Sr. Cloud DevOps Engineer

Job Title: Sr. Cloud DevOps Engineer
Primary Location: Hybrid - 2 Days in Evanston, IL Office
Position Type: 6-Month Contract with Intent to Hire

Overview
TalentFish is casting a line for a Senior Cloud DevOps Engineer to join our client's technology team in Evanston, Illinois.

This is a newly created, hands-on engineering role supporting a growing cloud and application environment across Azure and AWS. The selected engineer will help the organization take ownership of cloud infrastructure currently being delivered by external vendors, complete and stabilize an existing Infrastructure as Code initiative, and establish repeatable cloud and deployment standards for future environments.

The ideal candidate brings strong depth in Terraform, Kubernetes, CI/CD, GitHub Actions, Azure, and AWS, along with the ability to review architecture, identify technical gaps, and independently lead cloud initiatives.

What You Bring to the Role. (Ideal Experience)

• 6+ years of experience in Cloud Engineering, DevOps Engineering, Platform Engineering, Site Reliability Engineering, or a related discipline
• Strong hands-on experience designing and building Infrastructure as Code solutions using Terraform
• Experience creating reusable Terraform modules, managing state, structuring repositories, and supporting multiple environments
• Strong Kubernetes and container orchestration experience
• Experience with managed Kubernetes and container platforms such as:
• Azure Kubernetes Service, or AKS
• Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service, or EKS
• AWS Fargate or similar managed container services
• Strong experience designing, building, and troubleshooting CI/CD pipelines
• Hands-on experience with GitHub and GitHub Actions
• Experience engineering solutions across Azure and AWS
• Deep expertise in at least one cloud platform with the ability to work effectively across both
• Experience reviewing vendor-built cloud environments, identifying gaps, and transitioning solutions into internal ownership
• Experience contributing to cloud architecture, platform design, and technical decision-making
• Strong understanding of cloud networking, identity, security, scalability, reliability, and operational best practices
• Ability to independently lead technical initiatives and communicate recommendations clearly
• Strong collaboration, professionalism, accountability, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work onsite in Evanston every Monday and Wednesday

Preferred Experience

• Experience replicating infrastructure and deployment patterns across multiple cloud platforms
• Experience determining when to use standard Kubernetes versus managed platforms such as AKS, EKS, or Fargate
• Experience supporting enterprise, research, scientific, nonprofit, or regulated environments
• PowerShell or Python scripting experience
• Experience improving cloud governance, operational readiness, and supportability

What You'll Do. (Skills Used in this Position)

• Serve as the internal technical lead for cloud infrastructure and DevOps initiatives
• Partner with external vendors to complete and stabilize an existing Azure Infrastructure as Code implementation
• Review vendor-developed solutions and identify architecture, configuration, security, reliability, and supportability gaps
• Finalize and improve Terraform modules, repositories, pipelines, and deployment standards
• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions and related tools
• Support Kubernetes-based applications and containerized workloads
• Evaluate whether workloads should remain on standard Kubernetes or move to managed services such as AKS, EKS, or Fargate
• Lead the replication of Azure Infrastructure as Code and deployment standards into AWS
• Develop scalable, repeatable, and supportable cloud platform patterns
• Automate infrastructure provisioning, deployment, and operational processes
• Partner with application, infrastructure, security, and engineering teams
• Troubleshoot cloud infrastructure, deployment, Kubernetes, and application environment issues
• Document architectures, standards, configurations, and support procedures
• Help establish long-term cloud engineering and DevOps capabilities within the organization

Compensation Information
The expected salary range for this position is $60 - $75 per hour, depending on experience and qualifications. This role also qualifies for comprehensive benefits such as health insurance, 401(k), and paid time off. TalentFish is committed to pay transparency and equal opportunity. The salary range provided is in compliance with applicable state and federal regulations.

This role requires authorization to work in the U.S. without current or future visa sponsorship.

All offers are contingent upon the completion of a background check, which may include but is not limited to reference checks, education verification, employment verification, drug testing, criminal records checks, and any required certifications or compliance requirements based on the end client's background check policies and applicable laws.

TalentFish is an employee-owned company pioneering a new realm in talent acquisition. We are redefining IT staffing by evolving AI, video screening, and our unique platform. TalentFish focuses on providing the best employee, consultant, and client experience possible.
At TalentFish we are an Equal Opportunity Employer; we embrace and encourage diversity!