Principal Engineer (Cloud) - AWS

QinetiQ Limited; West of England; On-site; GBP 77,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Matched pension benefits

Generous holiday allowance

Health and life insurance

Job summary

QinetiQ Limited is seeking a Principal AWS Cloud Engineer to lead the technical direction of cloud infrastructure and platform engineering across UK sites. You will architect resilient, scalable, and secure AWS environments and provide senior technical leadership to engineers, driving continuous improvement and on-call incident response.

Based at main UK sites with 3 days on-site, you will oversee cross-functional collaboration, ensure cloud integration with product development, and mentor teams

Qualifications

• Extensive AWS cloud infrastructure experience.
• Expert knowledge of AWS ecosystem, networking, compute, storage, and security.
• Strong IaC and configuration management background.
• Solid programming background (Python, Go, Java, or Node.js).
• Demonstrated leadership of large technical projects and cross-team alignment.
• Experience designing and deploying large-scale distributed systems.

Responsibilities

• Architect complex AWS cloud environments across multiple regions.
• Evaluate new AWS services and third-party tools for stack improvement.
• Guide technical decisions across engineering squads and ensure product integration.
• Design internal developer platforms and CI/CD frameworks for autonomous, secure delivery.
• Implement AWS cost optimisation and resolve performance bottlenecks across microservices and databases.

Skills

AWS Cloud

Cloud architecture

Infrastructure as Code

Programming languages

Leadership

Distributed systems

Networking

Education

AWS Associate certification or higher

Job description

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Location:

Bristol, England, United Kingdom

Role Type: Permanent – Full Time

Package: £76,500 - £85,000 (salary dependent on experience) + 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, architecting highly resilient, scalable, and secure distribute 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 & 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 evaluate emerging AWS services and third-part 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
• 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 then 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. This responsibility reflects the trust placed in the role to act swiftly and decisively when critical systems are impacted

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.

At QinetiQ we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible and welcoming workplace where everyone feels valued and supported. We believe that a diverse mix of backgrounds, perspectives and experiences drives innovation and leads to better outcomes for our people, customers and communities. We encourage applications from all candidates and are a disability confident committed employer. If you have a disability or need any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know by emailing [e-mail] . One of our recruitment team will contact you.

Many roles in QinetiQ are subject to national security vetting being completed, applicants who already hold the appropriate level of vetting may be able to transfer it upon appointment. A number of roles are also subject to additional restrictions, which means factors such as nationality or previous nationalities may affect the roles that you can be employed in.

Why Join QinetiQ?

As we continue to grow into new markets around the world, there’s never been a more exciting time to join QinetiQ. The formula for success is our appetite for innovation and having the courage to take on a wide variety of complex challenges.

As a QinetiQ employee, you’ll experience a unique working environment where teams from different backgrounds, disciplines and experiences enjoy collaborating widely and openly as we undertake this exciting and rewarding journey. Through effective teamwork, and pulling together, you’ll get to experience what happens when we all share different perspectives, blend disciplines, and link technologies; constantly discovering new ways of solving complex problems in a diverse and inclusive environment where you can be authentic, feel valued and realise your full potential. Visit our website to read more… and see the diverse and inclusive workplace culture .www.qinetiq.com/en/careers/life-at-qinetiq

• 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