Cloud Operations Lead

Job Title: Cloud Operations Lead

Location: Rockville, MD | Princeton, NJ | New York City, NY

Employment Type: Full-Time (Onsite/Hybrid as required)

Note: This is a 100% hands-on technical role. Architect-level profiles will not be considered.

We are seeking a highly skilled and technically hands-on Cloud Operations Lead to manage and optimize our multi-cloud infrastructure, with a primary focus on AWS environments. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in cloud infrastructure management, automation, and hands-on support for critical cloud services. You will lead day-to-day operations, ensure reliability, drive automation, and enforce best practices across our cloud environments.

Primary Focus Areas

• AWS Control Tower, Organizations, and policy management
• Multi-account deployment and governance
• Detailed expertise in AWS Backup, SSM Patching, and AMI deployments
• Automation for AMI rollout and configuration across accounts
• Deep hands-on in AWS core services: EC2, ECS, EKS, RDS, S3, CloudFront, Lambda, SageMaker, etc.
• Managing S3, SFTP, and site externalization
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform, CloudFormation, and Python
• Strong knowledge of IAM, access controls, and resource-based policy enforcement
  
  

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage cloud infrastructure operations ensuring high availability, security, and performance
• Serve as primary escalation point for cloud operational issues
• Maintain AWS environments following best practices around cost, security, and performance
• Lead and manage incident response, perform RCA, and implement preventative measures
• Design and implement cloud automation using IaC and scripting
• Mentor cloud engineers, review code/configurations, and guide operational best practices
• Implement monitoring and alerting systems for proactive issue resolution
• Ensure regulatory compliance (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) and enforce cloud governance standards
• Drive cloud cost optimization efforts including tagging, budgeting, and forecasting
• Develop and maintain disaster recovery and business continuity plans
• Create and maintain technical documentation, SOPs, and runbooks
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including Security, DevOps, and App Engineering
  
  

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or related field
• 7 years of total IT experience, with 3 years in cloud operations leadership roles
• Strong hands-on experience in AWS; additional exposure to Azure and Oracle Cloud (OCI) a plus
• Experience with Terraform, CloudFormation, Python, PowerShell, and related automation tools
• Proven experience in managing multi-account cloud environments, CI/CD pipelines, and backup/recovery setups
• Deep understanding of IAM, network security, encryption, and secure cloud design
• Familiarity with Windows/Linux server administration, VMWare, Active Directory, and Azure AD SSO
• Strong networking fundamentals - DNS, DHCP, LAN/WAN, and PKI
  
  

Preferred Certifications

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate or Professional (Required)
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Architect Technologies (Preferred)
• OCI Certifications (Preferred)
• ITIL Foundation or related service management experience (Preferred)
  
  

Required Technical Skills

• AWS core services: EC2, EKS, ECS, Lambda, S3
• IaC tools: Terraform, CloudFormation
• Scripting/Automation: Python (Required), PowerShell, Bash
• Experience with DevOps tools: Git, Jenkins, Ansible, CI/CD (Preferred)
  
  

Soft Skills & Traits

• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills
• Proven ability to lead, mentor, and manage technical teams
• Analytical mindset with strong troubleshooting and root cause analysis abilities
• Ability to handle high-pressure incidents with calm, structured responses
• Driven by continuous improvement and automation
  
  

Skill Matrix Template -

Full Name:

Degree Major with University and Completion Year:

Total Experience in Cloud Infrastructure / IT Operations:

Total Experience in AWS Cloud Operations (Hands-on):

Which AWS Services have you extensively worked with? (e.g., EC2, EKS, ECS, RDS, Lambda, S3, CloudFront, SageMaker, etc.):

Experience with AWS Organizations / Control Tower / SCP Policies:

Experience with Multi-Account Management and Deployment (e.g., Config pushing, AMIs):

Experience with AWS S3, SFTP & Site Externalization Methods:

AWS Backup and SSM Patching Process Experience (Detail your involvement):

Experience with AMI Creation, Deployment, and Configuration across Accounts:

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Proficiency: (Terraform, CloudFormation - Please describe experience & tools used):

Python Scripting Experience:

Experience in Incident and Problem Management (RCA, Incident Communication):

Cloud Monitoring and Reporting Tools Used (e.g., CloudWatch, Dynatrace, PowerBI):

Experience in Leading Cloud Teams or Managing Technical Engineers:

Experience with Security in Cloud (IAM policies, Access Management, Encryption, Compliance):

Experience with Disaster Recovery / Business Continuity Planning in Cloud Environments:

Have you worked in a multi-cloud environment (AWS, Azure, OCI)?

Experience with CI/CD and DevOps Toolchains (e.g., Git, Jenkins, Ansible, etc.):

Experience with VMWare, Active Directory, Azure AD SSO Integration:

Networking Experience (DNS, DHCP, LAN/WAN, PKI, etc.):

Cloud Certifications (e.g., AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Azure, OCI):

Motivation/Reason for Interest in This Role:

Motivation/Reason for Relocation (if not local to job location):

Contact Number:

Email ID:

LinkedIn Profile URL:

Full Address (Street, City, State, ZIP Code):

Notice Period (in weeks):

Current Work Authorization Status (e.g., US Citizen, Green Card, H1B, etc.):

Expected Salary:

Are you willing to relocate at your own expense and work hybrid at the specified location Rockville, MD / Princeton, NJ / NYC, NY? (Yes/No):