Infrastructure Engineer

Work location - Phoenix, AZ or Rockville, MD We are seeking an experienced Infrastructure Operations Engineer to join our Infra Ops team in Phoenix, AZ or Rockville, MD on a 12+ month contract engagement. In this role, you will be a key contributor to ensuring system stability, performance, and security across large-scale production environments.You will work closely with cross-functional teams to implement cloud infrastructure, drive automation, and champion operational excellence. Your efforts will directly impact the reliability, scalability, and security of critical systems. Client works in the Banking and Finance sector. Implement and manage cloud infrastructure to support continuous deployments.Research emerging technologies and drive best practice implementation across the team.Provide support for operational excellence, security, reliability, and performance efficiency.Ensure high availability of systems and services.Develop and promote an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) mindset within the organization.Code and automate infrastructure provisioning and monitoring workflows.Eliminate poor engineering practices and continuously improve system designs. Required Experience & Skills:At least 5 years of experience as a Linux systems administrator with hands-on cloud services experience.Proven experience working with distributed, end-to-end systems architecture.Strong programming and scripting skills in infrastructure languages such as Python, Golang, or Bash.Hands-on experience with Terraform and Ansible for infrastructure automation.Experience with Kubernetes for container orchestration.Demonstrated experience building and operating large-scale production systems.Soft Skills:Strong critical thinking and problem-solving abilities to identify and eliminate inefficient engineering practices.Excellent time-management skills with the ability to prioritize in a fast-paced environment.Strong interpersonal and communication skills to reduce silos and foster collaboration across teams.