Principal Engineer (Cloud) - AWS

QinetiQ; Farnborough; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Matched contribution pension scheme

Generous holiday allowance

Health Cash Plan and Private Medical/D

Dental Insurance

Employee discount portal

Job summary

QinetiQ in the United Kingdom is seeking a Principal AWS Cloud Engineer to steer cloud strategy and architect highly available, secure distributed systems on AWS. You will mentor Senior, Mid-Level and Junior engineers and drive best practices in infrastructure and software delivery.

The role is based at main UK sites with a 37-hour week, on-call rotations, and a requirement to be eligible for SC clearance. You will lead multi‑region environments and collaborate closely with product teams to

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in cloud infrastructure dedicated specifically to AWS.
• Expert knowledge of AWS ecosystem including complex networking, compute, storage and security configurations.
• Strong Infrastructure as Code and configuration management experience.
• Proficiency in at least one modern programming language (Python/Go/Java/Node.JS).
• Experience leading large technical projects and cross-team collaboration.
• Proven track record designing and maintaining large-scale distributed systems.

Responsibilities

• Architect complex multi-region AWS environments aligned with business goals.
• Evaluate new AWS services and tools to improve stack and time-to-market.
• Guide technical decision-making across engineering squads and cross-functional teams.
• Maintain modular codebases using Terraform, AWS CDK, or Pulumi.
• Architect internal developer platforms and CI/CD frameworks for autonomous, secure development.
• Implement AWS cost optimisation and resolve performance bottlenecks across services.

Skills

AWS

Cloud architecture

IaC

Leadership

Mentoring

Education

AWS Associate certification or higher

Tools

Terraform

AWS CDK

Pulumi

Job description

Package: Competitive Salary + Benefits

Role ID: SF20266

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 have the opportunity to work with cutting‑edge technology in partnership with some of the most brilliant minds.

The Role

As a Principal AWS Cloud Engineer, you will lead the technical direction of our cloud infrastructure and platform engineering initiatives, defining the overarching cloud strategy and architecting highly resilient, scalable, and secure distributed systems on AWS.

Day‑to‑day, you’ll serve as the highest level of technical escalation and be a trusted advisor to engineering leadership, providing technical leadership and mentorship to Senior, Mid‑Level and Junior Engineers, fostering a culture of continuous learning, rigorous peer review, and operational excellence.

Your Responsibilities Will Include:

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

Essential Experience of the Principal AWS Cloud Engineer:

• 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 for the Principal AWS Cloud Engineer:

• Minimum of AWS Associate certification or higher

We value difference and we don’t have a fixed idea when it comes to background or education; provided you can show the required level of experience and willingness to learn, we would like to hear from you.

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. As part of a commitment to maintaining high service availability and rapid incident response, this role will be required to participate in an on‑call rota.

Multi‑Site

QinetiQ operates state‑of‑the‑art facilities across the UK that focus on defence, security, and technology innovation. These facilities enable QinetiQ to conduct a wide range of research, testing and development activities that support both military and civilian applications, helping to advance technology and support national security.

Please note that all applicants for this role must be eligible for SC clearance, as a minimum.

Our 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