Senior Cloud Infrastructure Engineer

📍 Job Overview

• Job Title: Senior Cloud Infrastructure Engineer
• Company: Spire
• Location: Washington, District of Columbia, United States
• Job Type: Hybrid (3 days in office)
• Category: DevOps, Infrastructure
• Date Posted: 2025-06-20
• Experience Level: 5-10 years
• Remote Status: On-site/Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and maintain Spire's internal developer platform (IDP), supporting software engineering teams and unlocking new capabilities for satellite software development
• Collaborate with stakeholders to understand their AWS resourcing and networking needs, designing and implementing solutions to meet those needs
• Act as a technical leader, driving implementations and encouraging adoption of the IDP
• Balance tactical and strategic decisions to ensure overall mission success while promoting technological and operational excellence

📝 Enhancement Note: This role requires a strong technical background in AWS, infrastructure as code, and networking, as well as excellent communication and collaboration skills to work effectively with internal stakeholders and software engineering teams.

💻 Primary Responsibilities

• Stakeholder Support & Collaboration: Work closely with internal stakeholders to understand their AWS resourcing and networking needs, collaborating with software engineering teams to design and implement solutions that meet those needs
• IDP Design, Deployment & Maintenance: Design, deploy, and maintain internal developer platform services and supporting processes to improve efficiency across the software development lifecycle for all Spire software engineering teams
• Technical Leadership: Act as a technical leader, driving implementations and encouraging adoption of the IDP, while promoting open and effective collaboration between people and teams
• Incident Management & Risk Communication: Diagnose and communicate about incidents and risks affecting customers, ensuring mindfulness in creating and managing infrastructure to meet service level agreement (SLA) requirements and minimize downtime
• Automation & Efficiency: Identify and automate away toil, improving the lives of coworkers and driving overall operational excellence

📝 Enhancement Note: This role requires a strong focus on customer support, technical leadership, and incident management, with a commitment to driving operational excellence through automation and continuous improvement.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent training, fellowship, or work experience

Experience: 3+ years of operational experience with AWS, including a deep understanding of AWS networking and security solutions, along with 5+ years of experience operating and maintaining production infrastructure

Required Skills:

• AWS expertise (Kubernetes/EKS and ECS, WAF, NLB, ACM, Network Firewall, API Gateway, ACM, Secrets Manager)
• Terraform and infrastructure as code experience
• Linux administration (AWS Linux, CentOS, Ubuntu)
• Script development (Bash, Python, etc.)
• Strong communication and collaboration skills
• Eagerness to automate away toil and improve the lives of coworkers

Preferred Skills:

• AWS Certified Advanced Networking
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate or Professional
• Understanding of security and operational standards and regulations
• Experience with continuous delivery tooling and methodologies
• Knowledgeable in variety of monitoring and observability solutions
• Operational understanding of modern distributed systems
• Can lead technical architecture discussions and help drive design decisions within your team

📝 Enhancement Note: This role requires a strong technical background in AWS, infrastructure as code, and networking, with a preference for candidates with relevant certifications and experience in continuous delivery and monitoring solutions.

📊 Web Portfolio & Project Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate experience in designing, deploying, and maintaining internal developer platform services and supporting processes
• Showcase projects that highlight your ability to collaborate with stakeholders and software engineering teams to understand and meet their AWS resourcing and networking needs
• Include examples of your technical leadership, driving implementations and encouraging adoption of the IDP
• Highlight your incident management and risk communication skills, demonstrating your ability to diagnose and communicate about incidents and risks affecting customers

Technical Documentation:

• Code quality, commenting, and documentation standards for infrastructure as code projects
• Version control, deployment processes, and server configuration best practices
• Testing methodologies, performance metrics, and optimization techniques for internal developer platform services

📝 Enhancement Note: While a portfolio is not explicitly required for this role, demonstrating relevant experience and technical skills through project examples and case studies can strengthen your application.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: The anticipated base salary range for this position is $130,500 - $171,000 USD per year. Final base salary for this role will be based on the location, skills, experience, and qualifications.

Benefits:

• Annual equity awards
• Vacation, sick, and personal time off
• Optional medical, dental, vision, life, and disability coverage
• 401(K) plan
• Health and wellness reimbursement program
• Employee stock purchase program
• Global perks, including:
  • Name Your Satellite Program (NYSP)
  • Launch Attendance
  • Generous time off policy
  • Education assistance program
  • Employee assistance program (EAP)
  • Employee stock purchase program (ESPP)
  • Family leave
  • Fitness reimbursement
  • Employee referral program
  • Healthy snacks and beverages in every office

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary and benefits are regionally competitive and based on the candidate's skills, experience, and qualifications. Research indicates that the salary range is in line with industry standards for senior cloud infrastructure engineers in the Washington, D.C. area.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Spire operates in the space-to-cloud analytics industry, focusing on satellite data and analytics for maritime, aviation, and weather tracking

Company Size: Spire is a medium-sized company with a global presence, employing over 500 people worldwide

Founded: Spire was founded in 2012, with a mission to improve life on Earth using data from space

Team Structure:

• The infrastructure operations team is responsible for supporting software engineering teams and unlocking new capabilities for satellite software development
• The team's mission is to carry Spire's AWS infrastructure to new heights through inclusive, thoughtful, and deliberate engineering
• The team works closely with software engineering teams to understand their AWS resourcing and networking needs, designing and implementing solutions to meet those needs

Development Methodology:

• Agile methodologies, including sprint planning, code review, testing, and quality assurance practices
• Continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines and automated deployment strategies
• Infrastructure as code (IaC) using Terraform and version control with GitHub and GitHub Actions
• Monitoring and observability stack, including Prometheus, Grafana, Alertmanager, and Calico
• Hashicorp Vault for secrets management

Company Website: Spire Global

📝 Enhancement Note: Spire's company culture values technological and operational excellence, with a focus on inclusive, thoughtful, and deliberate engineering. The company encourages open and effective collaboration between people and teams, promoting a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Web Technology Career Level: Senior Cloud Infrastructure Engineer – Responsible for leading and maintaining Spire's internal developer platform (IDP), supporting software engineering teams, and driving operational excellence

Reporting Structure: Reports directly to the Director of Infrastructure Operations, with a dotted-line reporting structure to software engineering teams for project-specific collaborations

Technical Impact: Designs, deploys, and maintains internal developer platform services and supporting processes, improving efficiency across the software development lifecycle for all Spire software engineering teams

Growth Opportunities:

• Technical Leadership: Develop and refine technical leadership skills by driving implementations and encouraging adoption of the IDP, while promoting open and effective collaboration between people and teams
• Architecture & Design: Contribute to the architecture and design of new and current systems, with a focus on reliability, scaling, and performance optimization
• Team Management: Transition into a management role, leading a team of infrastructure engineers and driving the team's mission and goals
• Technical Mentoring: Provide technical mentoring and guidance to junior team members, fostering a culture of continuous learning and skill development

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers significant growth opportunities for technical leadership, architecture and design, team management, and technical mentoring, with a clear path for career progression within Spire's infrastructure operations team.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid – Requires working a minimum of three business days per week in the office, with the option to work remotely for the remaining days

Office Location(s): Washington, D.C., with additional offices in Denver, Colorado, and Singapore

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative workspace with dedicated areas for development, testing, and team meetings
• Multiple monitors and testing devices available to support efficient software development and quality assurance
• Access to a variety of tools and technologies, including AWS, Terraform, GitHub, Prometheus, Grafana, and Alertmanager
• Opportunities for cross-functional collaboration with software engineering, design, and product teams

Work Schedule: Standard business hours, with flexibility for deployment windows, maintenance, and project deadlines

📝 Enhancement Note: Spire's hybrid work environment encourages collaboration and cross-functional teamwork, with dedicated spaces for development, testing, and team meetings. The company provides access to a variety of tools and technologies, fostering a productive and innovative workspace for web technology professionals.

📄 Application & Technical Interview Process

Interview Process:

1. Technical Phone Screen: Assessment of technical skills and cultural fit, focusing on AWS, infrastructure as code, and networking expertise
2. On-site Technical Deep Dive: In-depth technical assessment, including architecture design, system design, and problem-solving exercises
3. Behavioral Interview: Evaluation of communication, collaboration, and leadership skills, with a focus on customer support and incident management
4. Final Decision: Review of all interview feedback and final decision-making

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight relevant projects that demonstrate your experience in designing, deploying, and maintaining internal developer platform services and supporting processes
• Include examples of your technical leadership, driving implementations and encouraging adoption of the IDP
• Showcase your incident management and risk communication skills, demonstrating your ability to diagnose and communicate about incidents and risks affecting customers
• Tailor your portfolio to Spire's company culture and values, emphasizing your commitment to technological and operational excellence

Technical Challenge Preparation:

• Brush up on your AWS, Terraform, and infrastructure as code skills, with a focus on networking and security solutions
• Familiarize yourself with Spire's technology stack, including Prometheus, Grafana, Alertmanager, and Calico
• Prepare for architecture design, system design, and problem-solving exercises, with a focus on balancing tactical and strategic decisions for overall mission success

ATS Keywords: AWS, Terraform, Infrastructure as Code, Networking, Security Solutions, Scripting, Technical Leadership, Collaboration, Automation, Monitoring, Distributed Systems, Architecture Design, Incident Management, Agile Methodologies, CI/CD Pipelines, Hybrid Work Environment

📝 Enhancement Note: Spire's interview process focuses on assessing technical skills, cultural fit, and leadership potential, with a strong emphasis on AWS, infrastructure as code, and networking expertise. The company values candidates who can balance tactical and strategic decisions, driving operational excellence through automation and continuous improvement.

🛠 Technology Stack & Web Infrastructure

Frontend Technologies: N/A (This role focuses on backend and infrastructure technologies)

Backend & Server Technologies:

• AWS (Kubernetes/EKS and ECS, WAF, NLB, ACM, Network Firewall, API Gateway, ACM, Secrets Manager)
• Terraform
• Argo CD
• GitHub and GitHub Actions
• Prometheus
• Grafana
• Alertmanager
• Calico
• Hashicorp Vault

Development & DevOps Tools:

• AWS CloudFormation or AWS CDK for infrastructure as code
• Jenkins or GitLab CI/CD pipelines for automated deployment
• Ansible or Puppet for configuration management
• Docker or Kubernetes for containerization and orchestration
• Jenkins or GitLab for continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines
• Prometheus, Grafana, and Alertmanager for monitoring and observability

📝 Enhancement Note: Spire's technology stack focuses on AWS, infrastructure as code, and monitoring and observability solutions. The company values candidates with experience in these technologies and a strong commitment to driving operational excellence through automation and continuous improvement.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Web Development Values:

• Articulates ideas well in both spoken and written form
• Promotes open and effective collaboration between people and teams
• Balances tactical and strategic decisions for overall mission success
• Feels strongly about technological and operational excellence
• Values accurate measurements over expert opinions
• Mindfulness when creating and managing infrastructure to meet SLA requirements and minimize downtime for customers

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional integration between developers, designers, and stakeholders
• Code review culture and peer programming practices
• Knowledge sharing, technical mentoring, and continuous learning

📝 Enhancement Note: Spire's company culture values open and effective collaboration, with a focus on balancing tactical and strategic decisions for overall mission success. The company encourages a culture of continuous learning and skill development, with a strong emphasis on technological and operational excellence.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Technical Challenges:

• Designing and implementing solutions that meet internal stakeholders' AWS resourcing and networking needs, while balancing tactical and strategic decisions for overall mission success
• Maintaining and optimizing the internal developer platform (IDP) to improve efficiency across the software development lifecycle for all Spire software engineering teams
• Ensuring mindfulness in creating and managing infrastructure to meet service level agreement (SLA) requirements and minimize downtime for customers

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Technical leadership and architecture design skills development
• Emerging web technologies and trends in infrastructure as code and monitoring and observability solutions
• Cross-functional collaboration and communication skills enhancement
• Continuous learning and skill development opportunities through Spire's global perks program

📝 Enhancement Note: Spire's technical challenges require strong technical leadership, architecture design, and incident management skills, with a focus on driving operational excellence through automation and continuous improvement. The company offers significant learning and development opportunities for technical leadership, architecture design, and cross-functional collaboration and communication skills enhancement.

💡 Interview Preparation

Technical Questions:

• AWS & Infrastructure as Code: Describe your experience with AWS, Terraform, and infrastructure as code. Provide examples of how you have used these technologies to design, deploy, and maintain internal developer platform services and supporting processes
• Networking & Security: Explain your understanding of AWS networking and security solutions. Describe how you have used these solutions to meet internal stakeholders' AWS resourcing and networking needs
• Incident Management: Discuss your incident management and risk communication skills. Provide examples of how you have diagnosed and communicated about incidents and risks affecting customers
• Architecture Design: Describe your architecture design and system design skills. Provide examples of how you have contributed to the architecture and design of new and current systems, with a focus on reliability, scaling, and performance optimization

Company & Culture Questions:

• Spire Culture: Explain how you align with Spire's company culture and values, including technological and operational excellence, open and effective collaboration, and balancing tactical and strategic decisions for overall mission success
• Stakeholder Support: Describe your experience supporting internal stakeholders and understanding their AWS resourcing and networking needs. Explain how you have worked with software engineering teams to design and implement solutions that meet those needs
• Technical Leadership: Discuss your technical leadership skills and experience driving implementations and encouraging adoption of the IDP. Explain how you have promoted open and effective collaboration between people and teams

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Relevant Projects: Highlight relevant projects that demonstrate your experience in designing, deploying, and maintaining internal developer platform services and supporting processes
• Technical Leadership: Showcase your technical leadership skills and experience driving implementations and encouraging adoption of the IDP
• Incident Management: Demonstrate your incident management and risk communication skills, with examples of how you have diagnosed and communicated about incidents and risks affecting customers
• Spire Culture: Tailor your portfolio to Spire's company culture and values, emphasizing your commitment to technological and operational excellence

📝 Enhancement Note: Spire's interview preparation focuses on assessing technical skills, cultural fit, and leadership potential, with a strong emphasis on AWS, infrastructure as code, and networking expertise. The company values candidates who can balance tactical and strategic decisions, driving operational excellence through automation and continuous improvement.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Cloud Infrastructure Engineer position at Spire:

1. Customize Your Portfolio: Tailor your portfolio to Spire's company culture and values, highlighting relevant projects that demonstrate your experience in designing, deploying, and maintaining internal developer platform services and supporting processes
2. Resume Optimization: Optimize your resume for web technology roles, with a focus on project highlighting and technical skills emphasis, including relevant ATS keywords for senior cloud infrastructure engineer positions
3. Technical Interview Preparation: Brush up on your AWS, Terraform, and infrastructure as code skills, with a focus on networking and security solutions. Prepare for architecture design, system design, and problem-solving exercises, with a focus on balancing tactical and strategic decisions for overall mission success
4. Company Research: Research Spire's company culture, values, and technology stack, with a focus on understanding the company's mission, vision, and commitment to technological and operational excellence

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and web technology industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.