Lead Cloud Platform & Dev Ops Engineer

The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Inc.; Denver (CO); Hybrid; USD 109,612 - 133,970; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

No-cost or low-cost medical & dental

Disability, Life, Vision Insurance

401(a) plan with CU contribution

401(k) or 403(b) plan and 457

Pre-tax savings plans

12 paid holidays and winter break

6 weeks parental leave

Tuition benefit

RTD EcoPass and onsite parking

Job summary

The University of Colorado System Administration invites applications for a Lead Cloud Platform & DevOps Engineer. You will lead design, implementation, and support of cloud-based platforms and DevOps practices across multiple projects, focusing on automation, CI/CD, and reliable operations.

You will collaborate with campus IT teams, information security, and stakeholders to ensure platform solutions meet security, compliance, and performance standards, while mentoring teams and contributing to

Qualifications

• Master's or Bachelor's degree in a related IT field with several years of Platform/DevOps experience.
• Proven ability to design and deliver cloud-based solutions and DevOps practices.
• Experience with cloud platforms, containerization, automation, and CI/CD pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain cloud platform architecture and CI/CD pipelines across environments.
• Support reliability, security, and operational practices with monitoring and incident response.
• Provide technical guidance, enablement, and adoption of platform engineering practices.

Skills

Python

Java

CI/CD

DevOps

IaC

Containerization

Monitoring

Education

Master's degree in Computer Science or related IT field

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related IT field

Tools

AWS (EKS/ECS/Lambda)

Prometheus

Grafana

Kafka

Job description

Position Summary

University Information Services (UIS) provides technical services and enterprise applications to the University of Colorado campuses and the Office of the President. UIS is committed to delivering reliable, secure, and scalable technology solutions that support academic, administrative, and research functions.

The Lead Cloud Platform & DevOps Engineer is responsible for leading the design, implementation, and support of cloud‑based platforms and DevOps practices that enable consistent and efficient delivery of applications and services. The role focuses on cloud platform architecture, infrastructure automation, CI/CD processes, system integration, and operational reliability.

This position supports the development and adoption of platform‑engineering practices, including infrastructure‑as‑code, containerization, and monitoring/observability solutions. The engineer also contributes to the implementation of automation and data‑driven technologies, including support for machine learning and intelligent automation workloads, in alignment with institutional standards and requirements.

The Lead Cloud Platform & DevOps Engineer collaborates with campus IT teams, information security, and other stakeholders to implement platform solutions that meet security, compliance, and operational needs. Responsibilities include supporting service reliability practices, contributing to technical standards and documentation, and assisting with the evaluation and adoption of new tools and technologies.

This position provides technical guidance to development and operations teams, supports onboarding and enablement efforts, and contributes to continuous improvement of platform services across multiple projects and technical environments.

Where You Will Work

Applicants must be Colorado residents or able to relocate to Colorado within a month of starting employment with the University of Colorado System Administration.

This role is eligible to work remotely within Colorado. Leadership may adjust in‑office work requirements with a minimum of three months' notice before any change can be implemented.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Platform Architecture, Engineering & Delivery (60%)
  • Design, implement, and maintain cloud platform architecture, including security, identity, networking, and policy controls aligned with institutional standards.
  • Design, implement, and maintain CI/CD pipelines and release processes, including build, testing, security, and deployment workflows across development and production environments.
  • Support system integration across cloud and enterprise environments.
  • Drive adoption of platform engineering practices, including containerization and automation.
  • Contribute to automation and data‑driven technologies, including support for machine learning and intelligent automation workloads.
  • Work across multiple projects and technical environments to ensure consistent implementation of DevOps and cloud engineering practices.
• Reliability, Security & Operations (20%)
  • Support platform reliability and operational practices, including defining service performance metrics (e.g., SLOs/SLIs), implementing monitoring and observability solutions, and participating in incident response and disaster recovery activities.
  • Collaborate with information security and compliance teams to implement and maintain platform security controls, access management, and data protection measures in alignment with regulatory requirements (e.g., FERPA, HIPAA).
  • Monitor and optimize platform performance, capacity, and cost utilization across cloud environments, ensuring consistency across environments.
  • Ensure operational reliability and performance of platform services.
  • Align platform solutions with institutional standards, policies, and requirements.
• Leadership, Enablement & Continuous Improvement (20%)
  • Provide technical guidance and support to development and operations teams through documentation, training, and onboarding to promote effective use of platform services and DevOps practices.
  • Evaluate and implement new technologies and tools to support cloud platform capabilities, automation, data integration, and data‑driven initiatives in collaboration with internal stakeholders.
  • Contribute to the development of technical standards, documentation, and governance practices.
  • Contribute to continuous improvement of platform services and engineering processes.

Qualifications

• Minimum Qualifications
  • Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer or Electrical Engineering, or related IT field plus three (3) years of progressively responsible professional experience as a Platform Engineer (or a similar position) supporting production systems.
  • OR Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer or Electrical Engineering, or related IT field plus five (5) years of progressively responsible experience as a Platform Engineer (or similar position) supporting production systems.
• Professional Experience
  • Three (3) years of experience in:
  • Programming languages such as Python and/or Java, including machine learning frameworks.
  • Leading or supporting DevOps initiatives, including implementation of CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure‑as‑code, and release/change management practices.
  • Designing, developing, and maintaining cloud‑based solutions using public cloud platforms (e.g., AWS services such as EKS, ECS, or Lambda), including containerized or serverless applications in production environments.
  • Implementing monitoring, logging, and reliability practices and supporting incident response using industry tools (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana).
  • Two (2) years of experience in:
  • Artificial intelligence.
  • Enterprise IT and cloud environments, including API and integration development, streaming technologies (e.g., Kafka or RabbitMQ).
  • Collaboration with security or compliance stakeholders in support of technical controls.

Salary

The anticipated hiring range has been established at $121,791.28.

Benefits

• No-cost or low-cost medical & dental plan options, some inclusive of IVF assistance.
• Disability, Life, Vision Insurance options.
• Multiple retirement planning options including a mandatory 401(a) plan where CU contributes 10% of your gross pay, a 401(k) or 403(b) plan and a 457 deferred compensation plan.
• Pre‑tax savings plans, such as Health Care and Dependent Care flexible spending accounts.
• Balanced work‑life schedule with ample sick and vacation leave, at least 12 paid holidays, and a dedicated week off for winter break.
• Six weeks of parental leave.
• A tuition benefit program for you and/or your dependents.
• Free RTD EcoPass and free onsite parking at the 1800 Grant Street Office.
• Many additional perks & programs with the CU Advantage.

Equal Opportunity Statement

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

ADA Statement

We are committed to an inclusive and barrier‑free search process. We provide accommodations for applicants requesting accommodation throughout the search process such as alternative formats of this posting. Individuals with disabilities in need of accommodations throughout the search process should contact the ADA Coordinator at [e-mail].

Sponsorship Statement

We are unable to sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.

Background Check Statement

The University of Colorado is committed to providing a safe and productive learning and living community. To achieve that goal, we conduct background investigations for all final applicants being considered for employment, including a criminal history record check and, when appropriate, a financial and/or motor vehicle history. The Immigration Reform and Control Act requires that documentation of employment eligibility be verified for all new employees by the end of the third day of work. The University of Colorado is committed to diversity and equality in education and employment.