NLM Cloud/System Engineer

Ripple Effect • Rockville, MD

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Ripple Effect is looking for an onsite Cloud Engineer with 6+ years of experience in designing and supporting secure and scalable cloud infrastructure to support our client's mission. The Cloud Engineer will play a pivotal role in supporting the National Library of Medicine (NLM)—a global leader in biomedical research and data science—in its efforts to accelerate biomedical discovery and improve public health through data-powered research. Serving as the senior technical expert, this role will be responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining secure, scalable, and high-performance cloud infrastructure across Azure, AWS, and GCP platforms. The engineer will support a wide range of initiatives, including scientific computing, data analytics, DevOps automation, and cybersecurity compliance. Ripple Effect is an award-winning women-owned small business providing professional consulting and exceptional talent for federal, private, and non-profit clients. We deliver multi-disciplinary solutions across Communications & Outreach, Research & Evaluation, Program Management & Policy, Digital Transformation, and Technical & Scientific Support solutions with a focus on science, research, and healthcare domains.

Requirements

• High School Diploma
• At least 6 years of relevant professional experience
• Experience in designing, developing, and deploying complex cloud infrastructures using Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
• Ability to architect and implement network infrastructure and technical solutions at scale
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines, DevOps practices, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools such as Terraform, Ansible, Puppet, and Cloud Development Kit (CDK).
• Understanding of monitoring and logging tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, and the EFK stack.
• Experience supporting cloud operations across SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS environments.
• Proficiency in database technologies such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MS SQL, RDS, and ElasticSearch.
• Knowledge and application of Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) and FedRAMP compliance requirements.
• Ability to implement and manage firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and disaster recovery strategies.
• Ability to provide technical support and guidance to development teams and stakeholders.
• Experience using tools like JIRA, ServiceNow, and Confluence for issue tracking and documentation.
• Strong communication skills for working in a highly technical environment and translating complex issues into plain language.
• Ability to pay attention to details, clearly communicate, work independently, and have an eagerness to learn.

Nice To Haves

• Strong background in containerization and orchestration technologies including Docker, Kubernetes, Anthos, and OpenShift
• Previous experience developing and maintaining System Security Plans (SSPs) and Authority to Operate (ATO) documentation
• Experience using vulnerability scanning and penetration testing tools like Tenable, Prowler, OWASP ZAP, and Netspark.
• Previous experience with NIH or NLM (highly desirable)

Responsibilities

• Design and deploy cloud-native and hybrid infrastructure solutions that meet performance, scalability, and security requirements.
• Architect and implement network infrastructure and technical solutions that support biomedical computing workloads.
• Develop and maintain CI/CD pipelines using tools such as GitLab, GitHub, Jenkins, Kubernetes, and Ansible.
• Automate infrastructure provisioning and configuration using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like Terraform, Puppet, and CDK.
• Integrate and enforce security best practices, including FISMA and FedRAMP compliance, into all cloud operations.
• Support the development and maintenance of Authority to Operate (ATO) documentation and System Security Plans (SSPs).
• Implement and manage monitoring and logging solutions (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, EFK stack) to ensure system reliability and performance.
• Analyze cloud usage and cost models to optimize resource allocation and reduce operational expenses.
• Work closely with developers, system administrators, and cybersecurity teams to support application development and deployment.
• Maintain comprehensive documentation using tools like Confluence and JIRA.
• Provide technical support for systems and database design, including integration of open-source software and cloud-native services.
• Administer databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and ElasticSearch.

Benefits

• Ripple Effect rewards our employees for their contributions to our mission in many ways, from competitive pay and exceptional benefits to a range of work/life programs based on your employment classification and personalized preferences.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: High school or GED
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees