Ignite IT

Modernizes software and IT for federal agencies

Lead Cloud Engineer - Security, SRE

Cloud EngineeringConfirmed live in the last 24 hours

Full-timeSuitland-Silver Hill, MD, USANo salary listed

About the Job

Requirements

U.S. citizenship is required.
At least 8 years of hands-on experience in site reliability engineering, cloud engineering, cloud infrastructure engineering, or cloud security engineering, including technical leadership.
Strong hands-on experience implementing and operating production infrastructure in AWS, with a track record of delivered projects.
Practical experience securely configuring AWS services, including IAM, VPCs, security groups, network ACLs, KMS encryption, CloudTrail, and CloudWatch.
Hands-on experience with AWS security services such as GuardDuty, Security Hub, AWS Config, or Inspector, including acting on their findings.
Experience automating AWS infrastructure and operations through infrastructure as code, such as Terraform or CloudFormation, and scripting.
Ability to evaluate existing AWS and hybrid environments and turn findings into practical fixes and clear recommendations.
Experience leading technical discussions with engineers and leadership.

Responsibilities

Build, operate, and improve secure cloud infrastructure in AWS and, where applicable, Azure, focusing on reliability, automation, and security.
Configure cloud services securely by default, including least-privilege IAM, network segmentation, encryption and key management, and centralized logging and monitoring.
Deploy, tune, and act on cloud security tooling, turning findings into fixes.
Evaluate existing cloud and on-premises infrastructure configurations, identify gaps, misconfigurations, and technical debt, and engineer or recommend fixes.
Automate infrastructure, configuration, and remediation using infrastructure as code and scripting so environments remain consistent and secure over time.
Implement guardrails and automated checks to catch misconfigurations before or soon after they reach production.
Improve monitoring, alerting, and incident response so issues are detected and resolved quickly.
Support security in deployment pipelines and container platforms where applicable.
Troubleshoot complex infrastructure and security issues across cloud and on-premises environments.
Serve as technical lead by reviewing designs and code, mentoring engineers, and explaining tradeoffs and recommendations to engineers and leadership.

Desired Qualifications

AWS GovCloud experience.
Production infrastructure as code experience with Terraform, CloudFormation, or Ansible, including reusable modules and code review.
Experience hardening systems against CIS Benchmarks or DISA STIGs.
Container and Kubernetes experience.
Experience with CI/CD pipelines in GitLab or GitHub.
Experience with AWS GovCloud environments.
Experience across more than one cloud platform.
Direct federal, government, or large distributed enterprise experience.

Lead Cloud Engineer (Security / SRE)

Ignite IT · Suitland, United States (Hybrid) · Full-time · Posted 2026-10-21

Workplace: hybrid

Department: CENSUS

Description

Ignite IT is seeking a Lead Cloud Engineer (Security / SRE) to support the U.S. Census Bureau as it modernizes its enterprise IT environment ahead of the 2030 Decennial Census. This is a hands-on role for a strong cloud engineer or site reliability engineer with a security mindset. You'll build, run, and secure cloud infrastructure in a hybrid environment built on AWS GovCloud, and help make sure it is reliable and secure at national scale.

We're looking for someone who has implemented and operated real cloud environments and knows how to configure them securely: identity and access, network controls, encryption, logging, and the security tooling that watches over all of it. The work combines evaluating how the current environment is built and configured with hands-on engineering to close the gaps, and you'll serve as a technical lead for the engineers around you.

Your Responsibilities

Build, operate, and improve secure cloud infrastructure in AWS, and Azure where applicable, with a focus on reliability, automation, and security.
Configure cloud services securely by default, including least-privilege IAM, network segmentation, encryption and key management, and centralized logging and monitoring.
Deploy, tune, and act on cloud security tooling, and turn findings into fixes.
Evaluate how existing cloud and on-premises infrastructure is built and configured, identify gaps, misconfigurations, and technical debt, and engineer or recommend fixes.
Automate infrastructure, configuration, and remediation using infrastructure as code and scripting so environments are consistent and stay secure over time.
Implement guardrails and automated checks that catch misconfigurations before or soon after they reach production.
Improve monitoring, alerting, and incident response so issues are detected and resolved quickly.
Support security in deployment pipelines and container platforms where applicable.
Troubleshoot complex infrastructure and security issues across cloud and on-premises environments.
Serve as technical lead: review designs and code, mentor engineers, and explain tradeoffs and recommendations to engineers and leadership.

Requirements

U.S. Citizenship required.
8+ years of hands-on experience in site reliability engineering, cloud engineering, cloud infrastructure engineering, or cloud security engineering, including technical leadership.
Strong hands-on experience implementing and operating production infrastructure in AWS, with a track record of delivered projects. AWS GovCloud experience is a plus.
A security mindset: practical experience configuring AWS services securely, including IAM, network controls (VPCs, security groups, network ACLs), encryption with KMS, and logging with CloudTrail and CloudWatch.
Hands-on experience with AWS security services, such as GuardDuty, Security Hub, AWS Config, or Inspector, including acting on their findings.
Experience automating AWS infrastructure and operations through infrastructure as code (such as Terraform or CloudFormation) and scripting.
Ability to evaluate existing AWS and hybrid environments and turn findings into practical fixes and clear recommendations.
Strong communication skills, with experience leading technical discussions with engineers and leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

Production infrastructure as code experience with Terraform, CloudFormation, or Ansible, including reusable modules and code review.
Experience hardening systems against CIS Benchmarks or DISA STIGs.
Container and Kubernetes experience.
Experience with CI/CD pipelines in GitLab or GitHub.
Experience with AWS GovCloud environments.
Experience across more than one cloud platform.
Direct federal, government, or large distributed enterprise experience.
Hybrid position based out of the Washington, DC area.
Large-scale, mission-driven work supporting the 2030 Decennial Census.
Modern hybrid cloud environment built on AWS GovCloud.

Benefits

401(k)
401(k) matching
Dental insurance
Flexible spending account
Health insurance
Life insurance
Paid time off
Professional development assistance
Referral program
Tuition reimbursement
Vision insurance

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About the Company

Ignite IT

Modernizes software and IT for federal agencies

Ignite IT designs and modernizes software systems for U.S. federal agencies and private-sector organizations. Its consulting and engineering teams help clients replace older applications, move workloads into the cloud and automate business processes while keeping existing systems running. Work spans public services such as patent filing and federal court case management, with projects combining custom software development, data workflows and support for the people who use those systems. The company earns its business through technology delivery and advisory engagements, working directly with customers and alongside partners. Founded in 2018, Ignite IT is headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia.

Company size: 501-1,000
Company stage: Not listed
Total funding: Not listed
Headquarters: Ashburn, VA
Founded: 2018

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