Senior Cloud Engineer

If you’re passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you’re committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider WGU as the next step in your career.

Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:
 

Grade: Technical 410

Pay Range: $143,700.00 - $222,700.00

Job Description

The Senior Cloud Engineer serves as a strategic technical leader bridging software development and infrastructure operations. This role is responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining scalable, secure, and highly available cloud environments. The Senior Cloud Engineer mentors' junior engineers, leads complex projects, and partners closely with stakeholders across the organization to ensure the successful delivery, adoption, and operation of technology solutions that support student and employee services.

 

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• Leads and performs software deployments across cloud environments.

• Designs and implements advanced monitoring and observability solutions.

• Develops and maintains automation tools for deployment and infrastructure management.

• Optimizes application and system performance and responsiveness.

• Proactively identifies and resolves operational issues to ensure system reliability.

• Enhances infrastructure scalability and stability through continuous improvement.

• Implements and monitors AWS cost optimization strategies to ensure efficient resource usage and budget adherence.

• Documents technical processes and progress using in-house tools.

• Communicates delays and roadblocks to leadership and stakeholders.

• Provides expert guidance and mentorship to development and infrastructure teams.

• Leads maintenance and innovation-based projects with cross-functional teams.

• Participates in and supports the team’s on-call rotation.

• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

•  Evaluates, develops, and implements AI-enabled solutions to improve operational efficiency, automation, observability, and developer productivity.

• Identifies opportunities to leverage generative AI and machine learning capabilities within cloud platforms and engineering workflows.

•  Builds and maintains strong working relationships with stakeholders across engineering, technology, and business teams.

• Collaborates closely with partner teams to understand technical needs, provide guidance, and ensure successful delivery of cloud solutions and services.

• Serves as a technical resource and trusted partner for stakeholders, helping drive communication, alignment, and resolution of complex technical challenges.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Expert-level understanding of AWS core technologies and tools.

• Expert-level understanding of Kubernetes and containerization.

• Advanced administration knowledge of Linux systems.

• Proficient in scripting/programming with Bash, Java, Python, and Node.js.

• Deep understanding of DevOps, Scrum, and ITIL methodologies.

• Expertise in virtualization and containerization technologies.

• Strong knowledge of GitFlow and CI/CD pipelines using Travis, Jenkins, or similar tools.

• Experience with Infrastructure as Code using Terraform, CloudFormation, Chef, or SaltStack.

• Skilled in monitoring and observability tools such as Dynatrace, Nagios, CloudWatch, or IPMon.

• Excellent communication, documentation, and leadership skills.

• Self-motivated with the ability to work independently and collaboratively.

• Strong customer service orientation and analytical problem-solving skills.

• Experience designing, developing, or integrating AI-powered tools, automation workflows, or generative AI solutions.

•  Experience leveraging AI-assisted software development and operational tooling to improve engineering productivity and service reliability.

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build trust and establish productive relationships across diverse teams.

•  Excellent verbal, written, and presentation communication skills.

•  Ability to communicate technical concepts effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences.

•  Proven ability to collaborate across organizational boundaries and influence outcomes through partnership and expertise.

Job Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology or related field

• 7 years of related experience

• 3 years of AWS Cloud Services experience

Preferred Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience working with Kubernetes.

• 8+ years of experience as a Linux Systems Administrator/Engineer.

• 6+ years of experience collaborating with development and operational teams.

Experience in Lieu of Education

Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this role may substitute for education requirements. Generally, equivalent relevant experience is defined as one year of experience for one year of education.

At WGU, our mission drives everything we do, including how we hire. Our interview experience is designed to give qualified candidates the opportunity to show their best work through meaningful conversations and collaboration.
We thoughtfully review every application and invite forward the candidates whose experience and potential best align with the role and our mission.

• Introductory call

• Hiring manager interview

• Virtual team technical interview

• Final round with the director

Work Location

This is a full-time, in-office position requiring five days per week in our Salt Lake City, Utah office, designed to foster the collaboration and connection that fuel our best work.

Visa Sponsorship

While we welcome applicants from all backgrounds, WGU is not able to provide visa sponsorship for this role.

#LI-aw2

Position & Application Details

Full-Time Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): This is a full-time, regular position (classified for 40 standard weekly hours) that is eligible for bonuses; medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare; health savings account and flexible spending account; basic and voluntary life insurance; disability coverage; accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages; legal and identity theft coverage; retirement savings plan; wellbeing program; discounted WGU tuition; and flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave.

How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.

Additional Information

Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It’s not all-inclusive.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at recruiting@wgu.edu.

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.