Principal Engineer; Cloud; AWS

Position: Principal Engineer (Cloud) - AWS
Package:  76,500 - 85,000 (salary dependent on experience) + Benefits Role :
SF20266

Are you ready to be part of the future? At QinetiQ, we’re not just imagining tomorrow we are creating it. From cutting-edge defence technology to ground-breaking innovations our mission is to empower and protect lives. Join us as a Principal AWS Cloud Engineer at any of our main UK sites, where you will have the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology in partnership with some of the most brilliant minds.

The Role As a Principal AWS Cloud Engineer, you will lead the technical direction of our cloud infrastructure and platform engineering initiatives defining the overarching cloud strategy, architecting highly resilient, scalable, and secure distribute systems on AWS.Day-to-day, you’ll serve as the highest level of technical escalation and be a trusted advisor to engineering leadership providing Technical Leadership & Mentorship to Senior, Mid-Level and Junior Engineers fostering a culture of continuous learning, rigorous peer review, and operational excellence.

Your responsibilities will include:

Architecting complex, multi-region, and highly available AWS cloud environments that align with long-term business goals and product roadmaps

Continuously evaluate emerging AWS services and third-part tools to determine their viability for improving our technology stack and reducing time-to-market

Guiding technical decision-making across multiple engineering squads and cross-functional collaboration to ensure seamless integration of cloud infrastructure with product development

Maintaining complex, modular codebases using Terraform/AWS CDK/Pulumi Architecting internal developer platforms and enterprise-grade CI/CD frameworks that enable development teams to operate autonomously and securely

Implementing AWS cost optimisation strategies and driving optimisations to resolve systemic performance bottlenecks across microservices, databases, and network layers

Essential experience of the Principal AWS Cloud Engineer:  Extensive experience in cloud infrastructure dedicated specifically to AWSExpert knowledge of the entire AWS ecosystem, particularly complex networking (Transit Gateway, Direct Connect), compute, data storage, and enterprise security configurations

Exceptional proficiency in Infrastructure as Code and configuration management

Strong software background with deep expertise in at least one modern programming language (Python, Go, Java, or Node.

JSDemonstrated experience leading large technical projects, influencing organisational engineering culture and driving cross-team consensus

Proven track record of designing, deploying, and maintaining large-scale, distributed software systems and microservices architectures

Essential qualifications for the Principal AWS Cloud Engineer:

Minimum of AWS Associate certification or higher We value difference and we don’t have a fixed idea when it comes to background or education, provided you can show the required level of experience and willingness to learn then we would like to hear from you.

This role is 37 hours per week based at any of our main UK sites with a minimum average site attendance of three days per week. To cover shift patterns between  GMT you may be asked to work at specific times. As part of a commitment to maintaining high service availability and rapid incident response, this role will be required to participate in an on-call rota.

This responsibility reflects the trust placed in the role to act swiftly and decisively when critical systems are impacted

Multi-SiteQinetiQ operates state-of-the-art facilities across the UK that focus on defence, security and technology innovation. These facilities enable QinetiQ to conduct a wide range of research, testing and development activities that support both military and civilian applications helping to advance technology and support national security. Please note that all applicants for this role must be eligible for SC clearance, as a minimum.

UKSV National Security Vetting Solution: guidance for applicants -  ()Our Recruitment Process:

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