AWS Cloud Architect

Position: AWS Cloud Architect

Job Type: Full-Time Employee

Location: Chicago, IL, USA

About Us:

Spencer Stuart (SSI) is the world’s leading executive search and leadership advisory firm. Founded in 1956, we are the adviser of choice among organizations seeking guidance and counsel on senior leadership needs. We work with clients across the globe across all industries, from the world’s largest companies to medium-sized businesses, entrepreneurial startups, and nonprofit organizations.

Our Culture:

We at Spencer Stuart live by our values. Our company culture allows everyone to have a voice and be heard. We value collaboration, discovery, diversity and inclusion, humility and courage with a focus toward the future.

About the Team:

As a Cloud Architect, you will be part of the Cloud Architecture team, a team in the SSI Technology department covering multiple architecture and design needs.

Our team is made up of a dynamic and highly skilled team of Engineers and Architects comprising of mid to senior level professionals. We value communication and collaboration, a can-do attitude, with an emphasis on continuous improvement and skill development.

At SSI, you aren't just part of the team; you're vital to influencing our Enterprise Architecture culture. This opportunity is an open canvas for a motivated professional to contribute their expertise, shape their career path, and make a lasting impact on our organization.

Key Responsibilities:

Architectural Design, Analysis and Implementation

• You will design and implement Cloud Solutions which align to the 6 Pillars of the AWS Well Architected Framework.

• Work closely with various teams and stakeholders to understand requirements and develop solutions that meet their needs.

• Ensure that solutions align with company strategy using approved design patterns if and where possible.

• Collaborate with other teams to ensure that solutions are integrated and aligned with existing systems.

• Work with partner teams on bringing proposed solutions to Architecture Review and approval.

Knowledge Management

• You will be responsible for the creation and maintenance of various Architectural Design Diagrams using UML.

• You will be responsible for the creation and maintenance of Product and Service specific documentation as required.

AWS Subject Matter Expert

• You will be recognized as a subject matter expert on AWS and liaise with partner teams on AWS best practices.

• Proactively identify areas for improvement and implement solutions to address them.

• Endeavor to stay up to date with the latest advancements in cloud technology and communicate changes to the wider organization as needed.

Project Oversight

• Provide technical guidance and leadership to partner teams during the design and implementation phases of projects.

• Monitor the progress of projects and ensure that they are delivered on time, within scope, and within budget.

Cloud Infrastructure Deployment & Support

• Provision AWS Infrastructure for key internal products in adherence with company standards and best practices using Infrastructure as Code - (CloudFormation, Terraform).

• Provide Incident Support, Troubleshooting and Resolution to partner teams as required.

Internal Tooling Development

• Work with other team members to design, build and maintain internal products and tooling used by the Architecture team to standardize, automate and consolidate deployment processes.

Business Continuity / Disaster Recovery Planning

• Work with partner teams to design, build and maintain a number of tools, processes and procedures to be used as part of a BCP / DR company wide strategy.

Qualifications:

Background

• Bachelor’s degree in a Computer Science related field and/or equivalent work experience.

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in AWS cloud architecture and implementation.

• AWS Associate Level Certification is mandatory - Solutions Architect Associate is preferred.

Cloud Architecture

• Experience with implementing and managing scalable, highly available, and fault-tolerant systems on AWS.

• Experience with designing and implementing serverless architectures on AWS.

• Experience with designing and implementing container-based solutions on AWS.

• Experience with other cloud providers (Azure, GCP).

AWS Security

• Experience in implementing AWS IAM least privilege best practice, including authoring IAM Policies and Roles.

• Experience with AWS security and compliance best practices.

Communication and Collaboration

• Motivated by working in a team collaborating on ideas and daily tasks.

• Ability to discuss concepts with technical and non-technical audiences.

AWS Services

• Proficient in AWS services including but not limited to: EC2, ECS, S3, VPC, DynamoDB, RDS, Lambda, CodeCommit, CodeBuild, CodePipeline, and CloudFormation.

Programming Languages

• Expertise with Python and Bash is required.

• Experience using Terraform is desirable.

• Experience with PowerShell scripting is advantageous.

Development and Deployment Environments

• Experience and comfortable working in an Agile Environment

• Experience with development tools such as VS Code, Jira, and Confluence.

• Proficient with AWS development and deployment tools such as AWS CodeCommit, Cloud Formation, and CodePipeline.

The base compensation range for this position is $120,000 – $130,000 per year. The actual base compensation offered within this range will be dependent on the individual’s skills, experiences, and qualifications. This position will be eligible to participate in our annual discretionary bonus program.

Spencer Stuart also offers a competitive benefits package, which includes:

• Retirement savings plan with discretionary profit sharing contribution and employer match;

• PTO (minimum 15 days per year, increases with tenure), paid sick time (10 days per year), company holidays (12 days per year), and paid leaves of absence when applicable;

• Comprehensive health benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, and healthcare flexible spending account;

• Life Insurance, and short-term and long-term disability insurance;

• Wellness benefits, including an employee assistance program, virtual mental health program, and mindfulness program; and

• Voluntary benefit options, including supplemental life insurance, identity theft protection, and whole life insurance with long-term care and critical illness coverage.