Cloud Automation Engineer Before School Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Cloud Automation Engineer

Company Overview

Dutch Ridge Consulting Group, LLC (DRCG) is an ISO 9001:2015, Small Business Administration (SBA) Certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). DRCG provides cleared technical support staff throughout the United States with corporate offices in Ashburn, Virginia. DRCG offers expertise in Systems Integration (SI), Information Technology (IT) solutioning, Program Management, Risk Management, Business Process Reengineering (BPR), Requirements Engineering, Workflow Solutioning, and Business Consulting Services. Established in 2016, DRCG is 100% US owned and predominately supports the DoJ, DoW, and DHS. DRCG optimizes client investments by leveraging expertise to better manage the growth and transformation of existing IT environments.

Description

DRCG is seeking a talented Cloud Automation Engineer to design, build, and maintain automated cloud infrastructure and deployment pipelines across AWS and Azure environments. The ideal candidate will have a passion for automation, a deep understanding of Infrastructure as Code principles, and the ability to create repeatable, scalable processes that enable rapid and reliable cloud deployments.

Location: Arlington, VA (onsite 3 days a week)

Clearance: Secret

Key Responsibilities:

Infrastructure as Code & Automation

• Design, develop, and maintain Terraform modules for multi-cloud infrastructure provisioning
• Implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC) best practices and standards across the organization
• Create and maintain Ansible playbooks for configuration management and application deployment
• Build reusable, modular automation frameworks that can be leveraged across multiple projects
• Develop and maintain infrastructure templates and blueprints for common deployment patterns
• Automate manual processes to improve efficiency and reduce human error
• Cloud Platform Management
• Deploy and manage infrastructure across AWS and Azure cloud platforms
• Implement and optimize AWS services including EC2, S3, VPC, Lambda, RDS, and CloudFormation
• Implement and optimize Azure services including VMs, Storage, Logic Apps, Functions, and ARM templates
• Design and implement serverless solutions using AWS Lambda and Azure Logic Apps
• Manage cloud networking components including VPCs, subnets, security groups, and routing
• Implement cloud security best practices and compliance controls

CI/CD Pipeline Development

• Design and implement automated deployment pipelines using GitHub Actions
• Build continuous integration and continuous deployment workflows for infrastructure and applications
• Create automated testing frameworks for infrastructure validation
• Implement pipeline security scanning and compliance checks
• Develop rollback and recovery mechanisms for failed deployments
• Optimize pipeline performance and reliability

Networking & Connectivity

• Design and implement cloud network architectures across AWS and Azure
• Configure VPNs, ExpressRoute, Direct Connect, and hybrid connectivity solutions
• Implement network security controls including firewalls, NSGs, and NACLs
• Troubleshoot network connectivity and performance issues
• Design and implement load balancing and traffic management solutions
• Manage DNS, routing, and network monitoring

Troubleshooting & Support

• Diagnose and resolve complex infrastructure and automation issues
• Perform root cause analysis on deployment failures and system outages
• Provide technical support and guidance to development teams
• Monitor infrastructure health and performance metrics
• Implement proactive alerting and monitoring solutions
• Document troubleshooting procedures and known issues

Process Improvement & Standardization

• Develop and document repeatable processes for infrastructure deployment
• Create standardized workflows and procedures for common tasks
• Establish best practices for cloud automation and IaC development
• Conduct code reviews and provide feedback on automation scripts
• Mentor team members on automation tools and techniques
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives

Required Qualifications:

Technical Skills:

• Infrastructure as Code: 3+ years of hands-on experience with Terraform
• Configuration Management: Strong proficiency with Ansible
• Cloud Platforms: Solid experience with both AWS and Azure
• Serverless: Experience with AWS Lambda and Azure Logic Apps
• CI/CD: Hands-on experience building pipelines with GitHub Actions
• Scripting: Proficiency in Python, Bash, or PowerShell
• Version Control: Strong Git and GitHub workflow knowledge
• Networking: Deep understanding of cloud networking concepts and protocols

Core Competencies

• Strong understanding of TCP/IP, DNS, VPN, and routing protocols
• Experience with network troubleshooting tools and methodologies
• Knowledge of security best practices and compliance requirements
• Understanding of containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Experience with monitoring and logging tools (CloudWatch, Azure Monitor, etc.)
• Familiarity with API development and integration
• Understanding of software development lifecycle and agile methodologies

Problem-Solving Skills

• Excellent analytical and troubleshooting abilities
• Ability to diagnose complex technical issues across multiple systems
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality
• Proactive approach to identifying and resolving potential issues
• Ability to work under pressure during incident response

Soft Skills

• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to document technical processes clearly and concisely
• Collaborative team player with cross-functional experience
• Self-motivated with ability to work independently
• Customer-focused mindset with emphasis on delivering value

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect or Developer Associate
• Azure Administrator or Developer Associate certification
• HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate
• GitHub Actions or GitHub Certified expertise
• Experience with multi-cloud deployment strategies
• Knowledge of compliance frameworks (FedRAMP, NIST, CIS)
• Experience with infrastructure testing tools (Terratest, InSpec, Pester)
• Familiarity with GitOps practices and tools
• Previous experience in DevOps or Cloud Engineering roles
• Experience with cost optimization and FinOps practices

Technical Environment

• Cloud Platforms: AWS, Azure
• IaC Tools: Terraform, CloudFormation, ARM Templates
• Configuration Management: Ansible
• CI/CD: GitHub Actions, GitHub Workflows
• Serverless: AWS Lambda, Azure Logic Apps, Azure Functions
• Scripting: Python, Bash, PowerShell
• Version Control: Git, GitHub
• Monitoring: CloudWatch, Azure Monitor, Prometheus, Grafana
• Networking: VPC, VNet, VPN, ExpressRoute, Direct Connect