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 exper