Cloud Engineer at Howard University in Wonder Plaza, Technology Center

Cloud Engineer

Location: Wonder Plaza, Technology Center

The Talent Acquisition department hires qualified candidates to fill positions which contribute to the overall strategic success of Howard University. Hiring staff “for fit” makes significant contributions to Howard University’s overall mission.

At Howard University, we prioritize well-being and professional growth.

Here is what we offer:

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, plus mental health support
• Work-Life Balance: PTO, paid holidays, flexible work arrangements
• Financial Wellness: Competitive salary, 403(b) with company match
• Professional Development: Ongoing training, tuition reimbursement, and career advancement paths
• Additional Perks: Wellness programs, commuter benefits, and a vibrant company culture

Join Howard University and thrive with us!

https://hr.howard.edu/benefits-wellness

We are seeking a Cloud Engineer for the university's new data team.

The Cloud Engineer is responsible for designing, implementing, maintaining, and optimizing secure and scalable Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure supporting institutional data, analytics, applications, and enterprise technology services. The position reports to Chief Data and Analytics Officer, and works closely with Senior Data Engineering, infrastructure, application, and business teams to ensure cloud environments are reliable, secure, cost-effective, and aligned with institutional technology and governance standards. The Cloud Engineer will support cloud architecture, infrastructure automation, identity and access management, networking, security, monitoring, and deployment while contributing to the institution’s broader cloud and data modernization initiatives.

NATURE AND SCOPE:

The Cloud Engineer/Architecture designs, deploys, and optimizes Howard University's secure, scalable Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure to fully support institutional data, analytics, and enterprise technology services. Reporting directly to the Chief Data and Analytics Officer, this role automates cloud provisioning, establishes identity and access management, and monitors environment performance alongside data engineering and security teams. Ultimately, the position guarantees operational reliability and cost-efficiency while ensuring cloud environments strictly comply with university governance standards and technical architecture goals.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Design, deploy, configure, and maintain secure and scalable Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure and services.
• Manage Azure networking, compute, storage, identity and access management, and cloud security configurations.
• Develop and maintain Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and automation to standardize cloud provisioning and configuration.
• Implement and maintain role-based access controls, security policies, encryption, secrets management, and cloud governance standards.
• Monitor cloud infrastructure performance, availability, security, and utilization; troubleshoot and resolve infrastructure issues.
• Support cloud-based data platforms, analytics environments, enterprise applications, and system integrations.
• Develop and maintain monitoring, logging, backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity processes.
• Support CI/CD pipelines, automated deployments, and production release processes.
• Monitor and optimize cloud resource utilization and costs while maintaining performance and availability requirements.
• Maintain technical documentation for cloud architecture, configurations, security controls, operational procedures, and infrastructure standards.
• Collaborate with security, infrastructure, data engineering, application, and business teams on cloud architecture and technology initiatives.
• Evaluate emerging Azure capabilities and recommend solutions that improve scalability, security, reliability, and operational efficiency.

CORE COMPETENCIES:

• Familiarity with SQL and Python with experience using PySpark or comparable distributed data-processing technologies.
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Azure architecture, networking, storage, compute, and identity and access management.
• Experience designing, deploying, and maintaining secure and scalable Azure cloud environments and services.
• Proficiency with Infrastructure as Code (IaC), scripting, and cloud automation.
• Knowledge of Azure security, role-based access control (RBAC), encryption, secrets management, and security best practices.
• Experience with cloud monitoring, logging, performance optimization, backup, and disaster recovery.
• Familiarity with containers, virtualization, APIs, and modern application and data architectures.
• Experience with Git/version control, CI/CD, automated testing, and production deployment practices.
• Knowledge of cloud governance, resource management, compliance, and cost optimization.
• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills with the ability to independently manage complex cloud infrastructure projects.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to collaborate with infrastructure, security, data, application, and business teams.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in information technology, Information Systems, Engineering, Cybersecurity, or a related field, with at least five (5) years of relevant technology experience, including Microsoft Azure cloud experience; or
• Master’s degree in a related technical field, with at least three (3) year of relevant technology experience, including Microsoft Azure cloud experience.
• Microsoft Azure certifications and experience supporting cloud environments in higher education or similarly complex organizations are strongly preferred.

Compliance Salary Range Disclosure

Compensation Range: $130,000 - $140,000