Principal Cloud Architect

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.

About the role

Join us to drive innovation at scale by shaping the future of cloud architecture across our technology ecosystem. As a Principal Cloud Architect, you will lead the design and evolution of modern, secure, and scalable cloud solutions, partnering closely with engineering, product, and business stakeholders to deliver high-impact outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead enterprise cloud architecture strategy aligned to business objectives and innovation goals
• Design scalable, secure, and cost-effective cloud solutions across AWS, Azure, or GCP environments
• Partner with engineering teams to guide solution design, modernization, and migration initiatives
• Establish cloud governance frameworks, standards, and best practices for architecture and operations
• Drive adoption of cloud-native technologies including containers, serverless, and microservices
• Lead architectural reviews and provide mentorship to senior engineers and architects
• Collaborate cross-functionally to evaluate emerging technologies and accelerate innovation

Requirements

• Deep expertise in enterprise-scale AWS infrastructure, Kubernetes, and Terraform
• Eight or more years proven experience designing and delivering enterprise-scale distributed systems
• Strong background in cloud security, networking, and infrastructure architecture
• Experience leading large-scale cloud migrations and modernization efforts
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive technical strategy
• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical concepts
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

Qualifications

• AWS Certifications
• Background in regulated or highly secure environments

An equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.

Pay

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. A reasonable estimate of the current range is $161,000.00 - $249,500.00.

Benefits

• 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
• Flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation (no accrual needed)
• Flexible paid sick time (no accrual needed)
• 11 paid holidays
• Up to 12 weeks of parental leave

Schedule

This is a full-time, in-office position requiring 40 standard weekly hours.