BUILDER}" = "podman" ]]; then
+        "$DOCKER_BIN" build \
+            --jobs "4" \
+            -f "${WORKDIR}/Dockerfile" \
+            -t "$(operator_image_path)" \
+            --platform="$build_multi_osarch" \
+            "${BUILD_DIR}"
+        if [[ "$push_image" = true ]]; then
+            "$DOCKER_BIN" push "$(operator_image_path)"
+        fi
+    else
+        echo "unknown OCI_BUILDER=${OCI_BUILDER} expected docker or podman"
+        exit 1
+    fi
 }
 
 wait_for_dpkg() {