Principal Cloud Engineer - US Federal

Workday, Inc.; Reston (VA); On-site; USD 191,500 - 287,300; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Workday Bonus Plan

Commission/bonus eligibility

Annual refresh stock grants

Job summary

Workday, Inc. is looking for a Principal Cloud Engineer located in Reston, Virginia. The role focuses on developing cloud strategies, migrating on-premises infrastructure, and leading technical cloud initiatives. Candidates must have extensive experience in public cloud providers like AWS or GCP and strong skills in Infrastructure-as-Code using tools like Terraform.

The position offers a competitive salary range from $191,500 to $287,300 based on qualifications and experience. Workday is committed to equality and inclusiveness in its hiring process.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on experience with AWS or GCP.
• Delivering Infrastructure-as-Code using Terraform or Ansible.
• Experience designing CI/CD pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Develop a comprehensive cloud strategy aligned with the company's objectives.
• Lead the migration of existing on-premises infrastructure to the public cloud.
• Provide technical guidance to a growing team of cloud engineers.

Skills

Public Cloud (AWS or GCP)

Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform or Ansible)

Functional programming languages (Ruby, Go, or Python)

Tools

Terraform

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

About the Role

This role supports one or more direct or indirect contracts with the U.S. Federal Government. Due to federal security requirements, all Workday personnel working on the contracts must be United States citizens. The position may require a security clearance at the TS/SCI with CI Poly level and an active clearance is preferred. The Principal Cloud Engineer will guide Workday’s cloud adoption strategy, lead the technical aspects of the transition to the Public Cloud, and use Infrastructure‑as‑Code and automation to continuously improve infrastructure and services.

Responsibilities

• Develop a comprehensive cloud strategy aligned with the company's objectives, leveraging Public Cloud.
• Design cloud‑based solutions and architectures that meet security, scalability, reliability, and performance requirements.
• Lead the migration of existing on‑premises infrastructure and applications to the public cloud.
• Collaborate with application teams to assess and plan the cloud readiness of their services.
• Automate deployment processes, ensuring consistency and efficiency in cloud resource provisioning.
• Establish cloud governance policies, guidelines, and best practices to maintain compliance and optimize resource usage.
• Implement robust security measures to safeguard sensitive data and ensure alignment with industry standards and regulations.
• Continuously monitor and optimize cloud resources to improve performance and cost‑effectiveness.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to a growing team of cloud engineers.
• Collaborate with cloud service providers and other third‑party vendors to leverage expertise and tools.

Basic Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands‑on experience with one or more of the following public cloud providers: AWS or GCP.
• 5+ years of experience in one of the following functional languages: Ruby, Go, or Python.
• 5+ years experience delivering Infrastructure‑as‑Code using Terraform or Ansible.

Preferred Qualifications

• DoD 8570/8140 compliant with at least IAT Level II certification, including a current Computing Environment (CE) credential and one approved specialty certification (e.g., CompTIA CySA+, GICSP, CASP+).
• 10+ years of Software Engineering experience.
• 7+ years experience with Linux operating systems.
• Expertise with building solutions in the Public Cloud (AWS or GCP) to meet scalability and reliability needs of web‑scale applications.
• Experience designing CI/CD pipelines (GIT, ArgoCD, etc.) for Infrastructure‑as‑Code standard processes.
• Experience with communication protocols, RESTful services, service‑oriented architecture, distributed systems, and microservices.
• Proven track record of successfully leading cloud transformation initiatives for large‑scale enterprises.
• Strong understanding of cloud architecture, standard methodologies, and security principles.
• Proficiency in infrastructure‑as‑Code tools like Terraform or CloudFormation.
• Expertise in containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes) and microservices architecture.

Pay Transparency Statement

• Primary Location: USA.VA.Reston – Base Pay Range: $191,500 USD – $287,300 USD.
• Additional US Locations – Base Pay Range: $173,300 USD – $309,600 USD.
• Role may be eligible for a Workday Bonus Plan, a role‑specific commission/bonus, and annual refresh stock grants.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Workday is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans. Workday is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive hiring experience. Qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records will be considered for employment pursuant to applicable Fair Chance law.