Cloud Operations Engineer

Alliance of Professionals & Consultants, Inc.; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Alliance of Professionals & Consultants, Inc. seeks a Cloud Operations Engineer to design, implement, and maintain cloud infrastructure. The role covers AWS services, IaC automation, and security governance in a hybrid Pittsburgh setting.

The engineer will optimize costs, ensure high availability, and support DR/backup strategies while collaborating with DevOps teams in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Experience deploying and managing AWS infrastructure at scale.
• IaC proficiency with Terraform and multi-environment deployments.
• Strong knowledge of IAM, security controls, and cost optimization.

Responsibilities

• Provision, configure, and maintain AWS resources (EC2, VPCs, S3, RDS).
• Monitor performance and availability using CloudWatch and other tools.
• Deploy containerized apps with EKS/ECS and manage clusters.
• Enforce least-privilege with IAM roles and policies.
• Automate deployments with Terraform and CloudFormation.

Skills

AWS expertise

Terraform

IAM & security

CloudWatch monitoring

Kubernetes (EKS/ECS)

Cost optimization

Tools

Terraform

Kubernetes (EKS/ECS)

CloudWatch

Job description

Job Title: Cloud Operations Engineer

Type of Engagement: 6‑12‑month contract to hire (Not open to 3rd party C2C consultants. No OPT, Visa sponsorship is not available) Work Location: Hybrid in Pittsburgh, PA

Job Overview: Manages design, development, implementation, and maintenance of cloud computing infrastructure including gateways to remote services and endpoint systems.

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Provision, configure, and maintain AWS resources such as EC2 instances, VPCs, S3 buckets, RDS databases, and other services.
• Monitor system performance, availability, and health using Amazon CloudWatch and other monitoring tools.
• Deploy, manage, and maintain containerized applications using Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS), including cluster configuration, node management, and workload scaling.
• Create and manage IAM users, roles, and policies to enforce least‑privilege access and maintain security compliance.
• Configure and maintain security controls including security groups, NACLs, encryption, AWS Shield, and GuardDuty.
• Automate infrastructure deployment and updates using Infrastructure as Code tools such as Terraform and AWS CloudFormation.
• Configure and manage backups, snapshots, and disaster recovery solutions to ensure business continuity.
• Manage networking components including VPCs, transit gateways, subnets, route tables, load balancers, and Route53.
• Monitor and optimize AWS costs using tools such as AWS Cost Explorer, implementing rightsizing and savings plans as needed.
• Configure patch management and system updates using AWS Systems Manager to maintain secure environments.
• Troubleshoot and resolve infrastructure, networking, and service‑related incidents within AWS environments.
• Implement logging, auditing, and governance controls using AWS Config, CloudTrail, and organizational policies.
• Configure auto scaling, load balancing, and multi‑AZ deployments to ensure high availability and scalability.
• Maintain accurate documentation of cloud architecture, configurations, and operation procedures.
• Properly adheres to company risk management principles: Adhering and supporting Enterprise Risk Management Framework Understanding and complying with applicable laws, regulations, policies and procedures; completing all required training; executing and monitoring controls effectively (as applicable); appropriately identifying, assessing, escalating and remediating risks, potential issues and control failures (as applicable); and reporting compliance or regulatory concerns to management.

Required Skills & Experience

• Extensive experience deploying and managing infrastructure within Amazon Web Services (AWS) environments
• Advanced proficiency in Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform, including module development, state management, and multi‑environment deployments
• Experience integrating Terraform workflows with pipelines for automated infrastructure provisioning and change management
• Strong knowledge of AWS core services including EC2, S3, RDS, EBS, Lambda, and Elastic Load Balancing
• Deep understanding of AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), AWS Organizations, and role‑based access controls
• Experience with AWS monitoring, logging, and governance tools such as CloudWatch, CloudTrail, and AWS Config
• Familiarity with hybrid cloud integrations between AWS and on‑premises environments
• Experience designing and managing AWS backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity solutions (e.g., AWS Backup, cross‑region replication)
• Strong working knowledge of AWS networking including VPCs, subnets, route tables, NAT gateways, Transit Gateway, Direct Connect, Route53, and security groups
• Experience managing containerized workloads using Amazon EKS and ECS, including cluster configuration and operational support
• Experience using code repositories such as Bitbucket for version control, branching strategies, pull requests, and collaborative code reviews
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to create technical documentation, architecture diagrams, and operational runbooks
• Commitment to operational excellence and adherence to AWS Well‑Architected Framework principles
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills in complex, automated cloud environments
• Adaptability and willingness to work in DevOps‑driven environments with rapidly evolving priorities
• High attention to detail in infrastructure configuration, security controls, and cost optimization
• Proven ability to manage multiple infrastructure initiatives and operational tasks while meeting deadlines
• Sound judgment with the ability to make timely, risk‑aware decisions in highly available AWS environments

COMPETENCIES

• Decision Making--Effectively identifies and evaluates alternative solutions; Makes decisions consistent with skills and experience; Recognizes decisions that have to be deferred until all pertinent facts are gathered and analyzed; Flexible in modifying decisions.
• Managing People--Includes staff in planning, decision‑making, facilitating and process improvement; Takes responsibility for subordinates' activities; Makes self‑available to staff; Provides regular performance feedback; Develops subordinates' skills and encourages growth; Solicits and applies customer feedback (internal and external); Fosters quality focus in others; Improves processes, products and services; Continually works to improve supervisory skills.
• Teamwork--Balances team and individual responsibilities; Exhibits objectivity and openness to others' views; Gives and welcomes feedback; Contributes to building a positive team spirit; Puts success of team above own interests; Able to build morale and group commitments to goals and objectives; Supports everyone's efforts to succeed.
• Problem Solving--Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; Gathers and analyzes information skillfully; Develops alternative solutions; Works well in group problem solving situations; Uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics.
• Oral Communication--Speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; Listens and gets clarification; Responds well to questions; Demonstrates group presentation skills; Participates in meetings.
• Change Management—Develops workable implementation plans; Communicates changes effectively; Builds commitment and overcomes resistance; Prepares and supports those affected by change; Monitors transition and evaluates results.
• Ethics--Treats people with respect; Keeps commitments; Inspires the trust of others; Works with integrity and ethically; Upholds organizational values.
• Motivation--Sets and achieves challenging goals; Demonstrates persistence and overcomes obstacles; Measures self against standard of excellence; Takes calculated risks to accomplish goals.
• Strategic Thinking—Develops strategies to achieve organizational goals; Understands organization’s strengths & weaknesses; Analyzes market and competition; Identifies external threats and opportunities; Adapts strategy to changing conditions.
• Professionalism--Approaches others in a tactful manner; Reacts well under pressure; Treats others with respect and consideration regardless of their status or position; Accepts responsibility for own actions; Follows through on commitments.

Job Requisition # 40380 #LI-DK1 A reasonable estimate of the pay range for this role is $00.00 - $00.00 per hour. The disclosed pay range estimate has not been adjusted for the applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled. The compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case, such as skills and experience levels.

Meet APC APC is a professional staffing and services organization focused on engaging people and positively impacting lives. As \"Professionals serving Professionals\"®, we take pride in providing our employees and contractors with the highest level of customer service and support. APC is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, genetics, or veteran status.