Principal Cloud Engineer

Principal Cloud Engineer

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The Principal Cloud Engineer is a technical and strategic leader for the cloud platform and enablement function, responsible for setting vision, driving innovation, and ensuring alignment with business objectives across hybrid and multi‑cloud environments (Azure, GCP, on‑prem). This role mentors architects and senior engineers, influences executive stakeholders, and leads development of enterprise‑wide cloud strategies, standards, and transformation initiatives.

On‑site in Appleton, WI with occasional off‑hours maintenance and participation in an on‑call rotation.

• Digest, understand, and aid in improving and implementing the enterprise cloud strategy, reference architectures, and technology roadmaps.
• Lead adoption of advanced cloud‑native patterns (Git Ops, SRE, Fin Ops, Zero Trust) across all platform teams.
• Sponsor and guide major transformation initiatives (migration, modernization, automation at scale).
• Establish and track organizational SLOs for reliability, security, and cost optimization.
• Build and nurture a high‑performing, inclusive cloud engineering culture through mentorship and coaching.
• Represent cloud engineering in executive forums, influencing investment, risk, and compliance decisions.
• Set technical direction for cloud platform and enablement, aligning with business and IT strategy.
• Develop and evangelize enterprise cloud standards, guardrails, and best practices.
• Lead cross‑functional architecture reviews and technology selection processes.
• Oversee design and implementation of complex, scalable, and secure cloud solutions.
• Drive adoption of automation, Infrastructure as Code, and modern Dev Ops/Git Ops workflows.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and guide proof‑of‑concept initiatives.
• Champion SRE and Fin Ops practices; set organizational SLOs and cost optimization targets.
• Ensure robust security, compliance, and disaster recovery strategies are embedded in all solutions.
• Lead incident response for critical events and oversee post‑mortem analysis.
• Mentor architects, senior engineers, and high‑potential talent; foster a culture of learning and innovation.
• Develop and deliver training programs, workshops, and knowledge‑sharing sessions.
• Support career development and succession planning within the cloud engineering organization.
• Communicate technical vision and strategy to executive leadership and business stakeholders.
• Influence investment decisions, risk management, and compliance initiatives.
• Represent the cloud engineering function in external forums, industry groups and vendor engagements.
• Live our values of High Performance, Caring Relationships, Strategic Foresight, and Entrepreneurial Spirit.
• Find A Better Way by championing continuous improvement and quality control efforts to identify opportunities to innovate and improve efficiency, accuracy, and standardization.
• Continuously learn and develop self professionally.
• Support corporate efforts for safety, government compliance, and all other company policies & procedures.
• Perform other related duties as required and assigned.

• Cloud:
  Azure, GCP, AWS; on‑prem virtualization/storage (VMware, SAN/NAS)
• IaC/Config:
  Terraform, Bicep, Ansible/Chef/Puppet, Packer
• CI/CD & SCM:
  Azure Dev Ops, Git Hub, Cloud Build, Git
• Containers:
  Docker, Kubernetes (AKS/GKE/EKS), Service Mesh
• Observability:
  Azure Monitor, GCP Cloud Monitoring/Logging, Prometheus/Grafana, Elastic
• Security:
  Entra /Azure AD, GCP IAM, Key Vault/Secret Manager, KMS, Azure Policy/Org Policy/OPA

• Progressive IT experience, with 10+ years experience with public cloud platforms, such as Azure and/or GCP. Additionally, demonstrated cloud architecture/engineering leadership.
• Proven track record of leading large‑scale cloud transformation initiatives in hybrid/multi‑cloud environments (Azure, GCP, on‑prem).
• Deep expertise in cloud architecture, automation (Terraform, Bicep), CI/CD, SRE, and security.
• Demonstrated leadership, mentorship, and organizational influence.
• Exceptional communication, stakeholder management, and executive…