Principal Consulting AWS Architect

CO1003 CDW Technologies, LLC; Illinois; Hybrid; USD 156,000 - 241,000; Full time

Job summary

CDW is seeking a Principal AWS Consultant to design and engineer AWS solutions, lead delivery, mentor engineers, and align delivery teams with best practices. This role combines technical leadership with client engagement across global engagements.

You will drive automation, IaC, CI/CD, and AI/ML initiatives, work with Kubernetes, Terraform, CloudFormation, and related tools, and travel to client sites as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 10+ years in IT infrastructure, including 3+ years in large enterprise consulting.
• Or 14+ years in IT infrastructure with 3+ years consulting.
• Strong leadership and advisory capabilities.
• Expertise in cloud, DevOps, and automation engineering.
• Ability to mentor engineers and architects.
• Willingness to travel to other CDW locations or client sites.

Responsibilities

• Deliver professional services for CDW customers globally on major Public Cloud platform.
• Aggregate oversight of technical solutions across multiple projects for delivery team visibility.
• Collaborate with CDW consulting groups on cohesive technical solution approaches bridging sales and delivery.
• Standardize technical solutions and advocate for client-focused approaches.
• Assist management with technical growth plans for engineers and architects.
• Assist with SOW reviews and approval as needed.
• Lead technical deployment engineering with customers on workload design for major public cloud vendors.
• Provide workshops and training events for customers on emerging technologies in Public Cloud.
• Provide Engineering Services for AWS, coordinating engagement strategies and resource augmentation.
• Proficiency in automation tools and technologies relevant to IT operations (Ansible, Puppet, Chef).
• Deep understanding of AI/ML algorithms, including supervised/unsupervised/reinforcement learning, deep learning, NLP.
• Oversee projects to ensure delivery excellence and act as escalation point.
• Analyze complex systems to design effective automation solutions addressing business needs.
• Strong knowledge of DevOps principles and practices, including CI/CD, IaC, automated testing.
• Experience implementing DevOps workflows and pipelines for software development, testing, deployment, operations.
• Meet training and certification requirements for selected Vendors (AWS, Hashicorp, Docker, CKA).
• Help mature our Cloud Solutions practice areas in response to client needs.

Skills

AWS expertise

DevOps practices

Kubernetes expert

Automation & IaC

CI/CD pipelines

Communication skills

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Ansible

Puppet

Chef

Jenkins

GitLab CI/CD

Terraform

CloudFormation

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

Job Description

The Principal AWS Consultant engages with clients and internal teams to provide design and engineering activities for AWS projects and solutions. This role is expected to be a thought leader in the areas of technical solutions provided for our customer. The Principal Consultant is also responsible for working with Management to align delivery teams on best practices and upskilling architecture and engineering resources.

What you will do

• Professional services delivery for CDW customers globally on major Public Cloud platform
• Aggregate oversight of technical solutions across multiple projects to ensure synergy in our approach and broad visibility to the solutions delivery team
• Works closely with other CDW consulting groups for cohesive technical solution approaches focusing on bridging the gap between sales and delivery
• Focuses on technical standardization and opinionated approaches for client solutions
• Assists management with technical growth plans for engineers and architects
• Assists with SOW reviews and approval as needed.
• Assists with technical screening for new candidate interviews
• Lead technical deployment engineering with customers on workload design on major public cloud vendors.
• Provide workshops and training events for customers and industry leaders on emerging technologies in Public Cloud Training and Mentoring Engineers and Architects to take on Cloud and DevOps projects
• Providing Engineering Services for AWS, coordinating engagement strategies, and qualifying technical resource augments
• Proficiency in automation tools and technologies relevant to IT operations, such as configuration management tools (e.g., Ansible, Puppet, Chef), continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) tools (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD), infrastructure-as-code (IaC) tools (e.g., Terraform, CloudFormation), and containerization platforms (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
• Deep understanding of AI and machine learning algorithms, including supervised learning, unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning, deep learning, and natural language processing (NLP)
• Continuous learning and staying updated with the latest advancements, research papers, and breakthroughs in AI and related fields.
• Oversee team projects to ensure delivery excellence and act as an escalation point.
• Ability to analyze complex systems, workflows, and dependencies to design effective automation solutions that address business needs and requirements.
• Strong knowledge of DevOps principles and practices, including continuous integration, continuous delivery, infrastructure as code, and automated testing.
• Experience in implementing DevOps workflows and pipelines to automate software development, testing, deployment, and operations processes.
• Performing Billable work at other DV clients (Consulting Engagements)
• Support Presales architects on large deals to validate consulting estimates as well as provide needed expertise for Cloud/DevOps projects
• Meet Training and certification requirements for selected Vendors (AWS, Hashicorp, Docker, CKA, etc.)
• Help develop and mature our Cloud Solutions practice areas in response to client needs and market demand.

What we expect of you

• Bachelor's Degree and 10+ years of IT Infrastructure experience, including at least 3 years in large enterprise consulting.
• Or, 14+ years of IT Infrastructure experience, including at least 3 years in large enterprise consulting
• The candidate should demonstrate leadership and provide expert advice on technical matters and architecture design.
• They should be a subject matter expert, staying updated with the latest technology trends, and have the ability to develop IT services offerings.
• Proven ability to maintain client relationships as a trusted advisor and mentor engineers for project design and coordination.
• Excellent communication skills are required, with experience in making technology recommendations.
• History of building constructive relationships at all organizational levels and the ability to research complex technology solutions and present them to clients.
• Should remain calm and productive in situations of change, ambiguity, and risk.
• Ability to multitask and prioritize in a fast‑paced environment is essential.
• The candidate should anticipate future trends and create strategies that add value.
• Willingness to travel to other CDW locations or client sites.
• Demonstrated knowledge of public cloud platforms, aware of multi-platform solutions and capabilities Expertise in automation and infrastructure as code.
• Deep understanding of Kubernetes architecture, including master and worker nodes, API server, etcd, kubelet, kube-proxy, and container runtimes.
• Knowledge of Kubernetes networking concepts, including service discovery, load balancing, network policies, and container networking interfaces (CNI).

Pay range: $156,000 - $240,800 depending on experience and skill set Annual bonus target of 10% subject to terms and conditions of plan Benefits overview: https://cdw.benefit-info.com/ Salary ranges may be subject to geographic differentials CDW is committed to being an AI‑fluent organization We’re looking for people who bring curiosity, a learner’s mindset, and a willingness to engage with ever‑evolving technology and tools. We value adopting AI as a partner, openness to experimentation, and a shared interest in learning together on AI. Our goal is to create a culture where AI enhances—not replaces—human creativity and decision‑making. You don’t need to be an expert today; what matters is your readiness to explore, adapt, and grow with us as we integrate AI responsibly and effectively into our work. Additionally, CDW is committed to fostering an equitable, transparent, and respectful hiring process for all applicants. During our application process, our goal is to understand your experience, strengths, skills, and qualifications. As an AI forward company, we see AI not just as a tool, but as a catalyst for new ways of thinking, creating, and communicating. We encourage candidates to embrace an AI mindset, one that’s curious, adaptive, and ready to explore what’s possible. We welcome thoughtful use of AI to expand your perspective and elevate how you share your story, while ensuring your application remains rooted in your own background, judgment, and voice.

About Us

CDW is a Fortune 500 technology solutions provider that helps businesses, government, education, and healthcare organizations achieve what’s possible through technology. What makes CDW different isn’t just what we do—it’s how we do it. At CDW we act as one—building trust, speaking candidly, and working together to achieve more. We play to win—focusing on what matters most and delivering for our customers. And we think forward—staying curious, moving fast, and continuously learning. We believe meaningful work happens when people feel supported, heard, and empowered to contribute. That’s why we think of ourselves as coworkers, not just employees—working together to solve complex challenges and deliver real impact for our customers and communities. As a full‑stack, full‑lifecycle technology partner, CDW brings deep expertise, strong relationships, and broad industry knowledge to help turn ideas into outcomes. When you join CDW, you become part of a collaborative environment where your work matters, your growth is supported, and your contributions help shape what’s next. Together, we deliver the full promise of what technology can do. Together, we Make Amazing Happen. CDW is an equal opportunity employer.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other basis prohibited by state and local law.

At CDW, we make technology work so people can do great things. We are a leading multi‑brand technology solutions provider to business, government, education and healthcare customers in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. Our coworkers across the globe are working together to bring technology to life for our customers by solving complicated IT business challenges, providing outstanding service, and orchestrating the technology landscape to optimize our customers’ performance.