Cloud Engineer (AI) - Senior (Active Top Secret required)

Linuxconfig; Chantilly, Northern (VA, KY); Hybrid; USD 94,000 - 188,000; Full time

Job summary

Accenture Federal Services in Chantilly, VA is seeking a Senior Cloud Engineer (AI Integration) to design secure, scalable cloud environments for AI/ML workloads across multi enclave and high-security settings. You will build and optimize cloud infrastructure for distributed model training, high-performance compute, and low-latency inference.

The role requires 8+ years of cloud engineering experience, hands-on work with AWS/Azure/GCP, IaC tools, Kubernetes, and a current Top Secret clearance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 8+ years of cloud engineering experience.
• Hands-on with AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• Experience with IaC (Terraform, Bicep, CloudFormation).
• Kubernetes and cloud networking/storage optimization.
• Active Top Secret clearance required.
• Strong communication and cross-team collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Design cloud architectures optimized for AI/ML compute and storage.
• Automate cloud infrastructure using DevSecOps and IaC.
• Integrate public cloud with on-prem hyperconverged systems.
• Ensure secure, high-availability ops for classified AI apps.
• Manage container orchestration and multi-tenant operations.
• Implement data and model governance for secure pipelines.

Skills

Cloud engineering

DevSecOps

Infrastructure as Code

Kubernetes

Secure cloud design

Cross-team collaboration

Communication

Top Secret clearance

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Terraform

Bicep

CloudFormation

Kubernetes

OpenShift

Prism Central

Nutanix

AWS

Azure

GCP

Job description

Chantilly, VA

At Accenture Federal Services, nothing matters more than helping the US federal government make the nation stronger and safer and life better for people.Our 13,000+ people are united in a shared purpose to pursue the limitless potential of technology and ingenuity for clients across defense, national security, public safety, civilian, and military health organizations.

Join Accenture Federal Services, a technology company within global Accenture. Recognized as a Glassdoor Top 100 Best Place to Work, we offer a collaborative and caring community where you feel like you belong and are empowered to grow, learn and thrive through hands-on experience, certifications, industry training and more.

Join us to drive positive, lasting change that moves missions and the government forward!

Who you are:

The Senior Cloud Engineer (AI Integration) supports advanced AI/ML workloads by designing secure, scalable cloud environments across multi enclave and high security settings. This role builds and optimizes cloud infrastructure for distributed model training, high performance compute, and low latency inference. The engineer enhances automation practices, standardizes processes across teams, and strengthens secure cloud operations.

What you'll do:

• Design and implement cloud architectures optimized for AI/ML compute, storage, and networking needs.
• Automate cloud infrastructure using DevSecOps and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools.
• Integrate public cloud platforms with on-premises hyperconverged systems and accelerator hardware.
• Support secure, high availability operations for classified or mission critical AI applications.
• Manage container orchestration platforms and ensure efficient multi-tenant operations.
• Implement data and model governance practices to maintain secure AI pipelines.

What you need:

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 8+ years of experience in cloud engineering, infrastructure, or related technical roles.
• Hands-on experience with major cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Knowledge of AI/ML compute environments, distributed systems, or HPC.
• Skills in IaC (Terraform, Bicep, CloudFormation) and DevSecOps pipelines.
• Experience with container orchestration (Kubernetes) and cloud networking/storage optimization.
• Strong understanding of secure cloud practices and multi enclave operations.
• Effective communication and cross-team collaboration skills.
• Active Top Secret clearance required

Nice to have:

• Experience with hybrid or multi-cloud integrations.
• Familiarity with GPU/accelerator hardware and AI optimized cloud patterns.
• Cloud certifications (e.g., AWS Solutions Architect, Azure Architect).
• Experience working in high security or classified environments.
• Air-gapped hybrid cloud and on-premises operational environments, including complex multi-enclave ecosystems.
• AWS GovCloud/SC2S/C2S and GCP cloud platforms Nutanix host and cluster configuration, management with Prism Central, and NDFS configuration/management.
• Cisco switching, routing, firewalling, and site-to-site functionality (such as IPSEC, DMVPN, and SD-WAN).
• Locally hosted GPU servers.
• Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Ansible).
• Containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift).
• Cloud-native security implementation and security accreditation processes.
• Advanced GitLab CI/CD pipelines and DevSecOps practices.
• Serverless architectures (Lambda).
• Cloud networking and VPC configuration.
• Monitoring, logging, and data platforms (Elasticsearch, OpenSearch, Splunk).
• Microservices architecture and API Gateway implementation.
• Development experience with Python, .NET/C#, and related languages.
• Identity and access services (Microsoft Active Directory, LDAP / OpenLDAP, Entra ID, Keycloak).
• High assurance cross-domain and encryption solutions (TACLANE, NCAP).
• Operating Systems: Linux (e.g., Rocky, RedHat, Amazon, Ubuntu), Windows, and Mac OS.

As required by local law, Accenture Federal Services provides reasonable ranges of compensation for hired roles based on labor costs in the states of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia . The base pay range for this position in these locations is shown below. Compensation for roles at Accenture Federal Services varies depending on a wide array of factors, including but not limited to office location, role, skill set, and level of experience. Accenture Federal Services offers a wide variety of benefits. You can find more information on benefits here. We accept applications on an on-going basis and there is no fixed deadline to apply.

The pay range for the states of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia is:

$94,000 - $187,600 USD

What We Believe

As a company wholly dedicated to serving the US federal government, we bring together the best talent to help reinvent how federal agencies operate and deliver greater value for their mission and the American people. We have an unwavering commitment to creating a culture in which all our people are respected, feel a sense of belonging, and have equal opportunity. As a business imperative, every person at Accenture Federal Services has the responsibility to create and sustain a culture where everyone feels welcomed and included. This is grounded in our core values and our experience that hiring and developing great people who reflect different perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds is key to driving innovation and delivering the results that our clients and the country count on.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

We believe that no one should be discriminated against because of their differences. All employment decisions shall be made without regard to age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status or any other basis as protected by federal, state, or local law. Our rich diversity makes us more innovative, more competitive, and more creative, which helps us better serve our clients and our communities. For details, view a copy of the Accenture Federal Services Equal Opportunity Policy Statement.

Accenture Federal Services is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Additionally, as an affirmative action employer for veterans and individuals with disabilities, Accenture Federal Services is committed to providing veteran employment opportunities to our service men and women.

Requesting An Accommodation

Accenture Federal Services is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for persons with disabilities or religious observances, including reasonable accommodation when needed. If you are hired by Accenture Federal Services and require accommodation to perform the essential functions of your role, you will be asked to participate in our reasonable accommodation process. Accommodations made to facilitate the recruiting process are not a guarantee of future or continued accommodations once hired.

If youare being considered for employment opportunities with Accenture Federal Services and need an accommodation for a disability or religious observance during the interview process or for the job you are interviewing for, please speak with your recruiter.

Other Employment Statements

Applicants for employment in the US must have work authorization that does not now or in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the United States.

Candidates who are currently employed by a client of Accenture Federal Services or an affiliated Accenture business may not be eligible for consideration.

Job candidates will not be obligated to disclose sealed or expunged records of conviction or arrest as part of the hiring process.

The Company will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. Additionally, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the Company's legal duty to furnish information.

California requires additional notifications for applicants and employees. If you are a California resident, live in or plan to work from Los Angeles County upon being hired for this position, please click here for additional important information.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Accenture Federal Services’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.