Principal Cloud Engineer

About Us

Are you ready to transform lives through academic excellence, innovative research, strong community partnerships and economic opportunity? Kennesaw State University is one of the 50 largest public institutions in the country. With growing enrollment and global reach, we continue to expand our institutional influence and prominence beyond the state of Georgia. We offer more than 190 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to empower over 50,000 students to become thought leaders, lifelong learners, and informed global citizens. Our entrepreneurial spirit, high-impact research, and Division I athletics draw students from throughout the region and from more than 100 countries across the globe. Our universitys vibrant culture, career opportunities, rich benefits, and values of respect, integrity, collaboration, inclusivity, and accountability make us an employer of choice. We are part of the University System of Georgia. We are searching for talented people to join Kennesaw State University in our vision. Come Take Flight at KSU!

Location

(Primary Location for Job Responsibilities) Our Kennesaw campus is located at 1000 Chastain Road NW, Kennesaw, GA 30144. Our Marietta campus is located at 1100 South Marietta Parkway, Marietta, GA 30060.

Job Summary

Designs and automates Kennesaw State Universitys Azure-focused hybrid and multi-cloud infrastructure platforms, with exposure to AWS as a plus. Drives Infrastructure as Code (IaC), DevOps practices, CI/CD pipeline development, observability, identity integration, and security-by-design. Translates architectural direction into production-ready frameworks, standards, and automation patterns using tools like Terraform, Ansible, PowerShell, and Python to deliver secure, scalable, and resilient solutions.

Responsibilities

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Designs and implements IaC automation for Azure and hybrid/multi-cloud environments
2. Builds and maintains CI/CD pipelines, templates, and reusable modules
3. Applies zero trust and security-by-design principles to cloud infrastructure
4. Develops observability frameworks and dashboards for proactive monitoring
5. Defines configuration standards and manage drift across environments
6. Collaborates on architecture decisions and mentor engineers in modern cloud practices
7. Maintains accurate documentation, standards, and operational runbooks
8. Serves as an escalation resource for complex troubleshooting and root cause analysis

Required Qualifications

Educational Requirements Bachelors degree from an accredited institution of higher education in IT, Computer Science, or related field or an equivalent combination of relevant education and/or experience.

Required Experience Seven (7) years in of experience in infrastructure, systems engineering, or cloud-focused roles.

Preferred Qualifications

Additional Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with automation tools such as Terraform, Ansible, and scripting languages (PowerShell or Python)
• Understanding of DevOps practices and CI/CD platforms (e.g., GitHub, Azure DevOps, GitLab)
• Knowledge of identity, networking, and platform security principles
• Professional certifications in cloud or DevOps technologies (e.g., Azure Administrator, AZ-104) are preferred

Preferred Educational Qualifications An advanced degree from an accredited institution of higher education in a related field

Preferred Experience Experience working with Azure cloud services and some exposure to AWS is a plus

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

ABILITIES

• Able to handle multiple tasks or projects at one time meeting assigned deadlines

KNOWLEDGE

• Strong understanding of Azure identity and access management, networking, and security
• Familiarity with observability tools (Prometheus, Grafana, Splunk, Log Analytics)
• Experience with container platforms and orchestration

SKILLS

• Excellent interpersonal, initiative, teamwork, problem solving, independent judgment, organization, communication (verbal and written), time management, project management, and presentation skills
• Proficient with computer applications and programs associated with the position (i.e., Microsoft Office suite)
• Proficient with CI/CD tooling (GitHub, Azure DevOps, GitLab)
• Expert in Terraform, Ansible, and scripting (PowerShell, Python)
• Skilled in troubleshooting distributed systems and conducting root cause analysis
• Strong attention to detail and follow up skills
• Strong customer service skills and phone and e-mail etiquette

USG Core Values

The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 25 institutions of higher education and learning as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_personnel_conduct. Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Kennesaw State University is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. The University is committed to maintaining a fair and respectful environment for living, work and study. To that end, and in accordance with federal and state law, Board of Regents policy, and University policy, the University prohibits harassment of or discrimination against any person because of race, color, sex (including sexual harassment, pregnancy, and medical conditions related to pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity or national origin, religion, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran or military status by any member of the KSU Community on campus, in connection with a University program or activity, or in a manner that creates a hostile environment for members of the KSU community. For additional information on this policy, or to file a complaint under the provisions of this policy, students, employees, applicants for employment or admission or other third parties should contact the Office of Institutional Equity at English Building, Suite 225, eeo@kennesaw.edu.

Other Information

• This is not a supervisory position.
• This position has financial responsibilities.
• This position will not be required to drive.
• This role is considered a position of trust.
• This position does not require a purchasing card (P-Card).
• This position may travel 1% - 24% of the time

Background Check

• Credit Report
• Standard Enhanced Education
• Per the University System of Georgia background check policy, all final candidates will be required to consent to a criminal background investigation. Final candidates may be asked to disclose criminal record history during the initial screening process and prior to a conditional offer of employment. Applicants for positions of trust with screening results which confirm a disqualifying criminal history will be immediately disqualified from employment eligibility.
• All applicants are required to include professional references as part of their application process. Some positions may require additional job-based screenings such as motor vehicle report, credit check, pre-employment drug screening and/or verification of academic credentials.
• https://www.usg.edu/hr/assets/hr/hrap_manual/HRAP_Background_Investigation_Employment.pdf