Staff Cloud Engineer

The Intersect Group; Scottsdale, Northern (AZ, KY); Hybrid; USD 124,000 - 131,000; Full time

Job summary

The Intersect Group seeks a Staff Cloud Engineer for a hybrid, contract-to-hire role in Scottsdale, AZ (preferred) with flexibility to other major US cities. You will architect scalable AWS-based systems, modernize cloud infrastructure, and drive security/compliance improvements across teams.

You will own IaC initiatives using Terraform, build internal platforms, and work cross-functionally to raise reliability and developer experience. 12-month contract with strong conversion potential.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in cloud engineering, distributed systems, or platform engineering.
• Strong AWS compute, networking, storage, security, and observability skills.
• Experience designing scalable, resilient systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead Cloud Architecture: design scalable, secure, highly available AWS systems.
• Drive Cloud Modernization: migrate large-scale systems to AWS with fault tolerance and observability.
• Strengthen Security & Compliance: align with SOC 2 and data protection requirements.
• Build Internal Platforms & Tooling: lead IaC with Terraform and reusable components.
• Collaborate across engineering, product, and security teams to align technical decisions.

Skills

Cloud architecture

Distributed systems

AWS expertise

Networking

Leadership

Tools

Terraform

Ansible

Kubernetes

CI/CD tooling

Job description

## Staff Cloud Engineer**Scottsdale,AZ85260**Posted: 08/14/2026Employment Type:ContractCategory: IT - Infrastructure - Storage/CLoudJob Number: 250905Work Location: Hybrid## Job DescriptionStaff Cloud Engineer (Contract-to-Hire) **Location:** Scottsdale, AZ (preferred) | San Francisco, CA | Chicago, IL **Work Model:** Hybrid (3 days onsite) * Contract Length: 12 months (strong conversion potential)* Compensation: $90–$95/hour* Work Authorization: Must be authorized to work in the U.S. (no sponsorship available)---About the Role Join a leading organization at the center of the U.S. financial ecosystem, powering secure, real-time payments used by hundreds of millions of consumers and businesses every day. As a Staff Cloud Engineer, you’ll help modernize and scale cloud infrastructure supporting critical payment platforms. You’ll work at the intersection of cloud architecture, platform engineering, and security/compliance, driving solutions that operate at national scale and high reliability. This is a 12-month contract with strong potential to convert full-time. ---What You’ll DoLead Cloud Architecture* Design and implement scalable, secure, and highly available AWS-based systems* Define architecture patterns and standards used across multiple engineering teams* Solve complex, open-ended technical challenges at scaleDrive Cloud Modernization* Support migration of large-scale systems from on-prem environments to AWS* Build resilient systems with strong fault tolerance, observability, and performanceStrengthen Security & Compliance* Partner with audit teams to address findings and implement improvements* Design systems aligned with security, risk, and compliance frameworks (e.g., SOC 2)* Ensure systems meet strict requirements for reliability, auditability, and data protectionBuild Internal Platforms & Tooling* Lead Infrastructure as Code (IaC) initiatives using Terraform and similar tools* Create reusable infrastructure components, APIs, and deployment pipelines* Improve the developer experience by simplifying and standardizing cloud infrastructureCollaborate & Influence* Work cross-functionally with engineering, product, and security teams* Drive alignment on technical decisions across multiple teams* Act as a key contributor to long-term cloud strategyOperate at Scale* Troubleshoot complex distributed system issues in production* Improve monitoring, alerting, and system reliability* Continuously elevate engineering practices and standards---What You BringCore Experience* 8+ years of experience in cloud engineering, distributed systems, or platform engineering* Strong expertise in AWS (compute, networking, storage, security, observability)* Experience designing highly scalable, resilient systemsTechnical Skills* Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Ansible, or similar)* Kubernetes (EKS or equivalent) and containerized environments* CI/CD pipeline design and automation* Strong understanding of networking, DNS, HTTP, TLS, and load balancingArchitecture & Leadership* Experience owning and driving technical architecture across teams* Ability to influence decisions without direct authority* Proven track record building systems used by multiple engineering teamsDevelopment Background* Strong foundation in backend development (Java/Spring or similar)* Ability to debug and support application-layer issues when neededPreferred Experience* Work in regulated or high-security environments* Exposure to audit processes or SOC 2 controls* Experience with event-driven systems (Kafka, messaging frameworks)* FinTech or payments systems experience* Cloud certifications (AWS, Azure, or similar)---What Success Looks Like* Deliver secure, scalable cloud solutions supporting critical financial systems* Improve system reliability, performance, and compliance posture* Enable engineering teams through better infrastructure, tooling, and standards* Influence cloud strategy and make a measurable impact across the organization---Why Join* Work on high-impact systems that power real-time financial transactions nationwide* Help shape the future of a modern cloud platform at scale* Operate at a staff engineering level, influencing architecture and direction* Collaborate with talented teams focused on innovation, security, and reliability