Cloud Engineer I-3 with Security Clearance

Cornerstone Defense LLC; Reston (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous PTO Policy

401(k)

HSA and FSA options

Life and Disability Insurance

Tuition Reimbursement and Training

Perks at Work Discount Program

Referral Program

Leads Generation Program

Fitness Reimbursement Program

Travel Assistance

Life Planning Financial & Legal Serv

Job summary

Cornerstone Defense LLC seeks an experienced Cloud Engineer I to design, implement, and optimize secure, scalable cloud solutions for mission-critical systems. You will architect and manage cloud environments, ensuring governance and security compliance across multiple domains.

You will collaborate with cross-functional teams, drive automation via IaC, and contribute to a high-performing cloud infrastructure that supports sensitive intelligence workloads.

Qualifications

• 4–7+ years of proven cloud engineering experience.
• Experience with large-scale AWS deployments across domains.
• Strong security and governance exposure with cloud services.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and deployment of secure, scalable cloud architectures.
• Evaluate and adopt new cloud technologies to enhance performance.
• Develop and enforce governance strategies for standards and security.
• Automate deployment, monitoring, and management workflows.
• Apply advanced security controls across multiple classification domains.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to peers.

Skills

AWS deployments

Python

Bash

Terraform

CloudFormation

Ansible

Cloud security

Security certifications

Tools

AWS Console

Azure

Google Cloud

Job description

Company Overview

Active TS/SCI w/ Polygraph needed to apply

Company Overview: Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government. Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission. Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation's toughest and most secure problems. If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don't look any further than Cornerstone Defense. Benefits Overview : Cornerstone Defense offers a very comprehensive benefits package including, but not limited to: Medical, Dental and Vision Plans

Benefits

• Generous PTO Policy
• 401(k)
• HSA and FSA options
• Life and Disability Insurance
• Tuition Reimbursement and Training
• Perks at Work Discount Program
• Referral Program
• Leads Generation Program
• Fitness Reimbursement Program
• Travel Assistance
• Life Planning Financial & Legal Services
• Company Benefits: Cornerstone Defense offers a comprehensive list of benefits, designed to give employees and their families several options to choose from when selecting benefits that best fit their needs. These offerings include not only a full suite of the traditional Medical/Dental/Vision insurances, but also a number of other benefits and perks to include, but not limited to: a 401(K) plan with a company match, tuition and training assistance, paid vacation/leave, a fitness reimbursement program, college savings plan, commuter benefits, financial advisory services, flex spending accounts, health savings accounts, STD/LTD coverage, life and AD&D insurance, employee assistance programs, life financial planning assistance, and legal resources.

Job Overview

We are seeking an experienced Cloud Engineer I to lead the design, implementation, and optimization of secure, scalable cloud solutions for mission-critical systems. In this role, you will architect and manage advanced cloud environments across multiple classification domains, ensure compliance with governance and security standards, and drive automation to enhance efficiency. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver innovative, high-performing cloud infrastructures that align with business and technical objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and deployment of secure, scalable, and reliable cloud architectures aligned with industry best practices and security requirements.
• Evaluate and adopt new cloud technologies, platforms, and methodologies to enhance performance and capabilities.
• Cloud Governance & Compliance
• Develop and enforce governance strategies ensuring adherence to applicable standards, regulations, and security frameworks.
• Automation & Optimization
• Oversee automation of deployment, monitoring, and management workflows using Infrastructure-as-Code tools to streamline operations.
• Security Implementation
• Apply advanced security controls to protect cloud environments across multiple classification domains (e.g., IL5-IL6+).
• Technical Leadership
• Serve as a subject matter expert on cloud engineering, mentoring peers and contributing to the organization's technical community.

Required Qualifications

• Experience: 4-7+ years of proven experience in cloud engineering, including large-scale AWS deployments across multiple classification domains.

Technical Skills

• Expertise in AWS services (EC2, S3, Lambda, EBS) and hands-on experience with AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.
• Proficient in creating, managing, and securing server OS images (Linux and Windows Server) in cloud environments.
• Strong scripting and programming skills in Python and Bash.
• Advanced knowledge of Infrastructure-as-Code tools (Terraform, CloudFormation, Ansible).
• In-depth understanding of cloud security principles and hands-on security implementation experience.
• Certifications: Active CompTIA Security+ (or equivalent 8140/8570) with at least one year before expiration; AWS Solutions Architect Associate/Professional or AWS SysOps Administrator.

Other Requirements

Experience working in operational environments managing ticket queues and leveraging knowledge bases for problem resolution; excellent communication skills for technical and non-technical audiences.