Principal Cloud Systems Design & Development Engineer

This position requires an Active Secret Clearance. Candidates who do not hold this clearance are not eligible for hire.. This is a remote position, however candidates must live within a reasonable driving distance of Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, MA. This position is contingent on award.

We're seeking an exceptional Principal Cloud Systems Design & Development Engineer to be a pivotal force in our organization!

Are you a cloud architecture luminary and a hands-on development titan with experience transforming complex challenges into elegant, scalable cloud solutions? Do you thrive on pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the cloud, all while inspiring a team to achieve greatness? If so, then Solidus wants YOU!
Day in the Life:

• Develop and drive the long-term cloud strategy, aligning technical initiatives with business objectives to ensure robust, scalable, cost-optimized, and secure architectures.
• Lead the design and development of highly complex and innovative cloud architectures for new and existing systems, spanning both hardware and software. This includes defining system interfaces, components, and data flows. Establish and communicate a clear technical vision and roadmap for cloud systems, influencing infrastructure, deployment, and development environment decisions.
• Conduct in-depth feasibility studies and analyses of existing and proposed systems, identifying opportunities for cloud adoption, optimization, and transformation.
• Evaluate and make critical decisions regarding new cloud technologies, frameworks, and methodologies, ensuring adherence to well-architected frameworks and long-term vision.
• Take ownership of the entire software development lifecycle for cloud solutions, from planning and requirements gathering to development, testing, and quality assurance
• Design, develop, and implement complex system requirements for customers, often involving large-scale data processing, computationally intensive statistical modeling, and advanced analytics
• Design and optimize high-performance cloud solutions, especially in areas like networking, storage, and data-plane architectures (e.g., using DPDK, SPDK)
• Drive the development and expansion of automation, configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting tools for cloud environments. Implement and enforce cloud-native best practices for security and compliance, including identity and access management, network security, and data protection
• Expertly troubleshoot complex incidents, identify root causes, implement preventive measures, and document solutions.
• Provide expert technical guidance, mentorship, and coaching to cloud engineers and development teams, fostering their growth and building cloud competencies
• Ensure high standards for code quality, thoughtful design, and adherence to best practices across development teams
• Collaborate extensively with global stakeholders, including architects, business analysts, product managers, and other engineering teams, to deliver successful projects and influence design decisions
• Set project and task priorities, create solutions to complex problems, assign work and deliverables to junior engineers, and ensure timely completion
• Continuously monitor and optimize cloud infrastructure and applications for maximum performance, efficiency, uptime, and cost-effectiveness
• Lead responses to major incidents and support IT business processes, often participating in on-call rotations.
• Prepare comprehensive documentation for system designs, architectural decisions, testing procedures, and operational guidelines
• Effectively manage technical risk, change, and uncertainties to ensure successful project outcomes.

Requirements / Qualifications:

• Master's degree with 16 years of relevant experience, Bachelor's degree with 18 years, or Associate degree with 20 years
• Active Secret clearance.
• U.S. Citizenship.
• 16+ years of progressive experience in cloud systems design, development, and engineering roles
• Proven track record of leading the design and implementation of large-scale, complex cloud solutions.
• Extensive experience with at least one major public cloud platform (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Strong experience with hybrid cloud environments and integrating cloud with on-premises infrastructure
• Deep expertise in cloud architecture patterns (microservices, event-driven architectures, serverless, containerization). Proficiency in multiple programming languages (e.g., Python, Java, Go, C/C++) focused on cloud-native development
• Expertise with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Strong knowledge of Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation, Ansible).
• Advanced understanding of networking protocols (TCP/IP, UDP, DNS, DHCP, BGP) and modern data center architectures (EVPN-VXLAN, spine-leaf)
• Deep knowledge of distributed systems, high-concurrency systems, and fault-tolerant design
• Experience with both relational and NoSQL databases in cloud environments
• Proficiency in CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices. Strong understanding of cloud security best practices (IAM, encryption, network security).
• Experience with monitoring/logging tools (e.g., Splunk, Prometheus, Grafana).
• Familiarity with big data, machine learning, and advanced analytics concepts is a plus
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills
• Strong leadership, mentorship, and team-building capabilities
• Excellent communication skills for both technical and executive audiences
• Strategic thinker with long-term vision
• Ability to work independently and within distributed teams.
• Strong organizational and multitasking skills
• Adaptability and commitment to continuous learning.

Preferred Skills:

• Relevant cloud certifications such as: AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional, Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect.

Benefit selection, customer contractual specifications, relevant work experience, skills, competencies, certifications, and clearance status will influence the final salary.
Full benefits: $235,000 to $294,000 annually
Reduced benefits (no medical, dental, vision): Up to $318,000 annually

What we will bring:
Solidus offers you an exciting opportunity to tackle the nation's greatest challenges, applying innovation and expertise to produce cutting-edge results that have a long-lasting impact. We offer outstanding benefits, generous PTO and much more! Apply today to learn why Solidus has a 4.9/5 Star rating on Glassdoor!

Req ID: 5065

Solidus is an Equal Opportunity Employer and provides equal employment opportunities regarding all terms and conditions of employment to all employees and qualified applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. The Company will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application and interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request an accommodation.

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Please Note: Solidus does not accept applications from agencies, 3rd party vendors, or applications with incomplete information.