Cloud Engineer

UDC is seeking a full-time Cloud Engineer to provide technical expertise for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) cloud-related projects.

What you will do

Performs cloud configurations, installations, upgrades, testing, tuning, support, and other implementation-related tasks. Develops internal and external cloud technical documentation as needed. Supports business development efforts by assisting with statement of work content and estimating levels of effort for general proposals as well as Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Information (RFI), and Request for Qualifications (RFQ) responses. Provides marketing support via technical blogs, conference presentations, and other high-visibility activities.

Modernizes existing cloud solutions and migrates on-premise systems for customers. Serves as a cloud advisor by assisting with requirements workshops, asking appropriate questions about GIS utility workflows, determining proper system configuration, building comprehensive specification documentation, and addressing problems of cloud performance, scalability, reliability, durability, administration, automation, observability, compatibility, and integration based on requirement specifications by performing the duties and meeting the responsibilities mentioned below.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty and responsibility satisfactorily. Essential duties and responsibilities include the following (other duties and responsibilities may also be assigned):

• Provides technical cloud expertise for system design, implementation, assessment, consulting, hosting, and managed service engagements.
• Builds and maintains cloud solutions based on prescribed architecture designs involving cloud infrastructure provisioning, cloud service configuration, cloud resource optimization, and core software installation.
• Automates and orchestrates cloud solution deployments to support repeatable process development and efficient implementation strategies.
• Creates and manages cloud-native and cloud-hosted database solutions, including enterprise geodatabases.
• Ensures cloud solutions and deliverables are thoroughly tested, vetted, reviewed, and meet customer expectations.
• Contributes to GIS cloud Enterprise Architecture workshops and related discussions involving utility customers and prepares relevant materials in advance.
• Contributes to discussions that support client requirements for cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-on-premise architectures.
• Serves as a member of the UDC Information Technology (IT) team, supporting internal cloud technology needs based on a targeted billable-overhead ratio.
• Facilitates technical cloud deliverables for projects and the Practice Area, including requirements gathering, test cases, administration guides, deployment manuals, and other specification documentation related to software, hardware, network, database and enterprise geodatabase, storage, security, integration, and other enterprise components.
• Provides technical guidance and consulting for UDC’s clients to embrace security in the cloud by taking advantage of services such as AWS Virtual Private Clouds (VPC), Microsoft Azure Virtual Networks (VNet), and other similar solutions from leading cloud providers. Similarly, educates UDC’s clients on what it takes to create and manage a private cloud from a network communications and administration standpoint.
• Provides technical cloud assistance for software development teams, quality assurance personnel, and training staff when required.
• Creates and executes GIS cloud system tuning and system threshold testing procedures, analyzes resulting performance metrics, and develops recommendations.
• Trains UDC onshore and offshore personnel to manage GIS cloud infrastructure resources to support managed service engagements.
• Educates others, internally and externally, on methodologies pertaining to cloud technologies.
• Stays up to date on partner, competitor, and market-leading cloud solutions.
• Partners with internal staff, business partners, and customers to build relationships and elevate UDC’s presence and reputation in the GIS cloud market.
• Serves as a mentor for others interested in cloud technologies to assist with knowledge transfer and career growth opportunities.

Cloud Computing, Software Engineering, Software Engineering, Cloud Computing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Blog, Business Development, Technical Writing, Testing, Statement of Work (SOW), * 8-11 years of work experience in cloud consulting and large-scale technology projects involving cloud technologies on AWS or Microsoft Azure, preferably for utility customers.

• 3-7 years of work experience in enterprise GIS with a combination of system implementation and system administration.
• Thorough background in deploying, configuring, administering, and supporting Esri ArcGIS products, including ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Pro, and ArcGIS Online.
• Hands-on experience administering Kubernetes, Docker, microservices, and other containerization (including container ingress) solutions in the cloud, as well as proficiency in one or more cloud deployment orchestration concepts and tools such as ArcGIS Cloud Builder, CloudFormation, Puppet, Chef, or Terraform.
• In-depth experience with cloud security configuration as well as a thorough understanding of the related options and best practices.
• Enterprise configuration experience with Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) technologies from major vendors such as NVIDIA and AMD.
• Solid experience with Layer 4 and Layer 7 load balancing and reverse proxy solutions such as F5 BIG-IP, NGINX, Citrix ADC (NetScaler), CloudFare, Azure Application Gateway, AWS Elastic Load Balancer.
• Prior experience with Esri and open-source cloud monitoring and tuning tools including ArcGIS Enterprise Manager, ArcGIS Monitor, Prometheus, or CloudWatch (EventBridge).
• Ability to provide technical GIS cloud expertise through system design, implementation, assessment, consulting, hosting, and managed service engagements.
• Capacity to review and interpret a customer’s requirements and build a GIS cloud solution to meet those requirements in a timely manner.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience with cloud technologies and cloud-native services that involve the following types of resources for private cloud, on-premise, and hybrid environments:
• Virtual servers, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), and serverless cloud compute resources.
• Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs), firewalls, and security policies.
• Identity and Access Management (IAM).
• Network and application load balancers and other reverse proxies.
• Private and public Domain Name Services (DNS).
• Virtual Private Networks (VPN).
• Virtualization platforms such as Citrix Hypervisor or VMware ESXi / vSphere.
• Databases, file shares, and other storage repositories.
• Batch jobs, scheduled processes, automated tasks, and replication.
• High availability, redundancy, clustering, failover, and disaster recovery.
• Proven record of building, configuring, tuning, and supporting GIS cloud systems in enterprise production environments, preferably in the utility industry.
• Aptitude in identifying single points of failure throughout an environment and implementing specific measures to reduce risk of system outages.
• Knowledge of Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) technologies from major vendors such as NVIDIA and AMD.
• Excellent interpersonal, professional, and customer relations skills.
• Excellent written and oral/verbal communication skills with demonstrated proficiency in speaking, writing, and reading by forming complete and proper sentences as well as following grammar and punctuation rules.
• Skilled listener who exhibits patience and has a genuine desire to hear about and solve problems.
• Possesses a high degree of personal and professional integrity.

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited postsecondary institution in InformationTechnology, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Networks, Cloud Engineering, or other related discipline.

Frameworks and Computer Skills

• Familiarity with the pillars and concepts of the Esri, AWS, Microsoft, and Google Well Architected Frameworks (WAF) and how those apply to GIS cloud technology projects.

Certifications

• Active and maintained professional-level cloud technology certification from at least one major cloud provider such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google, or Oracle, or the ability to become certified within 3 months of employment and continuously renew before expiration.
• Significant work experience may be eligible for substitution, at UDC’s discretion, for a technical certification., Remote, must be willing to travel to UDC clients or offices as needed.

$95,000-$105,000 annually. The compensation that is offered to a successful candidate will depend on the candidate’s skills, qualifications, experience, and location.

Our Benefits (for full-time employees)

• Medical / Dental / Vision
• HSA
• 401K & Employer Match
• Paid Time Off (includes vacation and sick time)
• Parental Leave
• Long Term and Short Term Disability (Employer Paid)
• Basic Term Life and AD&D (Employer Paid)
• Voluntary Term Life and AD&D
• Voluntary Critical Illness Insurance
• Student Loan Repayment Program
• Gym Reimbursement Program
• Paid Volunteer Time, $95,000-$105,000