Senior Cloud Architect – Platforms Engineering

Xona; Burlingame (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Xona is shaping real-time navigational intelligence with Pulsar, aiming for centimeter-level precision globally. We seek a Cloud Architect to own the AWS cloud, set architectural direction, and enable engineering teams to deploy securely and efficiently.

Responsibilities include designing multi-account AWS architectures, implementing IaC with Terraform and AWS CDK, and partnering with SRE for reliability and cost optimization. Strong networking, security, and FinOps expertise are essential.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of IT experience with at least 4+ years in cloud architecture and infrastructure engineering within AWS.
• Deep hands-on knowledge of AWS networking services (VPC, Transit Gateway, Route 53, Direct Connect) and hybrid cloud connectivity.
• Extensive experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and knowledge of CI/CD pipelines (Terraform, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI).
• Solid understanding of container technologies and orchestration platforms, specifically Amazon ECS and Amazon EKS.
• Security-focused design using Least Privilege and Zero Trust principles.
• Experience with FinOps: cloud cost management, reserved instances, and resource tagging policies.

Responsibilities

• Own, evolve, and scale our AWS multi-account cloud architecture.
• Design and manage enterprise networking topologies (VPCs, Transit Gateways, Direct Connect) for secure, low-latency access.
• Drive standardization and automation of infrastructure provisioning using Terraform and AWS CDK.
• Collaborate with Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) to implement monitoring, logging, and tracing with Datadog, Prometheus, or CloudWatch.
• Provide internal consultancy to product teams with self-service templates and best practices.

Skills

AWS Networking

VPC Design

Terraform

AWS CDK

GitHub Actions

GitLab CI

ECS

EKS

Zero Trust

Datadog

Prometheus

CloudWatch

Tools

Datadog

Prometheus

CloudWatch

Job description

Xona is the navigational intelligence company bringing real-time, centimeter-level certainty to any device, anywhere on Earth.

With Pulsar – the world’s most advanced PNT satellite infrastructure in Low Earth Orbit – Xona will offer a future‑proof, backwards‑compatible global positioning system optimized for absolute precision, superior power, and robust protection.

Overview

We are seeking an experienced Cloud Architect to join our growing Platform Engineering team. In this role, you will be the technical owner of our core cloud infrastructure and network topology on AWS. You will iterate, build, and scale the foundational systems that empower our software engineering teams to deploy applications rapidly, securely, and reliably.

While the position is titled Cloud Architect, the scope combines high‑level architectural strategy with deep platform ownership, bridging the gap between traditional architecture and hands‑on operational excellence (CloudOps).

Key Responsibilities

• Infrastructure Ownership: Own, evolve, and scale our AWS multi‑account cloud architecture, ensuring high availability, disaster recovery, and cost optimization.
• Network Topology Design: Architect and manage complex enterprise networking topologies (VPC design, Transit Gateways, Direct Connect, VPNs, and routing policies) ensuring secure segmentation and low‑latency connectivity.
• Platform & Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Drive the standardization and automation of infrastructure provisioning using tools like Terraform and AWS CDK.
• Reliability & Observability: Collaborate with Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) to implement robust monitoring, logging, and tracing across all cloud environments using tools like Datadog, Prometheus, or AWS CloudWatch.
• Developer Enablement: Act as an internal consultant for product engineering teams, providing self‑service infrastructure templates, architectural guidance, and best practices.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Experience: 7+ years of experience in IT, with at least 4+ years specializing in cloud architecture and infrastructure engineering within AWS.
• Networking Expertise: Deep hands‑on knowledge of AWS networking services (VPC, Transit Gateway, Route 53, Direct Connect) and hybrid cloud connectivity.
• Automation Mindset: Extensive experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and some knowledge of CI/CD pipelines (Terraform, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI).
• Containerization & Orchestration: Solid understanding of container technologies and orchestration platforms, specifically Amazon ECS and Amazon EKS.
• Security Acumen: Demonstrated experience designing secure cloud environments adhering to the Principle of Least Privilege and Zero Trust principles.
• FinOps Knowledge: Experience implementing cloud cost‑management frameworks, reserved instance/savings plan strategies, and granular resource tagging policies.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced Certifications: Additional industry certifications like AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty or Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA).
• Software Development Background: Proficiency in at least one modern programming or scripting language (Python, Bash, etc.) for automation and tooling.
• Certifications: AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional (or equivalent hands‑on enterprise experience)

For U.S. Roles:

To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e. Green Card holder), or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S. C. 1324b(a)(3).

For U.K. Roles:

To comply with U.K. regulations, this role requires Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks, and successful candidates must be eligible to obtain UK Security Clearance (SC).

For Canada Roles:

Successful candidates must obtain and hold a security clearance at the reliability status level, and pass security assessment for the Canadian Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and ITAR.

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.