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Entry Level Principal Cloud Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Horizon3.ai

Principal Cloud FinOps Analyst

Partner with Engineering infra and product teams to define tagging taxonomy, identify tagging gaps, and improve tagging to enable reporting. Make Cloud and AI spend billing data available in ...

CONTROLTEC LLC

Cloud Automation Engineer

Allen Park, MI · On-site

$50.75 - $68/hr

Control-Tec is looking for a passionate, motivated, and detail-oriented Cloud Automation Engineer, entry level. This position will be working on the IT Solutions team to automate infrastructure ...

Accenture Federal Services

Cloud Systems Engineer

Tampa, FL · On-site

$52.75 - $70.50/hr

The Cloud Systems Engineer will design and implement AWS infrastructure architecture to support ... principals Company : Accenture Federal Services is a leading US federal services company and ...

ValeurHR

Cloud network developer

Dallas, TX · On-site

$55.75 - $76.25/hr

Company Description Brief -Cloud network developer will help implementation of the cloud network ... integration Principal Role Implementation of network component of openstack architecture ...

Pwc

Full-Stack Cloud Engineer

Houston, TX · On-site

$77K - $202K/yr

... Cloud Engineer, you will be at the forefront of software and product innovation, developing ... PwC does not intend to hire experienced or entry level job seekers who will need, now or in the ...

New

Pwc

Full-Stack Cloud Engineer

Florham Park, NJ · On-site

$77K - $202K/yr

... Cloud Engineer, you will be at the forefront of software and product innovation, developing ... PwC does not intend to hire experienced or entry level job seekers who will need, now or in the ...

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Entry Level Principal Cloud Engineer information

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$74K

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How much do entry level principal cloud engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 15, 2026, the average yearly pay for entry level principal cloud engineer in the United States is $147,220.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $118,500.00 and $173,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Entry Level Principal Cloud Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Entry Level Principal Cloud Engineer, you need a solid understanding of cloud computing concepts, networking, and scripting languages, typically supported by a degree in computer science or a related field. Familiarity with cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, as well as certifications such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect or Azure Fundamentals, is frequently expected. Strong analytical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills set candidates apart in this role. These abilities are crucial for designing reliable cloud solutions, collaborating with teams, and supporting scalable, secure cloud infrastructures.

What are some common challenges faced by entry level principal cloud engineers in their first year, and how can they be overcome?

Entry level principal cloud engineers often encounter challenges such as navigating complex cloud architectures, adapting to rapidly changing technologies, and collaborating with cross-functional teams. To overcome these, it's helpful to proactively seek mentorship from experienced colleagues, regularly participate in team knowledge-sharing sessions, and stay current with cloud platform updates through continuous learning. Building strong communication skills and being open to feedback can also ease the transition and foster effective collaboration within the engineering team.

What does an Entry Level Principal Cloud Engineer do?

An Entry Level Principal Cloud Engineer is responsible for assisting in the design, implementation, and management of cloud-based systems and infrastructure. They work with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud to help organizations deploy scalable and secure applications. Although 'Principal' typically denotes a senior position, an entry level role in this context may involve supporting senior engineers, learning best practices, and gradually taking on more complex tasks as experience grows. Their duties often include monitoring cloud environments, troubleshooting issues, and ensuring cloud services operate efficiently.

What is the difference between Entry Level Principal Cloud Engineer vs Cloud Solutions Architect?

AspectEntry Level Principal Cloud EngineerCloud Solutions Architect
CredentialsBasic cloud certifications (e.g., AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner)Advanced certifications (e.g., AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional)
Work EnvironmentHands-on cloud infrastructure setup and maintenanceDesigning cloud solutions and architecture planning
Employer UsageUsed in organizations building cloud infrastructureUsed in organizations designing cloud strategies and solutions
Search IntentCompare entry-level cloud engineering rolesCompare cloud architecture design roles

The Entry Level Principal Cloud Engineer typically focuses on implementing and maintaining cloud infrastructure with foundational certifications, while a Cloud Solutions Architect designs comprehensive cloud solutions, often requiring advanced certifications and experience. Both roles are essential in cloud environments but differ in scope and responsibilities.

More about Entry Level Principal Cloud Engineer jobs
What are the most commonly searched types of Principal Cloud Engineer jobs? The most popular types of Principal Cloud Engineer jobs are:
What job categories do people searching Entry Level Principal Cloud Engineer jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Entry Level Principal Cloud Engineer jobs are:
Entry Level Principal Cloud Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Entry Level Principal Cloud Engineer job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 93% Full Time, 3% Part Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 79% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 16% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $147,220 per year, or $70.8 per hour.
Principal Cloud FinOps Analyst

Principal Cloud FinOps Analyst

Horizon3.ai

Remote

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, PTO

Re-posted 11 days ago

Job description

Get to Know Us
Horizon3.ai is a fast-growing, remote cybersecurity company dedicated to the mission of enabling organizations to proactively find and fix and verify exploitable attack vectors before criminals exploit them. Our flagship product, the NodeZeroTM platform, delivers production-safe autonomous pentests and other key assessment operations that scale across the largest internal, external, cloud, and hybrid cloud environments. NodeZero has been adopted by organizations of all sizes, from small educational institutions to government agencies and Global 100 enterprises. It is used by ITOps/SecOps teams, consulting pentesters, and MSSPs and MSPs.
We are a fusion of former U.S. Special Operations cyber operators, startup engineers, and formerly frustrated cybersecurity practitioners. We're committed to helping solve our common security problems: ineffective security tools, false positives resulting in alert fatigue, blind spots, "checkbox" security culture, cybersecurity skills shortage, and the long lead time and expense of hiring outside consultants. Collectively, we are a team of learn it alls, committed to a culture of respect, collaboration, ownership, and results.
What You'll Do
We are looking for an experienced Cloud FinOps practitioner to provide visibility, allow H3 leadership to understand costs and margins of providing product features to customer, and make data-driven decisions to optimize cloud spend.
You will:
  • Build spend visibility dashboards broken down by product, product feature, tenant, and team. Partner with Engineering infra and product teams to define tagging taxonomy, identify tagging gaps, and improve tagging to enable reporting. Make Cloud and AI spend billing data available in analytics and reporting tools, and with automated export to Excel / Google Sheets and finance systems.
  • Develop cloud spend forecast models that incorporate sales forecasts and product roadmap initiatives.
  • Define spend alarms based on budgets and forecasts. Drive investigations of spend incidents.
  • Build capabilities to track unit economics of the product portfolio. Partner with product feature teams to drive visibility on metrics such as cost per customer, per operation, per API request, and AI token usage rates. Work with Infra teams on classification of infrastructure and utilization metrics.

What You'll Bring (Qualifications)
  • Significant experience as a FinOps cloud spend analyst on a major cloud provider. Deep familiarity with cost and usage data and SQL based billing analysis, preferably on AWS.
  • Strong exploratory data analysis skills in SQL.
  • Ability to analyze and explore large, complex billing datasets.
  • Experienced in analysis of a cloud vendor's billing data in SQL.
  • Able to independently investigate anomalies, identify cost drivers, and answer questions on spend.
  • Experience in a FinOps role at a B2B SaaS company with a multi-tenant architecture. Familiarity with the challenge of attributing shared infrastructure costs to specific customers or product features.
  • Must have built cost reporting and dashboards for spend visibility. Experience in BI tooling such as AWS QuickSight, GCP Data Studio, Tableau, Looker, or similar.
  • Spreadsheet skills. Ability to build forecasting models in Excel/Google Sheets.
  • Experience working with Engineering on tagging and labelling and driving cost visibility into development processes.
  • Familiarity with AWS/GCP/Azure savings mechanisms - Savings Plans, Committed Use Discounts, Reserved Instances, Spot Instances, etc.
  • Able to independently spend anomaly investigations, document findings, and make well defined clear recommendations.
  • Strong communication skills. Ability to present spend findings to both Engineering and Finance leaders. Ability to translate and map between infrastructure details and business value.

Nice to Haves
  • FinOps Foundation certification (FOCP or practitioner level) or equivalent demonstrated knowledge of FinOps frameworks and lifecycle.

Perks of Horizon3.ai
  • Inclusive Team: We value diversity and promote an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive.
  • Growth Opportunities: Be part of a dynamic and growing team with numerous career development opportunities.
  • Innovative Culture: Work in a collaborative environment that encourages creativity and out-of-the-box thinking.
  • Hybrid & Remote Work: We embrace a mix of remote and hybrid work models depending on role and location, including our Chicago office, where some roles require regular in-office presence.
  • Competitive Compensation: We offer competitive salary, equity and benefits. Our benefits include health, vision & dental insurance for you and your family, a flexible vacation policy, and generous parental leave.

Occasional Business Travel Required
This position is remote, but this job may require up to 5% of travel to be successful.
Compensation and Values
At Horizon3, we believe that our people are our greatest asset, and our compensation philosophy reflects this core value. We are committed to fostering an environment where all employees feel valued, respected, and rewarded for their contributions. Our compensation structure is designed to be fair, competitive, and transparent, ensuring that every team member is recognized and compensated equitably across roles, levels, and locations.
In accordance with various State's transparency regulations, we provide the following salary range information for this position:
  • Base salary range: $240,570 - $297,000 annually. The exact salary will be determined based on the selected candidate's location, qualifications, experience, and relevant skills.
  • Additional compensation: All full-time roles are eligible for an equity package in the form of stock options.

You Belong Here
Horizon3 is not just an equal opportunity employer - we are a community that values diversity, equity, and inclusion as fundamental principles of our culture and success. We are dedicated to fostering a workplace where everyone feels welcome and respected, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, hair length or any other legally protected status by law.
Our commitment to diversity and inclusion means we strive to attract, develop, and retain a workforce that reflects the varied communities we serve. We believe that diverse perspectives drive innovation and strengthen our ability to create cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions. At Horizon3, every team member is valued and supported in an environment that encourages personal and professional growth.
We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and experiences, and we encourage all qualified individuals to apply. Come be a part of Horizon3, where your unique contributions are recognized, and your potential is limitless.
Other Duties
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Application Note
In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

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