AWS SME Consultant

Job functions overview:

• AWS Environment Management - Oversee and maintain the existing AWS Organization while ensuring adherence to industry best practices.
• Cloud Architecture - For both ITS and agencies, design, review, and implement AWS solutions that meet performance, security, and scalability requirements.
• Troubleshooting and Support - Serve as a senior point of contact for complex AWS-related issues including network connectivity. This will require coordination with internal teams and agencies to determine root cause and remediation strategies.
• Vendor Relationships - Work with AWS and other third-party vendors to integrate various products into the overall AWS ecosystem.
• Mentorship and Training - Provide knowledge transfer, training, and coaching staff members to build internal cloud expertise. Help with creation and maintenance of technical documentation, standards, and playbooks.
• Governance and Security - Work with ITS and agency security teams to ensure industry best practices and various compliance requirements are met.

Required Skills

• Deep knowledge of key AWS services (EC2, S3, RDS, VPC, IAM, Lambda, CloudFormation, etc.)
• Experience leading cloud migrations or implementations in a complex multi-account environment
• Strong network troubleshooting abilities to help resolve connectivity issues both inside the AWS cloud environment and ingressing/egressing to the Client's on premises environment.
• Familiarity with AWS Landing Zone implementations and management using AWS Landing Zone Accelerator
• Proficiency with infrastructure as code (CloudFormation, Terraform, AWS CDK) and CI/CD pipelines.
• Experience implementing security best practices (e.g., IAM policies, encryption, network segmentation, and SCPs).
• Familiarity with DevOps principles, containerization (Docker, ECS, EKS), and serverless architectures.
• Strong troubleshooting abilities across networking, storage, and compute layers in AWS.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Proven experience mentoring staff and fostering a collaborative, learning-focused environment.
• Effective problem-solving skills and the ability to remain calm and focused under pressure.
• Strong organizational skills, capable of managing multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
• Ability to lead architectural reviews and navigate ambiguity in designing solutions to complex business problems

Preferred (Not required)

• AWS Professional-level certification (e.g., AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional, AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional).
• Experience in a government or highly regulated environment (e.g., HIPAA, CJIS, IRS 1075 compliance).
• Knowledge of ITIL, project management methodologies (e.g., PMP, Agile), and enterprise IT governance frameworks.
• Familiarity with other public cloud providers and hybrid-cloud environments.
• Working knowledge of common scripting/programming languages (Python, Bash, PowerShell).