Junior Cloud Engineer
The Junior Cloud Engineer at Confidential Client supports cloud service offerings for a federal agency undergoing modernization and migration to cloud platforms such as Azure, AWS, and GCP. Working under senior engineers, the role involves assisting in design, implementation, automation, and maintenance of cloud solutions within a secure, agile environment, providing an excellent opportunity for technical growth and contribution to mission-critical government projects.
About Careertakes
👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, IT.
Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.
What You’ll Do
The Confidential Client is hiring a Junior Cloud Engineer to support cloud modernization and migration efforts for a federal customer. You will work on a small, focused team under the guidance of senior engineers and the technical lead to help design, implement, and operate cloud-based solutions.
- Assist in supporting and maintaining cloud service offerings that operate at FISMA Moderate and FISMA High security levels.
- Collaborate with senior engineers, security engineers, and the Scrum Master to build and improve cloud services.
- Help implement proofs of concept and pilots for cloud solutions across Azure, AWS, and/or GCP.
- Contribute to operational and implementation plans, runbooks, and system documentation.
- Assist in building and maintaining YAML-based CI/CD pipelines (GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, Jenkins, CircleCI, etc.).
- Support Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tasks using Terraform, Pulumi, Ansible, CloudFormation, or similar tools.
- Develop and maintain basic automation and scripting (PowerShell, Bash, Python) to support workflows and operations.
- Troubleshoot automation and operational issues with guidance from senior staff.
- Participate in Agile ceremonies (daily stand-ups, sprint planning, retrospectives).
- Support Change and Configuration Management processes and contribute to continuous improvement efforts.
- Research emerging cloud technologies and present findings to the team as directed.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration, or a related field from an accredited institution.
- Minimum of 2 years of experience in cloud computing or cloud engineering using one or more platforms: Microsoft Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
- At least one entry-level cloud certification (for example: Azure Fundamentals AZ-900, AWS Cloud Practitioner, GCP Cloud Digital Leader or Associate Cloud Engineer, or equivalent).
- Active Secret Clearance or higher (required to support the federal customer).
- Foundational knowledge of cloud concepts (IaaS, PaaS) and familiarity with cloud-native and hybrid architectures.
- Basic experience with YAML-based CI/CD pipelines and Infrastructure as Code tools.
- Basic scripting skills (PowerShell, Bash, or Python).
- Strong written and verbal communication skills in English and ability to work collaboratively on a technical team.
- Willingness to learn, accept mentorship, and take on increasing technical responsibility.
Preferred / Nice-to-Have
- Associate-level or higher cloud certifications (Azure Administrator Associate AZ-104, AWS Solutions Architect – Associate, GCP Associate Cloud Engineer).
- Prior experience supporting federal government IT environments.
- Familiarity with FISMA Moderate / High compliance and federal security frameworks.
- Hands-on experience with Terraform in CI/CD pipelines.
- Exposure to Kanban or other Agile methodologies.
- Experience across multiple cloud platforms in hybrid or multi-cloud deployments.
Compensation & Benefits
- Estimated base: $82,641 per year (estimated figure provided by source).
- Competitive benefits package including health, dental, and vision insurance.
- 401(k) with company match, flexible spending accounts.
- Paid holidays and three weeks paid time off (plus standard federal benefits per client policy).
- Professional development and certification support as available.
Location & Clearances
- Location: Johnson City, TN (on-site or as required by the client).
- Clearance: Active Secret Clearance required at time of hire (or ability to transfer/maintain an equivalent clearance).
About the Client
Confidential Client provides mission-focused IT services to federal agencies and is committed to secure, compliant cloud modernization efforts. This role is a strong opportunity for an early-career engineer to grow technical skills across multi-cloud platforms while contributing to government modernization programs.
Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency
Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.
If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.
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