Western Governors University
Principal Cloud Architect - Craft Education
Western Governors University, Kansas City, Missouri, United States, 64101
Principal Cloud Architect - Craft Education
Job Description
The Principal Cloud Architect is a position of technical expertise, influence, and leadership in the realm of technology. The position applies expert knowledge to ensure best practices and well-engineered architecture across the department. They are a key stakeholder and initiator of major changes to processes, engineering practices, and system administration. This role focuses on solving critical issues and initiatives across Craft Education and requires deep understanding of cutting-edge practices and innovative problem solving. The Principal Cloud Architect also establishes and maintains a positive, productive culture based on the WGU Leadership Principles.
Essential Functions and Responsibilities
Utilizes AI (LLMs, Agentic, MCP, etc) to gain efficiency in infrastructure modification and delivery.
Designs and implements, not only designs.
Approaches issues strategically, considering different business and technical requirements and challenges.
Participates in architectural reviews from a governance perspective and provides analysis feedback.
Plans and manages hardware platform design, identifies components, standardizes infrastructure components, ensures serviceability, and creates system solutions and frameworks.
Analyzes systems to identify problem areas, enhance existing systems, and develop viable solutions.
Develops, mentors, monitors progress toward goals, and trains Engineers on DevOps and CI/CD methodologies and tools for automated infrastructure code testing, integration, deployment, and assurance.
Provides technical support to product teams for testing, validation, sustaining, value engineering, and DevOps activities required for supported products.
Ensures systems are built on high-availability architecture with native Backup/DR support within defined RTO/RPO.
Performs other related duties as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Ability to travel to client locations when needed.
Expertise implementing AWS services in distributed computing environments.
Experience with highly available and fault-tolerant enterprise and web-scale software deployments.
Expertise in infrastructure automation through IaC scripting (e.g., Terraform, shell, PowerShell).
Strong practical Linux and Windows-based systems administration skills in Cloud (AWS, Azure, Google) or Virtualized environments.
Experience leading cloud operations, including data assurance, monitoring, alerting, and notifications.
Competencies
Organizational Impact: Proactively anticipates and prevents highly complex cross-disciplinary problems; develops technical processes; provides solutions for specialized, complex issues; understands and quantifies program risks with broad impact.
Problem Solving & Decision Making: Develops and achieves goals independently; leads and integrates multiple project teams; provides strategy and guidance to leadership and technical talent.
Communication & Influence: Communicates with experts inside and outside the organization; influences others on technical direction and strategic matters; conducts briefings to senior leaders.
Leadership: Provides guidance, coaching, and training across the Craft Technology Organization; manages large cross-functional initiatives; develops project plans with Work Breakdown Structure.
Job Qualifications Minimum Qualifications:
Typically requires a University Degree or equivalent experience.
Department Specific Minimum Qualifications:
6+ years of IT production workload experience.
3+ years of combined experience with primary AWS services (VPC, DNS, IAM, EC2, ECS, EKS, ELB, RDS, Route53, S3).
3+ years of experience in configuration management using CloudFormation, Terraform.
3+ years of extensive experience using automation tools such as Terraform, Ansible, and CloudFormation.
3+ years of extensive experience with governance tools like AWS Config, Inspector.
AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional or Solutions Architect Professional (strong candidates without certifications may be hired but must obtain within 6 months of hire).
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience creating cloud infrastructure solutions and leading conversations with technology leaders, reviewing pros/cons, risks, and best practices.
Expertise in cloud spend optimization.
Experience designing, developing, and deploying software at scale across infrastructure, network, compute, storage, and virtualization.
Understanding of SDLC and Agile/iterative methodologies.
Expertise with compliance and risk management requirements (security, PCI, privacy, SOX, HIPAA, etc.).
JSON and YAML expertise.
Physical Requirements
Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.
Additional Information Disclaimer: This job description highlights the general nature, essential duties, and responsibilities. It is not a comprehensive inventory of all duties and qualifications. Duties may change at any time with or without notice. This description does not constitute a contract and the University may exercise employment-at-will rights.
Position & Application Details: Full-Time Regular positions (40 hours/week). This is eligible for bonuses and comprehensive benefits including health insurance, retirement savings plan, parental leave, and paid time off.
How to Apply: Applications are submitted online. Internal candidates should apply through the internal job board in Workday.
Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to protected characteristics as required by law.
Meta Information
Seniority level: Mid-Senior level
Employment type: Full-time
Job function: Engineering and Information Technology
Industries: Higher Education
#J-18808-Ljbffr
The Principal Cloud Architect is a position of technical expertise, influence, and leadership in the realm of technology. The position applies expert knowledge to ensure best practices and well-engineered architecture across the department. They are a key stakeholder and initiator of major changes to processes, engineering practices, and system administration. This role focuses on solving critical issues and initiatives across Craft Education and requires deep understanding of cutting-edge practices and innovative problem solving. The Principal Cloud Architect also establishes and maintains a positive, productive culture based on the WGU Leadership Principles.
Essential Functions and Responsibilities
Utilizes AI (LLMs, Agentic, MCP, etc) to gain efficiency in infrastructure modification and delivery.
Designs and implements, not only designs.
Approaches issues strategically, considering different business and technical requirements and challenges.
Participates in architectural reviews from a governance perspective and provides analysis feedback.
Plans and manages hardware platform design, identifies components, standardizes infrastructure components, ensures serviceability, and creates system solutions and frameworks.
Analyzes systems to identify problem areas, enhance existing systems, and develop viable solutions.
Develops, mentors, monitors progress toward goals, and trains Engineers on DevOps and CI/CD methodologies and tools for automated infrastructure code testing, integration, deployment, and assurance.
Provides technical support to product teams for testing, validation, sustaining, value engineering, and DevOps activities required for supported products.
Ensures systems are built on high-availability architecture with native Backup/DR support within defined RTO/RPO.
Performs other related duties as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Ability to travel to client locations when needed.
Expertise implementing AWS services in distributed computing environments.
Experience with highly available and fault-tolerant enterprise and web-scale software deployments.
Expertise in infrastructure automation through IaC scripting (e.g., Terraform, shell, PowerShell).
Strong practical Linux and Windows-based systems administration skills in Cloud (AWS, Azure, Google) or Virtualized environments.
Experience leading cloud operations, including data assurance, monitoring, alerting, and notifications.
Competencies
Organizational Impact: Proactively anticipates and prevents highly complex cross-disciplinary problems; develops technical processes; provides solutions for specialized, complex issues; understands and quantifies program risks with broad impact.
Problem Solving & Decision Making: Develops and achieves goals independently; leads and integrates multiple project teams; provides strategy and guidance to leadership and technical talent.
Communication & Influence: Communicates with experts inside and outside the organization; influences others on technical direction and strategic matters; conducts briefings to senior leaders.
Leadership: Provides guidance, coaching, and training across the Craft Technology Organization; manages large cross-functional initiatives; develops project plans with Work Breakdown Structure.
Job Qualifications Minimum Qualifications:
Typically requires a University Degree or equivalent experience.
Department Specific Minimum Qualifications:
6+ years of IT production workload experience.
3+ years of combined experience with primary AWS services (VPC, DNS, IAM, EC2, ECS, EKS, ELB, RDS, Route53, S3).
3+ years of experience in configuration management using CloudFormation, Terraform.
3+ years of extensive experience using automation tools such as Terraform, Ansible, and CloudFormation.
3+ years of extensive experience with governance tools like AWS Config, Inspector.
AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional or Solutions Architect Professional (strong candidates without certifications may be hired but must obtain within 6 months of hire).
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience creating cloud infrastructure solutions and leading conversations with technology leaders, reviewing pros/cons, risks, and best practices.
Expertise in cloud spend optimization.
Experience designing, developing, and deploying software at scale across infrastructure, network, compute, storage, and virtualization.
Understanding of SDLC and Agile/iterative methodologies.
Expertise with compliance and risk management requirements (security, PCI, privacy, SOX, HIPAA, etc.).
JSON and YAML expertise.
Physical Requirements
Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.
Additional Information Disclaimer: This job description highlights the general nature, essential duties, and responsibilities. It is not a comprehensive inventory of all duties and qualifications. Duties may change at any time with or without notice. This description does not constitute a contract and the University may exercise employment-at-will rights.
Position & Application Details: Full-Time Regular positions (40 hours/week). This is eligible for bonuses and comprehensive benefits including health insurance, retirement savings plan, parental leave, and paid time off.
How to Apply: Applications are submitted online. Internal candidates should apply through the internal job board in Workday.
Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to protected characteristics as required by law.
Meta Information
Seniority level: Mid-Senior level
Employment type: Full-time
Job function: Engineering and Information Technology
Industries: Higher Education
#J-18808-Ljbffr