Principal Engineer (Cloud) - AWS

QinetiQ; Amesbury; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Matched contribution pension scheme

Generous holiday allowance

Health Cash Plan

Private Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Employee discount portal

Job summary

QinetiQ in the United Kingdom is seeking a Principal AWS Cloud Engineer to architect and manage multi-region AWS environments, aligning with product roadmaps and security requirements. You will lead technical decision-making across engineering squads and help shape our cloud platform strategy.

This role requires extensive IaC experience with Terraform, AWS CDK or Pulumi, strong networking, cost optimisation, and on‑call readiness.

Qualifications

• Extensive AWS cloud infrastructure experience with security-aware configurations.
• Strong IaC and automation capabilities across Terraform, CDK, or Pulumi.
• Proven leadership of large technical projects and cross-team collaboration.
• Proficient in at least one modern programming language (Python/Go/Java/Node.JS).

Responsibilities

• Architect multi-region, highly available AWS environments aligned with business goals.
• Evaluate new AWS services and third-party tools to improve stack efficiency and time-to-market.
• Guide technical decision-making across engineering teams for secure cloud integration.
• Maintain modular codebases with Terraform, AWS CDK, or Pulumi.
• Design internal developer platforms and enterprise CI/CD frameworks.
• Implement cost optimisation and performance improvements across services.

Skills

Cloud infrastructure

AWS

Python

Go

Java

Node.JS

Leadership

Education

AWS Associate certification or higher

Tools

Terraform

AWS CDK

Pulumi

Job description

Package

Competitive Salary + Benefits

Role ID

SF20266

Role Overview

Are you ready to be part of the future? At QinetiQ, we’re not just imagining tomorrow – we are creating it. From cutting‑edge defence technology to ground‑breaking innovations, our mission is to empower and protect lives. Join us as a Principal AWS Cloud Engineer at any of our main UK sites, where you will work with cutting‑edge technology alongside brilliant minds.

Responsibilities

• Architect complex, multi‑region, highly available AWS cloud environments that align with long‑term business goals and product roadmaps.
• Continuously evaluate emerging AWS services and third‑party tools to determine their viability for improving our technology stack and reducing time‑to‑market.
• Guide technical decision‑making across multiple engineering squads and cross‑functional collaboration to ensure seamless integration of cloud infrastructure with product development.
• Maintain complex, modular codebases using Terraform, AWS CDK, or Pulumi.
• Architect internal developer platforms and enterprise‑grade CI/CD frameworks that enable teams to operate autonomously and securely.
• Implement AWS cost optimisation strategies and drive performance improvements across microservices, databases, and network layers.

Essential Experience

• Extensive experience in cloud infrastructure dedicated specifically to AWS.
• Expert knowledge of the entire AWS ecosystem, particularly complex networking (Transit Gateway, Direct Connect), compute, data storage, and enterprise security configurations.
• Exceptional proficiency in Infrastructure as Code and configuration management.
• Strong software background with deep expertise in at least one modern programming language (Python, Go, Java, or Node.JS).
• Demonstrated experience leading large technical projects, influencing organisational engineering culture, and driving cross‑team consensus.
• Proven track record of designing, deploying, and maintaining large‑scale, distributed software systems and microservices architectures.

Essential Qualifications

• Minimum of AWS Associate certification or higher.

Position Details

This role is 37 hours per week, based at any of our main UK sites with a minimum average site attendance of three days per week. To cover shift patterns between 0730‑1830 GMT you may be asked to work at specific times. An on‑call rota will be required to maintain high service availability and rapid incident response.

Security Clearance

All applicants for this role must be eligible for SC clearance, as a minimum.

Benefits

• Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance.
• Generous holiday allowance, with the option to purchase additional days.
• Options to join Health Cash Plan, Private Medical Insurance and Dental Insurance.
• Employee discount portal: Personal Accident Insurance, Travel Insurance, Restaurants, Cinema Tickets and much more.
• We are proud to support the Armed Forces community by honouring the Armed Forces Covenant and maintaining our Gold Award standard in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.
• Volunteering opportunities – helping charities and local community.