Cloud / DevOps Engineer (AWS Kubernetes Terraform)

Cloud / DevOps Engineer Location: Bloomington, IL (Hybrid/Onsite) Job Type: Contract Duration: July 2026 – December 2026 Start Date: July 20, 2026 Job Summary: We are seeking a skilled Cloud/DevOps Engineer with strong expertise in AWS cloud infrastructure, Kubernetes, Terraform, and CI/CD automation. The ideal candidate will be responsible for designing, deploying, and maintaining secure, scalable, and highly available cloud environments while supporting modern DevOps practices and infrastructure automation. This role requires hands-on experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC), container orchestration, cloud security, monitoring, and automation. The successful candidate will work closely with development and operations teams to streamline deployments, improve system reliability, and optimize cloud performance. Key Responsibilities: Design, deploy, and maintain secure, scalable, and highly available cloud infrastructure on Amazon Web Services (AWS). Provision and manage infrastructure using Terraform, following Infrastructure as Code (IaC) best practices. Deploy, manage, and troubleshoot containerized applications using Kubernetes, preferably Amazon EKS or OpenShift. Build, maintain, and optimize CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or similar tools. Monitor cloud infrastructure and application performance using Amazon CloudWatch, Prometheus, Grafana, and other observability tools. Automate operational and deployment tasks using Bash and Python scripting. Implement AWS security best practices, including: IAM (Identity and Access Management), VPC networking, Security Groups, Secrets Management. Collaborate with development teams to support application deployments, production releases, and incident resolution. Optimize cloud environments for scalability, high availability, security, performance, and cost efficiency. Troubleshoot infrastructure, networking, deployment, and application issues in production environments. Maintain documentation for cloud architecture, deployment processes, automation, and operational procedures. Participate in production support, system monitoring, and continuous improvement initiatives. Required Qualifications: 5+ years of experience in Cloud Engineering, DevOps, or Site Reliability Engineering (SRE). Strong hands-on experience with Amazon Web Services (AWS). Expertise in Terraform and Infrastructure as Code (IaC). Experience deploying and managing Kubernetes clusters, preferably Amazon EKS or OpenShift. Strong experience building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or GitLab CI. Experience with container technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes. Strong knowledge of AWS networking, IAM, VPCs, security groups, and cloud security best practices. Experience with monitoring and observability tools such as CloudWatch, Prometheus, and Grafana. Strong scripting skills using Bash and/or Python. Experience with Linux/Unix system administration. Knowledge of Git version control and DevOps best practices. Strong troubleshooting, analytical, and problem-solving skills. Excellent communication and collaboration skills. Preferred Qualifications: Experience with OpenShift environments. Familiarity with Helm, Kubernetes Operators, or service mesh technologies. Experience with cost optimization and cloud governance. Exposure to Infrastructure Security and Compliance frameworks. AWS Certifications (Solutions Architect, SysOps Administrator, or DevOps Engineer) are a plus.