Cloud & Datacenter Engineer Sr II

About Kirkland & Ellis

At Kirkland & Ellis, we don't just meet the standard for legal excellence - we set it. Our culture is built on teamwork, ingenuity and an unwavering commitment to continuous growth. We tackle the most sophisticated legal challenges with bold ideas and innovative solutions, powered by the exceptional experience and ambition of our 7,000+ people, including 4,000+ attorneys, across 23 offices worldwide. Our dedicated professionals share our lawyers' commitment to excellence and show up each day to do meaningful work that helps drive global business, investment and innovation forward.

What You'll Do

Kirkland & Ellis is seeking a Cloud & Datacenter Engineer Sr. II-our most senior individual contributor in infrastructure-to own, govern, and evolve the firm's global cloud and data center platforms. This is a high-impact, high-trust role for a seasoned infrastructure leader who thrives at the intersection of deep technical expertise, governance, and executive decision-making.

In this role, you will be responsible for setting standards, leading critical design decisions, and commanding incident response when it matters most. You'll partner closely with Information Security, Applications, Network Engineering, and firm leadership to ensure our infrastructure remains secure, resilient, and ready to support the firm's most demanding client work.

Cloud Platform Leadership & Governance
Own the architecture, governance, and operational excellence of the firm's Microsoft Azure environment, including landing zones, policy-based controls, IaC standards, and cost management.
Lead developer experience and platform enablement, designing secure, compliant, and scalable deployment patterns, reusable Terraform modules, and self-service frameworks used across engineering teams.
Chair and lead cloud and infrastructure design reviews, providing final technical direction and ensuring alignment with security, architecture, and financial governance standards.
Serve as the internal custodian of privileged access (including Global Administrator access), ensuring strong separation of duties, independent validation of managed service providers, and proper escalation paths.
Act as the incident commander for cloud infrastructure events, making real-time, business-aligned decisions and coordinating directly with Legal, HR, the CISO organization, and executive leadership.
Drive the firm's cloud FinOps strategy, delivering cost transparency, optimization, and accountability across engineering, finance, and business stakeholders.
Establish technical standards for the team, including engineering rubrics, career pathways, onboarding, and interview practices, while mentoring engineers across all levels.

Data Center Engineering & Operations
Own the strategy and operational governance of Kirkland's data center in Aurora, IL, colocation facility in South Bend, IN, and global office server rooms.
Lead the design and implementation of server rooms and structured cabling across global locations.
Oversee preventative maintenance programs, vendor contracts, capacity planning, and Level 4 escalation for complex data center incidents.
Ensure all facilities meet regulatory, audit, cyber insurance, and resiliency requirements, partnering closely with security and risk stakeholders.

Enterprise Impact & Visibility
Represent Cloud & Datacenter Operations in firm-wide forums, including design review boards, vendor evaluations, client security audits, and executive incident command.
Lead infrastructure foundations for enterprise AI and automation initiatives, working in close partnership with Applications and Information Security.
Drive complex, multi-team initiatives spanning identity, networking, security operations, and application engineering-with full accountability for outcomes.

What You'll Bring

Bachelor's degree preferred in computer science, information technology, electrical engineering, or a related field.
10+ years of enterprise IT infrastructure experience, with deep expertise in cloud platforms and data center engineering, including time spent as a senior individual contributor.
Expert-level, hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure, Terraform, and CI/CD pipelines in large-scale production environments.
Proven ownership of platform engineering, developer enablement, or cloud deployment frameworks.
Demonstrated leadership in architecture and design governance, including leading design reviews and influencing enterprise standards.
Strong background in cloud security governance, privileged access management, and incident response, with experience partnering closely with a dedicated CISO organization.
Solid understanding of data center mechanical and electrical systems (UPS, cooling, fire suppression, power).
Comfort operating as an internal authority, making high-stakes decisions under pressure and engaging directly with senior leadership.
Ability and willingness to participate in 24x7 on-call support for critical incidents.

Preferred
Experience in a law firm or global professional services environment with confidentiality- and compliance-sensitive client work.
Familiarity with MSP governance, FinOps frameworks, and enterprise cloud commitments.
Experience supporting hybrid identity environments and security operations.
Background in audit defense, cyber insurance, and frameworks such as NIST, ISO 27001, or CIS Controls.
Experience building infrastructure foundations for AI or large-scale automation workloads.

Compensation

The base salary range below represents the low and high end of the salary range for this position in Chicago. This range may differ based on your geographic location and cost of living considerations. At Kirkland & Ellis, we consider compensation more than just a base salary. We offer an exceptional range of flexible benefits including comprehensive healthcare, paid time off, and retirement. We also offer personal support and tailored learning and development opportunities all designed to help you realize your full potential both in life and at work.

Compensation Range:

Chicago: $153,000 - $191,000

How to Apply

Thank you for your interest in Kirkland & Ellis LLP. To complete an application and submit your resume, please click "Apply Now."

Don't meet every job requirement? That's okay! If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't perfectly fit every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right person for this role or others at Kirkland.

Equal Employment Opportunity

All employment decisions, including the recruiting, hiring, placement, training availability, promotion, compensation, evaluation, disciplinary actions, and termination of employment (if necessary) are made without regard to the employee's race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy or childbirth, personal appearance, family responsibilities, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, political affiliation, source of income, place of residence, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military veteran status, unfavorable discharge from military service, physical or mental disability, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law. #LI-Hybrid #LI-KK1