Cloud Computing Engineer Principal

Syms Strategic Group, LLC (SSG)•Augusta, GA

23h•$109,623 - $126,790•Remote

About The Position

Syms Strategic Group is seeking an experienced Cloud Computing Engineer Principal to support Veterans Affairs healthcare systems. This is a 100% U.S.-based remote, full-time W-2 position supporting the VA. Candidates residing in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, or Washington will not be considered. U.S. citizenship is required, and applicants must possess or qualify for a Public Trust (MBI). The position pays $109,623–$126,790. The engineer will design, deploy, manage, and operate secure, scalable, highly available Azure infrastructure and services, including Azure Government Cloud environments. The role encompasses cloud architecture and diagrams, automation and CI/CD, permissions and security, monitoring and compliance, cost and performance optimization, databases, containers, and cloud modernization. The engineer will provide customer-focused VA Enterprise Cloud support and ensure alignment with VA policies and Veterans Independence Program development, release, and documentation requirements. The position calls for technical leadership, mentoring, documentation, collaboration across teams, and management of multiple projects. The engineer must be willing to provide on-call and emergency operational support when required. A bachelor's degree in a related technical discipline and 20 years of experience, or a related master's degree and 10 years of experience, is required. Desired experience includes hands-on Edifecs and healthcare X12 EDI workflows, along with advanced Azure certifications.

Requirements

20+ years of professional experience, with the education and experience combination specified: a bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Cloud Engineering, or a related technical discipline and 20 years of experience, or a master's degree in those fields and 10 years of experience.
U.S. citizenship is required.
Must possess or qualify for a Public Trust (MBI).
Proven experience designing, deploying, and managing Azure infrastructure and services.
Experience with large-scale, highly available, and scalable cloud architecture.
Expertise in Azure services including Virtual Machines, Blob Storage, Azure SQL Database, Virtual Network, Functions, Microsoft Entra ID, Azure Resource Manager, Azure Monitor, and Azure DNS.
Experience with Azure security practices and services, including Microsoft Entra ID, Azure RBAC, DDoS Protection, and Web Application Firewall.
Proficiency with Azure networking components, including VNet Peering, ExpressRoute, VPN Gateway, Private Endpoints, and Azure Load Balancer.
Experience establishing and governing multi-subscription Azure environments using Management Groups, Azure Policy, and Azure Landing Zones.
Knowledge of cloud cost management and FinOps, budgeting, tagging, and resource optimization using Azure Cost Management.
Proficiency in scripting languages such as Python, PowerShell, Bash, or JavaScript/NodeJS.
Experience with Infrastructure as Code tools such as ARM Templates and Ansible, and with GitOps methodologies.
Proficiency with monitoring, logging, and observability tools including Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Application Insights, Azure Activity Log, and tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, and New Relic.
Experience optimizing Azure resource and service performance, availability, and resiliency.
Understanding of Azure security best practices and compliance frameworks including HIPAA, FedRAMP, NIST, GDPR, and PCI DSS.
Experience with encryption, key management, secrets management, and identity solutions using Azure Key Vault, customer-managed keys, and Microsoft Entra ID.
Knowledge of Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Database for PostgreSQL, and Azure Database for MySQL.
Experience with database performance tuning, backup and recovery, high availability, and disaster recovery strategies.
Familiarity with CI/CD tools and practices including Azure DevOps Pipelines, GitHub Actions, Jenkins, and GitLab CI.
Experience with Docker, Azure Kubernetes Service, Azure Container Apps, and Kubernetes.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including ability to troubleshoot complex cloud issues and explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
Ability to prioritize tasks, manage competing priorities and time, and meet deadlines.
Strong attention to detail in support of system stability, security, operational excellence, and data integrity.
Ability to mentor engineers and provide technical leadership, guidance, and cloud architecture governance contributions.
Experience leading complex cloud modernization, migration, and transformation initiatives and collaborating across cross-functional teams.
Willingness to provide on-call support and participate in operational response activities when required.
Strong documentation skills for architecture, operational procedures, security controls, system configurations, processes, and procedures.
Ability to manage and contribute to multiple projects while ensuring timely, high-quality deliverables.
Commitment to staying current with emerging Azure technologies, cloud-native architectures, tools, and industry best practices.

Nice To Haves

Deep hands-on Edifecs experience with Electronic Data Interchange X12 transaction standards and workflows, including medical claims transactions such as 837, 834, 835, and 277; 270/271 and 278 transactions; and 999 transactions.
Experience with Edifecs.
Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert certification.
Azure Administrator Associate certification.
Azure Security Engineer Associate certification.

Responsibilities

Create data flow, cloud, transition, and high-level architecture diagrams for cloud infrastructure, applications, and systems.
Design, develop, deploy, and operate automation technologies for continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD).
Manage cloud service provider permissions for hosted applications, storage, and services.
Design, implement, and manage monitoring for cloud architecture and hosted systems and applications to support performance and compliance with VA and federal policies.
Provide customer-focused support to product lines and services, including setup, configuration, and provisioning of VA Enterprise Cloud environments.
Provide cloud support for systems and applications in VAEC Azure GovCloud environments, ensuring compliance with Veterans Independence Program development, release, and documentation requirements.
Apply DevOps practices and tooling, including CI/CD.
Provide cloud security provider documentation.
Design VAEC and cloud-hosted solutions and address cloud-readiness gaps.
Design, deploy, and manage scalable, secure, and highly available Azure infrastructure and services.
Establish and govern multi-subscription Azure environments using Management Groups, Azure Policy, and Azure Landing Zones.
Manage cloud costs through FinOps practices, budgeting, tagging, and resource optimization.
Use scripting and Infrastructure as Code tools and methodologies to automate cloud operations.
Monitor, log, and improve observability, performance, availability, and resiliency of Azure resources and services.
Implement cloud security, compliance, encryption, key management, secrets management, and identity solutions.
Manage Azure database services and database performance, backup and recovery, high availability, and disaster recovery.
Use CI/CD tools and containerization and orchestration technologies in cloud environments.
Lead cloud modernization, migration, and transformation initiatives in collaboration with cross-functional teams.
Mentor engineers and provide technical leadership and guidance; contribute to cloud architecture governance.
Troubleshoot complex cloud-related issues and explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
Document architecture, operational procedures, security controls, system configurations, processes, and procedures.
Prioritize work, manage competing priorities and multiple projects, and deliver high-quality results on time.
Provide on-call support and participate in emergency operational response and maintenance when required.
Stay current with Azure technologies, cloud-native architectures, tools, and industry practices.