Cloud Security Engineer

apex-technology-inc; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

apex-technology-inc is seeking a Cloud Security Engineer to design, implement, and optimize secure cloud environments supporting U.S. government missions.

The role focuses on protecting data in AWS GovCloud, Azure, and hybrid multi-clouds while meeting NIST 800-53, FedRAMP, RMF, and DoD IL requirements. On-site in Playa Vista, CA with collaboration across DevSecOps teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity, Information Assurance, CS or equivalent and/or 5+ years in cloud security engineering
• 5+ years of cloud security engineering experience in AWS GovCloud, Azure, GCP or multi-cloud environments
• Hands-on with regulated environments and federal standards (NIST, FedRAMP, RMF, DoD IL)
• Strong analytical, communication, and collaboration skills for mission-critical ops

Responsibilities

• Design secure cloud architectures across AWS GovCloud, Azure and GCP with least-privilege, encryption, and data protection
• Maintain compliance with NIST 800-53 Rev. 5, FedRAMP, RMF, DoD IL-2/4/5
• Manage IAM/RBAC/JIT access, KMS, and Zero Trust across clouds
• Deploy security tools (Microsoft Defender, Azure Sentinel, AWS GovCloud security services, SIEM) for threat detection
• Conduct vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and continual monitoring
• Develop SSP, SAR, POA&M and risk/compliance reporting for cloud ops
• Analyze IoCs, threat intel, and incidents; perform root-cause analysis and preventive controls
• Coordinate security reviews and audits for Azure, AWS and hybrid environments
• Collaborate with DevSecOps to embed security into CI/CD and IaC (Terraform, CloudFormation)
• Maintain new security policies, guardrails, and documentation for cyber terrain
• Provide training on secure cloud design patterns and best practices

Skills

Cloud security

Compliance

CI/CD security

Incident response

Education

Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity or related field

Tools

AWS GovCloud

Azure

GCP / multi-cloud

Terraform

CloudFormation

Elastic SIEM

Job description

About the Role

We are seeking a Cloud Security Engineer to design, implement, maintain, and optimize secure cloud environments supporting U.S. government, DoD, and intelligence community missions.

This role plays a critical part in protecting classified and sensitive data in AWS, Azure, and hybrid/multi-cloud infrastructures while ensuring full compliance with federal standards such as NIST 800-53, FedRAMP, RMF, and DoD Impact Levels (IL-4/IL-5).

The right candidate will bring hands-on experience securing cloud platforms in regulated environments. This role will help the organization meet industry standards such as SOC2, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, GDPR/CCPA, or other relevant compliance frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement secure cloud architectures and configurations across AWS GovCloud, Azure, and/or Google Cloud, applying best practices for least privilege encryption, network segmentation, and data protection.
• Implement and maintain cloud security frameworks, ensuring ongoing compliance with NIST 800-53 Rev. 5, FedRAMP, DoD IL-2/4/5, RMF, and Secure Cloud Computing Architecture (SCCA) requirements.
• Configure and manage Identity and Access Management (IAM), Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), Just-In-Time (JIT) access, Key Vaults, and Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) principles across cloud environments.
• Engineer, deploy, and optimize cloud-native security tools, including Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Azure Sentinel, AWS GovCloud security services, CSPM/CWPP solutions, and SIEM (Elastic) platforms for threat detection, monitoring, and response.
• Conduct vulnerability assessments, penetration testing simulations, security configuration reviews (against STIGs, CIS benchmarks, and NIST controls), and continuous monitoring of cloud resources.
• Develop, maintain, and update System Security Plans (SSP), Security Assessment Reports (SAR), Plans of Action & Milestones (POA&M), and risk/compliance reporting for cloud-based operations.
• Identify, analyze, and respond to Indicators of Compromise (IoCs), threat intelligence, and security incidents within cloud environments; perform root-cause analysis and implement preventive controls.
• Perform periodic security reviews and audits of cloud environments (Azure, AWS, hybrid) to ensure sustained compliance, mitigate evolving threats, and update policies/procedures.
• Collaborate with DevSecOps, infrastructure, and development teams to integrate security into CI/CD pipelines, automate security controls, and support secure cloud migrations or modernization initiatives.
• Assess current cloud architectures, propose security improvements, review designs through a security lens, and serve as a subject-matter expert on cloud security tools, processes, and best practices.
• Coordinate with configuration management teams to ensure hardware/software changes adhere to security protocols, maintain version control, and support documentation of the cyber terrain.
• Develop, enforce, and maintain cloud security policies, standards, and automated guardrails to support secure CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-code (IaC) practices (e.g., using Terraform, CloudFormation).
• Monitor cloud environments for security incidents, investigate alerts, perform root-cause analysis, and coordinate incident response activities.
• Identify emerging threats and recommend proactive improvements to cloud security posture, including automation of security controls and processes.
• Provide guidance and training to engineering teams on secure cloud design patterns and best practices.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. citizen.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity, Information Assurance, Computer Science, or a related field (or 5+ years equivalent professional experience in cloud security engineering)
• Experience: 5-9+ years in cloud security engineering, with hands-on work in AWS GovCloud, Azure, Google GCP, or multi-cloud environments.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills; ability to work in fast-paced, mission-critical environment.
• Location: Ability to be on-site 5 days a week at our office in Playa Vista, CA.