United Launch Alliance

IT Systems Cloud Leader 5

United Launch Alliance$140K — $261K *
Information Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in a STEM field
  • 8+ years in cloud platforms, systems infrastructure, or DevOps/SRE roles
  • 3+ years in people leadership managing technical teams
  • Hands-on experience with Kubernetes operations
  • Strong knowledge of AWS or Azure cloud infrastructure
  • Experience with automation and scripting tools
  • Proven capability in leading Agile/Scrum teams

Responsibilities

  • Lead and develop cloud engineers and CloudOps team members
  • Govern Kubernetes clusters for mission-critical workloads
  • Own cloud platform architecture and node resilience
  • Drive cloud modernization through automation and observability
  • Facilitate Agile/Scrum routines for CloudOps
  • Partner with engineering teams to align cloud capabilities
  • Lead incident response and reliability engineering for cloud workloads

Benefits

  • 401(k) match plus additional employer contribution
  • Discretionary annual incentive bonus
  • Generous paid time off
  • Flexible work environments
  • 9/80 work schedule allowing every other Friday off
Full Job Description
Requisition ID: 2084

Standard Weekly Hours: 40.00

Location: ULA - Denver

Relocation: Yes- Relocation may be available

Travel Requirements: 10%

Job Overview & Responsibilities

At ULA, the Cloud Leader oversees strategy, operations, reliability, and modernization for ULA's cloud platforms, ensuring secure, scalable, and mission-aligned services across engineering, launch operations, enterprise systems, and automation teams. This role blends Scrum leadership, architectural depth, and people leadership, supporting teams that work across Kubernetes, cloud infrastructure, CI/CD, automation, and hybrid systems.

Key Responsibilities (integrated from enterprise data):
  • Lead, coach, and develop cloud engineers, CloudOps team members, SREs, and architects in a hybrid environment
  • Govern and maintain Kubernetes clusters supporting mission-critical engineering workloads and CICD environments
  • Own cloud platform architecture, service mesh/networking (Ingress, CNI, load balancers), node topology, autoscaling, and resilience patterns
  • Drive cloud modernization initiatives: automation, infrastructure as code, platform hardening, observability, and operational simplification
  • Facilitate Agile/Scrum routines for CloudOps (planning, reviews, retrospectives, Scrum of Scrums), ensuring transparency, inspection, and adaptation
  • Partner with Product Owners, System Architects, engineering teams, and program leadership to align cloud capabilities with mission requirements
  • Lead incident response and reliability engineering for cloud workloads, including cluster upgrades, node failures, migrations, and production escalations
  • Oversee cloud security posture: RBAC, OPA/Gatekeeper, pod security standards, identity, secrets, and compliance controls
  • Manage operational processes monitoring, patching, lifecycle management, change control, documentation, and service metrics
  • Support hiring, workforce planning, coaching, performance management, and people development across the CloudOps team


Required Education

Bachelor

Required Years of Experience

Minimum of 8 years of related work experience

Basic Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) field from an accredited college or university
  • 8+ years of progressive experience in cloud platforms, systems infrastructure, or DevOps/SRE roles
  • 3+ years of people leadership experience managing technical staff (engineers, architects, or CloudOps teams)
  • Hands-on experience with Kubernetes operations (topology, autoscaling, RBAC, mesh/ingress, persistent volumes, upgrade cycles)
  • Experience supporting hybrid environments (on-prem + cloud) and mission-critical workloads
  • Strong knowledge of cloud infrastructure in AWS or Azure, including networking, storage, identity, and computing
  • Practical experience with automation and scripting (PowerShell, Python, Bash, Terraform, Ansible)
  • Experience leading Agile/Scrum teams or ceremonies (standups, retros, planning, demos)
  • Excellent communication and collaboration skills, able to work across architecture, engineering, security, and program leadership


Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience managing architect-level resources and guiding large-scale cloud platform decisions
  • Expertise in Kubernetes ecosystem tooling: Prometheus, Grafana, distributed tracing, service mesh, OPA/Gatekeeper
  • Experience leading cloud modernization or cloud migration efforts at enterprise scale
  • Experience supporting mission-critical, regulated, or security-sensitive environments
  • Familiarity with Scrum at Scale, Scrum of Scrums, PI planning, and Agile leadership competencies
  • Certifications: AWS/Azure Architect, Kubernetes (CKA/CKAD), Terraform, ITIL/ITSM
  • Strong coaching instincts-able to raise performance of both senior and junior engineers
  • Experience driving operational reporting, capacity planning, and cloud lifecycle strategy


Summary Salary Range (for ULA - Denveronly): $140,737.00 - $261,369.00

Please note that the salary information shown above is a general guideline only. Salaries are based upon a candidate's experience and qualifications, as well as internal equity, market and business considerations. Employees may be eligible for a discretionary annual bonus in addition to base pay.

We offer our employees competitive pay and benefits including:
  • 401(k) match plus an additional employer contribution
  • Discretionary annual incentive bonus for eligible employees
  • Generous paid time off
  • Flexible work environments


Additionally, most salaried ULA team members work a "9/80 schedule," meaning they enjoy every other Friday off.

Benefits and work schedules may vary for union-represented hourly positions and are described in the applicable collective bargaining agreement.

The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.

Security Clearance / International Traffic In Arms Regulations (ITAR). This position requires use of information which is subject to the International Traffic In Arms Regulations (ITAR). Therefore, all applicants must be U.S. Persons as defined in ITAR 22 CFR 120.62 (e.g., U.S. Citizen, Lawful Permanent Resident (Green Card holder) or protected individual. See 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(20) and 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) for additional information).

About United Launch Alliance

United Launch Alliance (ULA) is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin Space and Boeing Defense, Space & Security. The company provides reliable and cost-effective launch services for government and commercial customers, including NASA, the Department of Defense, and other agencies. ULA's launch vehicles include the Atlas V and Delta IV families of rockets, which are designed to meet a wide range of mission requirements. The company is committed to delivering innovative solutions that enable customers to achieve their goals in space.
Learn more about United Launch Alliance
Size
3,500 employees
Industry
Founded
2006

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