Senior Cloud Platform Engineer
Role details
Job location
Tech stack
Job description
Nightwing Information Technology is seeking a Senior Cloud Platform Engineer to lead the operation, development, and continuous improvement of our network and server/application infrastructure in AWS GovCloud and Azure. You will provide technical leadership in a rapidly changing, fast-paced environment supporting 20+ applications across three distinct networks, each with its own data protection requirements, connectivity, and support model. In this role, you will own the design of secure, scalable, and cost-optimized cloud environments and mentor other engineers while empowering our development and operations teams.
Key Responsibilities
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
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Own the architecture and design of core cloud platform capabilities in AWS GovCloud and Azure, ensuring they meet security, availability, and performance requirements across three networks.
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Use and develop automation (Ansible roles, Terraform modules, Packer, GitLab CI/CD pipelines, AWS CLI) to provision and configure servers, services, applications, and security controls, and drive best practices for automation across the team.
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Set up and maintain applications in AWS GovCloud and commercial AWS environments, defining patterns and standards for development, test, and production environments used by multiple product teams.
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Manage and optimize AWS resources such as VPCs, EC2, ECS, EKS, S3, Control Tower, and Landing Zone Accelerator (LZA) at scale, including cost, resilience, and security posture.
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Lead technical projects end-to-end, working with team members and cross-functional groups to define requirements, create implementation plans, and deliver new features and capabilities on schedule.
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Follow and establish best practices for disaster recovery and business continuity in server, network, and security design.
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Manage Linux and Windows servers, following best practices for logging, monitoring, patching, and system maintenance; help select and implement supporting tools.
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Provide senior-level expertise and support for IT operations related to security monitoring, compliance, and auditing tools.
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Partner with security and compliance teams to support audits and implement technical controls that meet applicable regulatory and customer requirements.
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Mentor and coach junior and mid-level engineers, conducting design and code reviews and sharing best practices for cloud architecture, automation, and operations.
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Contribute to roadmap and strategy discussions for the cloud platform, identifying opportunities for modernization, simplification, and efficiency.
Requirements
Do you have experience in Windows support?, 6-10+ years of experience in IT (operations, security, development, or DevOps), including significant experience in hybrid or cloud-native environments.
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4+ years of experience with Linux system administration in production environments; experience designing standardized OS images and hardening baselines.
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Familiarity with Windows system administration in mixed Linux/Windows environments.
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2+ years of experience running and supporting production services within AWS or another major cloud provider (e.g., Azure), with direct responsibility for availability, performance, and cost.
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Experience architecting new services using AWS resources and integrating them into existing environments (e.g., VPC, EC2, ECS/EKS, S3, load balancers, Auto Scaling, security groups).
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Proven experience troubleshooting complex distributed systems and cloud infrastructure issues, including networking, IAM/policy, containers, and CI/CD pipelines.
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Deep familiarity with infrastructure-as-code and configuration management tools to manage and deploy servers and applications (e.g., Ansible, Terraform, CloudFormation, Packer, Python, Bash, PowerShell).
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Familiarity with source code management tools for any automation code, scripts, or documentation (e.g., Git, GitLab, Bitbucket).
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Demonstrated experience leading technical projects or initiatives, including planning, estimation, and coordination with cross-functional stakeholders.
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Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to explain complex cloud concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.
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Strong sense of ownership and accountability to meet work deadlines and support sprint goals.
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Must be a U.S. citizen.
Desired Skills and Experiences
Experience developing automated solutions utilizing Docker Compose and Helm.
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Experience designing and operating containerized platforms using Docker and/or Kubernetes, including cluster design and security.
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Familiarity with multi-account AWS architectures (e.g., AWS Organizations, Control Tower).
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Familiarity with multi-account Microsoft Azure, including sovereign cloud architectures.
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Experience developing CI/CD pipelines for delivery and testing of services and applications.
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Experience within AWS GovCloud, particularly in government or other highly regulated environments.
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Experience influencing or defining cloud security and compliance standards in partnership with security and compliance teams.
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Professional certifications such as AWS Solutions Architect - Professional, AWS DevOps Engineer - Professional, AWS Solutions Architect - Associate, AWS Developer, Linux+, Security+, or CCNA.
Required Education
Bachelor of Science degree in a related engineering field; OR
- 6 additional years of engineering, computer science, or information science applicable professional experience in lieu of a degree.