Cloud Systems Engineer (Automation / IaC)

Opportunity Overview 

Northramp is seeking a Cloud Systems Engineer (Automation / IaC) to join the team supporting the client's Cloud BPA Bridge program — a mission-critical effort to consolidate, modernize, and operate client's enterprise cloud services across IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS environments under FedRAMP High authorization. 

You will design, build, and operate the cloud infrastructure automation layer that enables client's multi-cloud environment to be provisioned, configured, and maintained as code. The role is central to operational reliability, configuration consistency, and the scalable enforcement of security and compliance controls across AWS, Azure, and GCP.  

This role is part of Northramp’s integrated delivery model, where engineers and advisors work as one team to bring sound judgment, disciplined execution, and deep federal experience to high-stakes modernization programs. 

Location & Work Arrangement 

Hybrid, based in the Washington, DC metro area. On-site presence at designated client locations is expected on a cadence aligned to program needs. Remote work is supported around mission and security requirements. This role is not open to candidates outside the DC region. 

The Ideal Candidate 

You have built and operated IaC at scale in production federal environments — Terraform modules that are actually reusable, Ansible playbooks that run reliably, and pipelines that provision infrastructure the same way every time. You care about drift, you care about idempotency, and you have strong opinions about what good automation looks like versus automation that just happens to work once. 

Key Responsibilities  

• Design, develop, and maintain reusable Terraform modules and Ansible playbooks for provisioning and configuring cloud infrastructure across AWS, Azure, and GCP under FedRAMP High authorization. 

• Implement GitOps workflows for infrastructure change management — version-controlled, peer-reviewed, and pipeline-enforced — integrated with CI/CD tooling (Harness, GitHub Actions, or equivalent). 

• Automate system configuration, OS hardening, and STIG compliance enforcement using Ansible and Python scripting; develop idempotent playbooks that run cleanly in both initial provisioning and drift remediation contexts. 

• Manage cloud infrastructure state and drift detection; implement automated alerting and remediation for configuration deviations from approved baselines. 

• Build and maintain infrastructure automation for compute, networking, storage, and IAM components across multi-cloud environments, including VPCs, subnets, security groups, managed databases, and container platforms. 

• Support the integration of policy-as-code tools (OPA, Sentinel, or AWS Config Rules) to enforce compliance guardrails within the provisioning pipeline. 

• Implement infrastructure monitoring, health checks, and self-healing automation using cloud-native monitoring services and scripting. 

• Collaborate with Security and Compliance teams to ensure IaC templates meet NIST 800-53, FedRAMP, and DHS 4300A control requirements; contribute to ATO evidence and documentation. 

• Participate in operational support rotations; respond to infrastructure incidents, perform root cause analysis, and implement preventive automation. 

• Develop and maintain infrastructure documentation, architecture decision records, and runbooks in client's Architecture Repository standards. 

Requirements

Required Qualifications 

• 3 to 6 years of progressive, hands-on experience in cloud infrastructure engineering with a strong focus on automation and IaC. 

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Systems Engineering, or a related field. Relevant experience may substitute. 

• Strong proficiency in Terraform for multi-cloud infrastructure provisioning; experience with module design, state management (remote backends), and workspace strategies. 

• Hands-on experience with Ansible for configuration management, OS hardening, and application deployment automation. 

• Proficiency in Python and/or Bash for infrastructure scripting, automation tooling, and API integration. 

• Working knowledge of cloud infrastructure services across AWS, Azure, and/or GCP — compute, networking, storage, IAM, and managed platform services. 

• Experience with GitOps practices and integrating IaC into CI/CD pipelines. 

• Understanding of container orchestration (Kubernetes/EKS/AKS/GKE) and IaC patterns for containerized workloads. 

• Knowledge of policy-as-code approaches (OPA, Sentinel, AWS Config, or Azure Policy) for compliance enforcement. 

• Solid understanding of FedRAMP, FISMA, NIST 800-53, and STIG requirements as they apply to cloud infrastructure automation. 

• U.S. Citizenship and the ability to obtain and maintain a DHS suitability / Public Trust clearance. 

Desired Qualifications 

• HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate or Professional. 

• AWS Certified SysOps Administrator, AWS Certified DevOps Engineer, Azure Administrator Associate, or equivalent GCP certification. 

• Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) or equivalent Ansible certification. 

• Security+ or equivalent DoD 8570 baseline certification. 

• Federal cloud infrastructure automation experience. 

• Active Public Trust or higher clearance. 

Clearance  

DHS suitability and a Public Trust background investigation are required for this role. Active Public Trust or higher clearance is preferred. Selected applicants will be subject to a security investigation and may need to meet eligibility requirements for access to controlled or classified information. 

About Northramp 

Northramp is a federal consulting firm that helps agencies modernize and operate mission-critical systems with sound judgment, disciplined execution, and deep federal experience. We specialize in high-stakes digital transformation in highly regulated environments where failure is not an option. Our integrated delivery model brings engineers and advisors together as one team, combining technical depth with an operator’s mindset to move organizations from strategy to execution with confidence. 

We hold high standards because our clients’ missions demand it, and we support our people in meeting them. Northramp is where you are challenged, trusted, and supported — a place for people who take pride in their work, value clarity and follow-through, and want to make a meaningful impact through technology. 

Equal Opportunity  

Northramp is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and applicants. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Northramp participates in E-Verify. 

Benefits

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development
• Work From Home
• Wellness Resources
• Employee Bonus Programs