Western Governors University
Principal Cloud Engineer
Western Governors University, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, 84193
Principal Cloud Engineer
at Western Governors University
Western Governors University (WGU) is reimagining higher education through technology and innovation. We’re seeking a Principal Cloud Engineer to help design and build the next generation of cloud infrastructure that powers accessible, high-quality education for hundreds of thousands of students nationwide. Grade: Technical 411; Pay Range: $157,000.00 - $243,400.00.
What You’ll Do
Design, build, and optimize AWS-based infrastructure for scalability, performance, and reliability.
Serve as WGU’s Kubernetes expert, leading cluster design, deployment automation, monitoring, and continuous improvement.
Implement and manage Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and CI/CD pipelines using tools like Terraform, Ansible, and CloudFormation.
Define and maintain High Availability (HA) and Disaster Recovery (DR) strategies to meet RTO/RPO targets.
Partner with engineering, product, and architecture teams to ensure cloud infrastructure supports academic and business objectives.
Automate provisioning, monitoring, and deployments to accelerate delivery and reduce operational overhead.
Mentor engineers and promote DevOps, security, and cloud architecture best practices across teams.
What You Bring
Expert-level hands‑on experience with AWS services and distributed systems design.
Deep Kubernetes expertise, including cluster configuration, scaling, networking, and observability.
Strong proficiency with automation and configuration management tools such as Terraform, Ansible, and CloudFormation.
Scripting and programming skills in Python, Bash, or Node.js.
Solid knowledge of cloud networking, security, and monitoring.
Experience with observability tools like CloudWatch, New Relic, or Prometheus.
Proven success implementing CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure automation at scale.
Excellent communication, documentation, and collaboration skills.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology or related field (or equivalent relevant experience).
AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional and AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional (both required).
6+ years of experience managing production cloud or IT workloads.
3+ years of hands‑on experience with core AWS services (VPC, IAM, EC2, ELB, RDS, Route53, S3).
3+ years of experience building CI/CD pipelines using CodeBuild, CodePipeline, and/or CodeDeploy.
3+ years of experience automating infrastructure with Terraform, Ansible, and CloudFormation.
3+ years using AWS governance and compliance tools such as Config, Inspector, and Lambda.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience integrating AWS with on‑prem or hybrid enterprise technologies.
Expertise with serverless computing (Lambda, Step Functions) and cloud cost optimization.
Familiarity with compliance frameworks (HIPAA, FERPA, PCI, SOX).
JSON/YAML fluency and API integration experience.
Experience mentoring engineers and leading cross‑functional technical initiatives.
Why Join WGU At WGU, you’ll help shape the future of education through cloud innovation. You’ll join a mission‑driven team that values collaboration, autonomy, and purpose — working on systems that truly make a difference in learners’ lives.
Job Description Disclaimer This position description provides the major duties/responsibilities, requirements and working conditions for the position. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current position, however management reserves the right to revise or change as necessary to meet organizational needs. Other responsibilities may be assigned when circumstances require.
Position & Application Details 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. How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.
Additional Information 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 recruiting@wgu.edu.
Equal Employment Opportunity All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.
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at Western Governors University
Western Governors University (WGU) is reimagining higher education through technology and innovation. We’re seeking a Principal Cloud Engineer to help design and build the next generation of cloud infrastructure that powers accessible, high-quality education for hundreds of thousands of students nationwide. Grade: Technical 411; Pay Range: $157,000.00 - $243,400.00.
What You’ll Do
Design, build, and optimize AWS-based infrastructure for scalability, performance, and reliability.
Serve as WGU’s Kubernetes expert, leading cluster design, deployment automation, monitoring, and continuous improvement.
Implement and manage Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and CI/CD pipelines using tools like Terraform, Ansible, and CloudFormation.
Define and maintain High Availability (HA) and Disaster Recovery (DR) strategies to meet RTO/RPO targets.
Partner with engineering, product, and architecture teams to ensure cloud infrastructure supports academic and business objectives.
Automate provisioning, monitoring, and deployments to accelerate delivery and reduce operational overhead.
Mentor engineers and promote DevOps, security, and cloud architecture best practices across teams.
What You Bring
Expert-level hands‑on experience with AWS services and distributed systems design.
Deep Kubernetes expertise, including cluster configuration, scaling, networking, and observability.
Strong proficiency with automation and configuration management tools such as Terraform, Ansible, and CloudFormation.
Scripting and programming skills in Python, Bash, or Node.js.
Solid knowledge of cloud networking, security, and monitoring.
Experience with observability tools like CloudWatch, New Relic, or Prometheus.
Proven success implementing CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure automation at scale.
Excellent communication, documentation, and collaboration skills.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology or related field (or equivalent relevant experience).
AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional and AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional (both required).
6+ years of experience managing production cloud or IT workloads.
3+ years of hands‑on experience with core AWS services (VPC, IAM, EC2, ELB, RDS, Route53, S3).
3+ years of experience building CI/CD pipelines using CodeBuild, CodePipeline, and/or CodeDeploy.
3+ years of experience automating infrastructure with Terraform, Ansible, and CloudFormation.
3+ years using AWS governance and compliance tools such as Config, Inspector, and Lambda.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience integrating AWS with on‑prem or hybrid enterprise technologies.
Expertise with serverless computing (Lambda, Step Functions) and cloud cost optimization.
Familiarity with compliance frameworks (HIPAA, FERPA, PCI, SOX).
JSON/YAML fluency and API integration experience.
Experience mentoring engineers and leading cross‑functional technical initiatives.
Why Join WGU At WGU, you’ll help shape the future of education through cloud innovation. You’ll join a mission‑driven team that values collaboration, autonomy, and purpose — working on systems that truly make a difference in learners’ lives.
Job Description Disclaimer This position description provides the major duties/responsibilities, requirements and working conditions for the position. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current position, however management reserves the right to revise or change as necessary to meet organizational needs. Other responsibilities may be assigned when circumstances require.
Position & Application Details 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. How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.
Additional Information 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 recruiting@wgu.edu.
Equal Employment Opportunity All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.
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