Cloud Engineer - Platform & Infrastructure

The Aerospace Corporation is the trusted partner to the nation's space programs, solving the hardest problems and providing unmatched technical expertise. As the operator of a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), we are broadly engaged across all aspects of space- delivering innovative solutions that span satellite, launch, ground, and cyber systems for defense, civil and commercial customers. When you join our team, you'll be part of a special collection of problem solvers, thought leaders, and innovators. Join us and take your place in space.

Information Systems and Cyber Division (ISCD) staff couple the latest in information system technologies, such as elastic compute clouds, containerization, microservices, real-time operating systems, and visualization frameworks, with expertise in cyber security, software architecture, software engineering, process improvement, and software development to deliver responsive, resilient, high-performance software intensive systems to our Intelligence Community (IC), Department of Defense (DoD), and civilian customers.

The Cloud Platforms and Architectures Department (CPAD) goes beyond traditional software systems design and IT application hosting environments. We provide our customers with guidance and solutions for developing, deploying, and managing cloud software systems that are highly secure, available, resilient, and scalable. We are looking for a Cloud Solutions Architect to contribute to the delivery of these services. If you're a passionate and driven individual who is excited about developing advanced cloud solutions that keep our nation at the forefront of space systems capabilities, consider joining our team of talented engineers.

This is a full-time position that is 100% onsite in Colorado Springs, CO.

What You'll Be Doing

• Providing cloud subject matter expertise to DoD, IC, and Civil Space customers.

• Providing technical leadership to deliver solutions that improve the performance, security, scalability, and reliability of cloud computing architectures, ensuring they meet customer requirements

• Leading and developing proof-of-concept prototypes to help customers understand the latest cloud technologies

• Providing guidance on reference cloud architectures and best practices for the space enterprise

• Collaborating with a team of cloud subject matter experts to design, develop, and maintain reliable, secure, and scalable cloud infrastructure

• Conducting cloud architecture reviews of customer mission systems

• Developing cloud migration strategies for customer mission systems

• Performing cloud cost estimations and optimizations for customer mission systems

• Growing departmental knowledge through work, training assignments, and technical leadership.

What You Need to be Successful - Engineering Specialist

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in STEM, with an emphasis in Computer Science or other sciences/engineering discipline

• 6 or more years of relevant experience in architecting, developing, and maintaining enterprise-level systems across both traditional IT and cloud infrastructures

• Proven ability to deploy, manage, and maintain Linux or Microsoft Windows environments across multiple teams while implementing hypervisor and containerization technologies in multi-user, multi-server data centers.

• Working knowledge of automating on-premises infrastructure deployments using configuration management and scripting tools, including troubleshooting and resolving automation-related issues for enterprise data center environments

• Demonstrated expertise with backup, recovery, continuity of operations in a business environment

• Experience with managing storage systems like SAN, NAS, FCoE (e.g., NetApp, Dell EMC, HP Enterprise)

• Proficient in TCP/IP, routing, switching, and secure protocols, with hands-on experience designing and troubleshooting network infrastructures in both traditional IT and cloud environments

• Proven ability to collaborate and communicate effectively in a cross-functional matrix organization

• Willing to travel domestically up to 25%

• This position requires ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance, which is issued by the U.S. government. U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance.

How You Can Stand Out

It would be impressive if you have one or more of these:

• Advanced degree in Computer Science or other sciences/engineering discipline

• Hands-on experience designing, implementing, and operating cloud systems supporting real users

• Proven experience with commercial or on-premises cloud platforms (e.g., VMware vSphere, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform)

• Experience with containerization technologies (e.g., Docker, Rancher, Tanzu, or OpenShift)

• Working knowledge of every layer in a cloud technology stack (e.g., virtualization infrastructure, operating systems, application hosting platforms, cloud native application design)

• Develop and deploy automation solutions using Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) methodologies (e.g., Terraform, Ansible, ARM/Bicep, CDK), integrate CI/CD pipelines, manage configurations, and implement additional automation tools to achieve rapid, repeatable, and secure deployments.

• Experience in managing data center operations and performing infrastructure migrations across cloud platforms

• Experience with cloud security concepts (e.g., network security, Identity and Access Management (IAM), encryption, security monitoring)

• Experience in developing solutions that adhere to public sector security and compliance standards, including FedRAMP, DoD Impact Levels, and the Risk Management Framework (RMF)

• Certifications related to cloud computing (e.g., Certified Kubernetes Administrator, AWS Solutions Architect)

• Certifications related to cybersecurity (e.g., CompTIA Security+, CISSP)

• Active security clearance issued by the U.S. Government

We offer a competitive compensation package where you'll be rewarded based on your performance and recognized for the value you bring to our business. The grade-based pay range for this job is listed below. Individual salaries within that range are determined through a wide variety of factors including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge and skills.

(Min - Max)
$129,000.00 - $193,500.00

Pay Basis: Annual

Leadership Competencies

Our leadership philosophy is simple: every employee, regardless of level and role, can demonstrate leadership. At Aerospace, our commitment is our people. To cultivate our talent and ensure that we have a strong pipeline of future leaders, we want individuals who:

• Operate Strategically
• Lead Change
• Engage with Impact
• Foster Innovation
• Deliver Results

Ways We Reward Our Employees

During your interview process, our team will provide details of our industry-leading benefits.

Benefits vary and are applicable based on Job Type. A few highlights include:

• Comprehensive health care and wellness plans
• Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation
• Standard and alternate work schedules, including telework options
• 401(k) Plan - Employees receive a total company-paid benefit of 8%, 10%, or 12% of eligible compensation based on years of service and matching contributions; employees are immediately eligible and vested in the plan upon hire
• Flexible spending accounts
• Variable pay program for exceptional contributions
• Relocation assistance
• Professional growth and development programs to help advance your career
• Education assistance programs
• An inclusive work environment built on teamwork, flexibility, and respect

We are all unique, from various backgrounds and all walks of life, yet one thing bonds all of us to each other-the belief that we can make a difference. This core belief empowers us to do our best work at The Aerospace Corporation.

Equal Opportunity Commitment

The Aerospace Corporation is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, color, religion, genetic information, marital status, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, physical disability, medical condition, mental disability, or disability status and any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. If you're an individual with a disability or a disabled veteran who needs assistance using our online job search and application tools or need reasonable accommodation to complete the job application process, please contact us by phone at or by email at . You can also review Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal.