Staff Cloud Engineer - Craft Education

WGU; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 161,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

WGU seeks a senior cloud architect to lead scalable cloud architecture design and Spark workload optimization. You will supervise development, deployment, and automation across enterprise environments, partnering with stakeholders to drive analytics and production support at scale.

The role requires deep SDLC/Agile expertise, strong AWS/GCP/Azure experience, and a track record of high-availability deployments. This is a full-time, on-site position in Nashville with travel as needed.

Qualifications

• Requires a Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology or a related field.
• 9 years of prior relevant experience.
• Expertise with SDLC and Agile methodologies.
• Experience implementing AWS services in distributed environments.
• Experience with high-availability enterprise deployments.
• Automation via DevOps scripting (Shell, Python, Node.js, Ruby, PowerShell).
• Strong Linux and Windows systems administration in cloud/virtualized environments.
• Experience leading cloud operations including monitoring and operational assurance.
• Experience with Bash, Java, and Node.js.
• Knowledge of DevOps, Scrum, and ITIL concepts.
• Understanding virtualization and containerization technologies.
• Experience with GitFlow and CI tools like Jenkins.
• Experience with configuration management (Chef, SaltStack).
• Experience with monitoring tools (New Relic, Nagios, CloudWatch).
• Ability to design cloud infrastructure with stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and implementation of scalable cloud architectures and enterprise-grade solutions.
• Supervise Spark workloads development, optimization, and deployment.
• Research, analyze, and solve complex business and technical problems.
• Monitor job performance and optimize Spark SQL queries for efficiency.
• Build and maintain automation for deployment, provisioning, and workflows.
• Identify and resolve operational issues to ensure reliability.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to communicate solutions and drive initiatives.

Skills

Spark workloads

Cloud architectures

DevOps scripting

Linux administration

Java/Node.js

Python

Jenkins/CI

Cloud monitoring

SQL/BigQuery

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology or related field

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

Chef

SaltStack

New Relic

Nagios

CloudWatch

Jenkins

Job description

If you’re passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you’re committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider Craft Education as the next step in your career.

Craft Education is on a mission to solve skilled labor shortages by powering work-based learning pathways for all.

At Craft, we’re revolutionizing the apprenticeship degree, combining on-the-job learning with accredited instruction to create innovative educational pathways that accommodate working professionals and meet employer needs. Our flagship product - Craft Connect - helps organizations administer apprentice degree programs and address mission-critical data and reporting needs. Through the same platform, Craft is also transforming how on-the-job learning converts into academic credits.

Our team of technology, education and workforce professionals also provides technical assistance to organizations looking to launch and manage apprenticeship degree programs. We are working tirelessly to accelerate the expansion of these programs along with the data infrastructure that underpins them.

If you’re looking to join the work-based learning revolution, we’d love to talk with you. At Craft, you’ll have the opportunity to solve hard problems in a high-growth startup environment and make a lasting impact on the future of education and workforce development. We couldn‘t be more excited to advance this work as a team of innovative, collaborative and mission-oriented professionals - we hope you’ll consider joining us.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:

Pay Range: $161,000.00 - $249,500.00

What You'll Do

• Lead the design and implementation of scalable cloud architectures and enterprise-grade solutions.
• Supervise and contribute to the development, optimization, and deployment of Apache Spark workloads and cloud technologies.
• Research, analyze, and solve complex business and technical problems.
• Monitor job performance and optimize Spark SQL queries to improve efficiency and system responsiveness.
• Build and maintain automation for software deployment, infrastructure provisioning, and operational workflows.
• Proactively identify and resolve operational issues before they impact system performance and reliability.
• Partner with technical and non-technical stakeholders to communicate solutions, drive initiatives, and continuously improve reporting, analytics, automation, and production support processes.

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology or a related field.
• 9 years of prior relevant experience.
• Expertise with the standard software development life cycle (SDLC) and Agile/iterative methodologies.
• Expertise implementing AWS services in a variety of distributed computing environments.
• Experience with highly available and fault-tolerant enterprise and web-scale software deployments.
• Expertise in infrastructure automation through DevOps scripting (e.g., Shell, Python, Node.js, Ruby, PowerShell).
• Strong Linux and Windows systems administration experience in cloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) or virtualized environments.
• Experience leading cloud operations, including monitoring, alerting, notification management, and operational assurance.
• Experience scripting and programming in Bash, Java, and Node.js.
• Understanding of DevOps, Scrum, and ITIL concepts.
• Understanding of virtualization and containerization technologies.
• Experience with GitFlow workflows and continuous integration tools such as Jenkins or Travis CI.
• Experience with configuration management tools such as Chef and SaltStack.
• Experience using monitoring tools such as New Relic, Nagios, CloudWatch, or IPMonitor.
• Experience working directly with customers and business stakeholders to design cloud infrastructure solutions while evaluating risks, tradeoffs, and best practices.
• Ability to lead the design, development, and deployment of business-critical software and infrastructure at scale.
• Strong analytical, communication, and technical documentation skills.
• Self-starter who can work independently while contributing effectively within a collaborative team environment.
• Strong customer service mindset and service-oriented approach.

Experience in Lieu of Education

Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this role may substitute for education requirements. Generally, equivalent relevant experience is defined as one year of experience for one year of education and is at the discretion of the hiring manager.

Bonus Points

• Strong experience supporting distance education or distance learning environments.
• Expertise in at least one modern programming language.
• Expertise in cloud cost optimization strategies and serverless technologies such as AWS Lambda.
• Experience integrating cloud services with on-premises technologies from Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, HP, SAP, and similar enterprise platforms.
• Expertise with compliance and risk management requirements, including security, PCI, privacy, SOX, and HIPAA.
• Strong proficiency with JSON and YAML.

This position requires occasional travel of up to 20%, including required attendance at designated company summits (typically one to two per year). Additional travel may include conferences, visits to company locations, and other business-related events as needed. Additional travel may be assigned as needed to support business requirements.

Additional Information

Full-Time Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): This is a full-time, regular position (classified for 40 standard weekly hours) that is eligible for bonuses; medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare; health savings account and flexible spending account; basic and voluntary life insurance; disability coverage; accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages; legal and identity theft coverage; retirement savings plan; wellbeing program; discounted WGU tuition; and flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave.

• Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It’s not all-inclusive.
• Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at [e-mail].
• Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.