Jr Cloud & AI Engineer

Professional Search Group - OC; Cypress (CA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Professional Search Group- OC is seeking a Junior Cloud & AI Engineer to join a client team in Southern California. This role emphasizes hands-on experience building production systems from day one, not shadowing tickets.

You will collaborate with senior engineers, design and deploy infrastructure using Terraform on Microsoft Azure, write Python automation, and contribute to AI-driven automation initiatives across live environments.

Qualifications

• Recent CS graduate with a degree in Computer Science or related field.
• Solid working knowledge of Python.
• Familiarity with Git/GitHub and version control concepts.
• Some exposure to or strong interest in cloud platforms (Azure preferred; AWS/GCP also acceptable).
• Curiosity about Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform) and cloud security concepts.
• Strong problem-solving instincts and a willingness to learn fast.

Responsibilities

• Integrate third-party APIs into automated workflows.
• Collaborate with senior engineers on architecture decisions.
• Document work clearly for team handoff.
• Build and deploy cloud infrastructure using Terraform on Microsoft Azure.
• Write Python-based automation, integrations, and API tooling.
• Work within Azure cloud security fundamentals (Entra ID, RBAC, Key Vault).

Skills

Python

Git/GitHub

Cloud platforms

Problem-solving

Curiosity about AI/automation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Terraform

Azure

AWS

GCP

Job description

Professional Search Group- OC is seeking a Junior Cloud & AI Engineer to join their client's team. This is a unique starting role for someone with strong technical fundamentals and the right mindset curious, methodical, comfortable being uncomfortable, someone who wants real hands-on experience building production systems from day one, not shadowing tickets in a corner. The Junior Cloud & AI Engineer work directly with senior engineering leadership, using enterprise-grade tools we already have in place, to design, build, and deploy real automation projects that touch our live client environments.

This organization is a 25-year-old managed services provider serving businesses across Southern California with 24x7x365 NOC/SOC operations, endpoint security, helpdesk, and Microsoft cloud services. They hold a Microsoft Direct CSP partnership with Advanced Specialization designation and we're actively building the next generation of our service delivery around AI-driven automation, infrastructure-as-code, and cloud-native security. They are investing heavily in modernizing how managed services get delivered - treating infrastructure as code, building AI-assisted workflows into daily operations, and using tools like Terraform, Azure, and large language model APIs to make our engineering team faster and our clients better protected.

What You'll Do

• Integrate third-party APIs (telephony, PSA/ticketing, and others) into cohesive automated workflows
• Collaborate directly with senior engineers on architecture decisions, not just implementation
• Document your work clearly enough that someone else on the team could pick it up
• Build and deploy cloud infrastructure using Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform) on Microsoft Azure
• Write Python-based automation, integrations, and API tooling for internal and client-facing systems
• Work within Azure cloud security fundamentals Entra ID, identity/access management, RBAC, Key Vault
• Use Git/GitHub for version control, code review, and collaborative development

What We're Looking For

• A recent college graduate with a degree in Computer Science or a closely related field
• Solid working knowledge of Python - coursework, personal projects, or internship experience all count
• Familiarity with Git/GitHub - you understand branches, commits, and pull requests, even if you haven't worked on a large team yet
• Some exposure to or strong interest in cloud platforms (Azure preferred, but AWS/GCP experience shows the right instincts)
• Curiosity about Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform) and cloud security concepts, even without deep hands-on experience yet
• Strong problem-solving instincts and a willingness to ask questions, break things in a sandbox, and learn fast
• Genuine interest in AI/automation and how it's changing how technical work gets done