Cloud Ops Engineer

Cloud Engineer

📍 Location: McLean, VA, US

🏢 Industry: Software development

💼 Work Setting: Hybrid

Are you passionate about leading cloud operations teams, securing mission-critical environments, and driving operational excellence across complex cloud infrastructures?

We are seeking a Cloud Operations Technical Lead to provide technical leadership and operational oversight for secure cloud environments supporting critical business and mission objectives. This role combines cloud operations, infrastructure management, cybersecurity compliance, team leadership, and cloud engineering to ensure highly available, secure, and compliant production environments.

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in AWS, Azure, cloud operations, systems administration, infrastructure security, compliance frameworks, and operational leadership while mentoring engineers and driving continuous improvement initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

Cloud Operations Leadership

• Lead cloud operations across classified and unclassified environments.
• Ensure reliability, availability, and performance of critical cloud infrastructure.
• Provide technical oversight for operational processes and production support.
• Drive continuous improvement across cloud operations functions.
• Maintain secure and resilient infrastructure platforms.

Focus Areas

• Cloud Operations
• Infrastructure Management
• Production Support
• Platform Reliability
• Operational Excellence

Cloud Infrastructure & Platform Management

• Design, deploy, maintain, and optimize cloud environments.
• Support enterprise cloud platforms running mission-critical workloads.
• Lead infrastructure modernization and operational enhancement initiatives.
• Ensure scalability, availability, and performance of cloud services.
• Support production application environments across multiple cloud platforms.

Technologies

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Microsoft Azure
• Hybrid Cloud Environments

Systems Administration & Infrastructure Support

• Administer and maintain Windows and Linux operating systems.
• Support infrastructure components and production services.
• Perform troubleshooting and root-cause analysis.
• Maintain system security and operational readiness.
• Ensure infrastructure lifecycle management best practices are followed.

Responsibilities

• Windows Administration
• Linux Administration
• Performance Tuning
• Incident Resolution
• System Maintenance

Security, Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure compliance with security standards and regulatory requirements.
• Support governance processes within secure cloud environments.
• Coordinate vulnerability management and remediation activities.
• Maintain secure operating environments aligned with organizational standards.
• Identify and mitigate operational and security risks.

Areas of Expertise

• Risk Management Framework (RMF)
• Authority to Operate (ATO)
• Vulnerability Management
• Security Compliance
• Infrastructure Security

Incident Management & Operational Support

• Lead technical response activities during operational incidents.
• Coordinate troubleshooting and issue resolution efforts.
• Conduct root-cause investigations and implement corrective actions.
• Support service restoration and operational continuity.
• Improve incident response processes and operational resilience.

Team Leadership & Mentorship

• Lead and mentor Cloud Operations Engineers and infrastructure teams.
• Establish operational standards, procedures, and best practices.
• Review technical work and provide guidance to team members.
• Promote engineering excellence and continuous learning.
• Support professional growth and technical development.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Technical Coaching
• Team Development
• Operational Governance
• Knowledge Sharing
• Best Practice Development

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Partner closely with:

• Cybersecurity Teams
• Cloud Architects
• DevSecOps Engineers
• Application Development Teams
• Infrastructure Teams
• Program Leadership

Responsibilities

• Align operational and security objectives.
• Support cloud platform strategy.
• Maintain compliance readiness.
• Deliver secure and reliable production services.

Automation & Infrastructure Optimization

• Improve operational efficiency through automation.
• Support Infrastructure as Code (IaC) initiatives.
• Implement configuration management best practices.
• Enhance cloud monitoring and observability capabilities.
• Optimize cloud resource utilization and performance.

Cloud Cost & Performance Management

• Monitor cloud resource consumption and usage trends.
• Support cloud cost forecasting and optimization strategies.
• Improve infrastructure efficiency while maintaining reliability.
• Balance operational requirements with cost management objectives.

Required Qualifications

Education

• Associate's Degree

Certifications

Required

• Security CE Certification

Security Clearance

Required

• Active Top Secret Clearance

Experience

• 6 years of experience designing, deploying, and managing cloud environments.
• 6 years of experience administering Windows and/or Linux operating systems.
• Experience leading cloud operations or infrastructure teams.
• Experience managing production environments and mission-critical systems.
• Experience supporting cloud architecture, deployment, and operations.
• Experience with system monitoring, maintenance, security, and troubleshooting.
• Experience mentoring engineers and establishing operational best practices.
• Knowledge of RMF, ATO, and compliance requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or related discipline.

Certifications

• AWS Certification
• Microsoft Azure Certification
• DoD 8570 IAT Level III Certification

Preferred Experience

• Leading technical teams on complex cloud initiatives.
• Supporting classified, restricted, or isolated environments.
• RMF authorization and ATO sustainment activities.
• Cloud cost optimization and forecasting.
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC).
• Configuration management platforms.
• Cloud monitoring and observability tools.
• Managing compliance-intensive environments.

Technical Skills

Cloud Platforms

• AWS
• Microsoft Azure
• Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure

Operating Systems

• Windows Server
• Linux Administration

Security & Compliance

• RMF
• ATO
• Vulnerability Management
• Security Compliance
• Risk Assessment

DevOps & Automation

• Infrastructure as Code
• Configuration Management
• Automation Frameworks
• Cloud Monitoring
• Observability Tools

Operations

• Incident Response
• Production Support
• Capacity Planning
• System Reliability
• Performance Optimization

Leadership Competencies

• Technical Leadership
• Team Mentoring
• Strategic Thinking
• Decision Making
• Operational Governance
• Change Management
• Stakeholder Collaboration

Core Competencies

• Cloud Operations
• AWS
• Microsoft Azure
• Infrastructure Management
• Windows Administration
• Linux Administration
• RMF
• ATO
• Security Compliance
• Cloud Security
• Incident Management
• Infrastructure as Code
• DevOps
• Cloud Monitoring
• Vulnerability Management
• Operational Excellence
• Team Leadership
• Production Support