Principal AWS Cloud Engineer

LightFeather is seeking a Principal AWS Cloud Engineer to spearhead AWS architecture and engineering efforts for federal clients. This position combines hands-on technical depth with leadership, ensuring secure, scalable, and compliant AWS platforms while mentoring teams and shaping long-term cloud transformation strategies.

This role provides the opportunity to lead high-impact cloud transformation initiatives in the federal sector, ensuring secure, efficient, and scalable AWS platform solutions.

• Location: In-Person (5 days/week) in Washington, DC 20036
• Job Type: Full Time
• Citizenship: U.S. Citizenship Required
• Clearance Requirement: Active Secret or higher clearance

Responsibilities:

• Cloud Architecture & Strategy: Design and implement scalable, resilient, and high-performance AWS environments for enterprise applications.
• Technical Leadership & Mentorship: Lead a team of cloud engineers, providing guidance on AWS best practices, DevOps strategies, and cloud security frameworks.
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Develop and manage AWS infrastructure using Terraform, CloudFormation, and Ansible to automate provisioning and configuration.
• Security & Compliance: Enforce AWS security best practices, including IAM policies, AWS Shield, AWS Macie, encryption, and FedRAMP compliance.
• CI/CD Pipeline Management: Oversee CI/CD processes using GitLab, Jenkins, AWS CodePipeline, and AWS CodeDeploy for automated deployments.
• Cloud Monitoring & Optimization: Utilize AWS CloudWatch, CloudTrail, and AWS Security Hub to track system health, optimize performance, and detect anomalies.
• Multi-Cloud & Hybrid Cloud Solutions: Support hybrid and cross-cloud environments, ensuring seamless integration between AWS, Azure, and on-premise systems.
• Networking & Load Balancing: Configure VPCs, Route 53, Elastic Load Balancers (ELB), and AWS Direct Connect for secure, high-performance cloud networking.
• Disaster Recovery & High Availability: Implement AWS backup, disaster recovery, and multi-region failover strategies to enhance system resilience.
• Stakeholder & Client Engagement: Work closely with government agencies, security teams, and cloud engineers to ensure alignment with business and security objectives.
• Automation & DevSecOps: Develop and implement automated security monitoring, logging, and compliance reporting solutions.

Required Qualifications and Skills:

• US Citizenship.
• Active Secret or higher clearance
• Minimum 7+ years of experience in cloud engineering, DevOps, or technical leadership, with a strong focus on AWS cloud environments.
• Certifications: AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional (or equivalent AWS certification preferred).
• Cloud Security & Compliance: Deep understanding of AWS security tools, IAM best practices, encryption standards, and DoD/Federal compliance frameworks (FedRAMP, NIST, RMF, Zero Trust Architecture).
• Technical Tool Proficiency: Strong expertise in Terraform, Ansible, Kubernetes, AWS Lambda, and AWS DevOps services.
• Multi-Cloud & Hybrid Cloud Knowledge: Experience integrating AWS solutions with Azure and GCP environments.
• Scripting & Automation: Strong proficiency in Python, PowerShell, Bash, and YAML/JSON for automation and cloud management.

Preferred:

• Experience working with federal agencies or DoD cloud modernization projects.
• Knowledge of AWS AI/ML services, container orchestration (EKS), and serverless architectures.
• Expertise in cloud cost optimization and performance tuning strategies.

Why Join LightFeather?
At LightFeather, you're not just taking a job—you're joining a purpose-driven team that delivers innovative, mission-critical solutions to make a real difference. You'll work on diverse, meaningful projects that challenge and inspire you, alongside some of the best minds in the industry.

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