If you’re passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you’re committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider WGU as the next step in your career.
Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.
The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.
At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:
Job Description
At Western Governors University (WGU), we believe technology should empower students, simplify experiences, and scale opportunity. We’re seeking a Cloud Engineer II to help build and support secure, reliable, and highly available cloud platforms that power services for students and employees across the university.
The Cloud Engineer II is a mid-level technical contributor responsible for implementing, maintaining, and supporting scalable, secure, and highly available cloud environments. This role operates within established architectural patterns to deploy and manage cloud-based systems supporting university operations and digital learning experiences.
The ideal candidate brings hands-on AWS expertise, strong automation skills, and a passion for reliability, observability, and continuous improvement. You’ll collaborate closely with platform, infrastructure, and application engineering teams to support enterprise initiatives and operational excellence.
Execute software deployments across cloud environments using established processes and operational runbooks
Implement and maintain monitoring and observability solutions aligned with engineering standards
Develop and maintain automation for infrastructure provisioning, configuration management, and deployment workflows
Troubleshoot application and system performance issues and implement optimization improvements
Identify and resolve operational issues to maintain uptime, resiliency, and service health
Contribute to initiatives that improve scalability, reliability, operational efficiency, and engineering maturity
Monitor cloud resource utilization and support cloud cost optimization and FinOps efforts
Document technical configurations, operational procedures, and support processes
Communicate technical risks, blockers, and delays to senior engineers and leadership
Collaborate with application development, platform engineering, and infrastructure teams to deliver projects successfully
Participate in maintenance activities, operational support, and innovation initiatives
Participate in on-call rotations and incident response activities
Share knowledge and mentor junior engineers when appropriate
Perform other job-related duties as assigned
Solid understanding of AWS core services and cloud architecture fundamentals
Working knowledge of DevOps practices, Agile methodologies, and IT service management frameworks such as ITIL
Experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools such as Terraform, CloudFormation, or similar technologies
Proficiency administering Linux systems in production environments
Experience with containerization and orchestration technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes
Experience building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines using tools such as Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Argo CD, or AWS-native services
Proficiency in scripting and automation using Bash and at least one programming language such as Python, Java, or Node.js
Familiarity with observability and monitoring tools such as CloudWatch, Dynatrace, Prometheus/Grafana, or New Relic
Understanding of Git workflows and trunk-based development practices
Familiarity with modern engineering tooling, including emerging GenAI and agentic AI solutions that enhance developer productivity
Strong troubleshooting, analytical, and problem-solving capabilities
Effective communication, collaboration, and technical documentation skills
Ability to work independently while contributing effectively within a collaborative engineering team
Strong customer service mindset and operational ownership
Experience with cloud cost optimization and FinOps practices
Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience
3–5 years of experience in cloud or infrastructure engineering roles with hands-on AWS experience
2+ years of Linux systems administration experience
Experience working with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices
Experience collaborating with cross-functional engineering teams
At least one AWS Associate-level certification or equivalent practical experience
Experience supporting higher education or distance education environments
Experience with serverless technologies such as AWS Lambda
Proficiency in multiple programming languages such as Python, Java, or Go
Familiarity with compliance and data protection frameworks including PII, PCI, SOX, HIPAA, FTI, and FERPA
Experience working with JSON and YAML configuration formats
At Western Governors University (WGU), you’ll join a mission-driven organization focused on expanding access to education through innovation and technology. Our engineering teams build modern, scalable platforms that directly impact students nationwide while fostering a culture of collaboration, continuous learning, and operational excellence.
If you’re passionate about cloud engineering, automation, and building reliable systems that make a meaningful difference, we’d love to hear from you.
Position & Application Details
Full-Time Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): This is a full-time, regular position (classified for 40 standard weekly hours) that is eligible for bonuses; medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare; health savings account and flexible spending account; basic and voluntary life insurance; disability coverage; accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages; legal and identity theft coverage; retirement savings plan; wellbeing program; discounted WGU tuition; and flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave.How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.
Additional Information
Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It’s not all-inclusive.
Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at recruiting@wgu.edu.
Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.