Principal, Cloud Engineering, AWS

General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc

$120K — $170K *
Enterprise Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 10+ years of experience in cloud or infrastructure architecture, specifically with AWS environments at scale.
  • Expertise in AWS landing-zone design including AWS Organizations, Control Tower, and multi-account infrastructure.
  • Proficient in Infrastructure as Code with Terraform and experienced in CI/CD and policy-as-code deployment.
  • Experience in securing operations in regulated environments with compliance frameworks understanding.
  • Ability to autonomously own project outcomes and effectively communicate with executive leadership.
  • Senior-level AWS certification (e.g., Solutions Architect - Professional) or equivalent experience.
  • Demonstrated ability to mentor and develop teams.

Responsibilities

  • Own the architecture and lifecycle of AWS Canada landing zone, including multi-account structures and organizational guardrails.
  • Design and implement AWS core networking solutions, ensuring connectivity into on-premises environments.
  • Establish platform standards and a strategic roadmap balancing quality and regulatory constraints.
  • Design and enforce security controls for identity, encryption, and logging that meet compliance standards.
  • Lead the transition from managed services to in-house operations while maintaining security and compliance.
  • Serve as technical authority for AWS, overseeing operational standards and building collaboration across teams.
  • Enable AI, data, and applications to efficiently integrate into the cloud platform, supporting various organizational teams.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents starting day one.
  • Employee & Family Assistance Program, fitness facilities access, and resource groups.
  • Defined Contribution Pension Plan with employer contributions and RRSP access from day one.
  • Flexible time off policies including vacation, parental leave with top-ups, and sick leave.
  • Support for career development including educational assistance, mentoring, and professional membership reimbursement.
  • Additional perks such as employee discounts, onsite parking, and a scholarship program for employees' children.
Full Job Description
Job Description

General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada is seeking a Principal, Cloud Engineering AWS Manager to own the design, build, and operation of our sovereign AWS Canada estate. Reporting into the Chief Digital & Information Officer(CDIO) this is a senior, the successful candidate will set the standards and guardrails for the platform, deliver them in code, and run the environment to the security and compliance bar that a regulated, sovereign defence environment demands.

The role is deliberately positioned as the anchor of the organization's AWS capability. The successful candidate will lead the transition of landing-zone operations from the current managed-service provider into a sustainable in-house model and will act as the definitive AWS technical authority across the CDIO organization. This person will be a builder first; comfortable owning outcomes end to end and exercising a high degree of autonomy within the guardrails and priorities set by executive leadership

Key Responsibilities

Landing Zone Architecture
  • Own the architecture, build, and lifecycle of the sovereign AWS Canada landing zone, including multi-account structure, account vending, and organizational guardrails using AWS Organizations and Control Tower.
  • Design and implement core platform networking, including VPC design, Transit Gateway, and Direct Connect connectivity into on-premises and enclave environments.
  • Establish platform standards, reference patterns, and the roadmap that balance quality against the constraints of a controlled environment.

Security, Compliance, and Sovereignty
  • Design and enforce identity, encryption, logging, and monitoring controls, using services such as IAM, KMS, CloudTrail, GuardDuty, and Security Hub.
  • Ensure the platform satisfies CMMC 2.0, ITAR and EAR handling obligations, and Controlled Goods Program requirements, and that data residency and sovereignty are preserved by design.
  • Integrate the platform with the organization's security tooling and partner closely with the Cybersecurity function on threat detection and response.

Infrastructure as Code and Automation
  • Deliver the environment as code using Terraform or equivalent, and implement policy-as-code, automated provisioning, and drift detection.
  • Oversee the build and maintain CI/CD pipelines for platform and workload deployment, reducing manual effort and configuration risk.
  • Champion automation as the default operating model for the estate.

Insourcing and Operating Model
  • Lead the transition of landing-zone operations from the managed-service provider to an in-house model in line with the defined insourcing trigger.
  • Define the operating model, runbooks, and standards required to run the platform sustainably, and manage knowledge transfer from the incumbent provider.
  • Manage the technical relationship with AWS and platform vendors, and hold them to standards and value.

Platform Enablement and Technical Leadership
  • Enable data, AI, and application workloads to land on the platform securely and efficiently, partnering with the data, networking, and application teams.
  • Act as the AWS technical authority in design authority and governance forums, and set the standards that others build to.
  • Anchor and mentor the AWS capability as it grows, providing the technical foundation for a future in-house cloud team.


Qualifications

Required Qualifications
  • A minimum of 10 years of experience in cloud or infrastructure architecture, with deep, demonstrable expertise designing, building, and operating production AWS environments at scale.
  • Expert command of AWS landing-zone design, including AWS Organizations, Control Tower, multi-account architecture, core networking, and security services.
  • Strong Infrastructure as Code and automation capability, ideally with Terraform, together with hands-on experience of CI/CD and policy-as-code.
  • Proven experience securing and operating cloud within a regulated environment, with a working understanding of the compliance frameworks and change discipline it demands.
  • The ability to own outcomes end to end and operate autonomously, and to present platform direction and trade-offs to an executive audience.
  • A senior AWS certification, such as Solutions Architect - Professional or DevOps Engineer - Professional, or equivalent demonstrable expertise.
  • Demonstrated mentorship capabilities

Preferred Qualifications
  • Dual-cloud depth across both AWS and Microsoft Azure is highly desirable, given a multi-cloud estate in which AWS serves as the sovereign landing zone and Azure as the predominant enterprise platform.
  • Experience in a defence, government, or critical-infrastructure environment subject to controlled-goods or equivalent handling requirements.
  • Experience standing up sovereign or otherwise constrained cloud environments, and transitioning operations from a managed-service provider to an in-house model.
  • Familiarity with CMMC 2.0, ITAR and EAR, and the Canadian Controlled Goods Program.
  • Experience working with or familiarity with AI/ML models is preferred.

It is a requirement that General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada be registered with the Canadian Controlled Goods program and that all of its workforce be security assessed. Successful applicants must meet all applicable security requirements, including but not limited to the ability to obtain and maintain a Canadian government security clearance. Applicants may be required to meet additional security requirements in order to gain access to technical data, classified areas or information that is subject to international regulations. You must be eligible to work in Canada.

Additional Information

The hiring range for this position is $120,000-$170,000. This role is eligible for a management incentive plan. Our goal is to provide a fair and competitive offer based on an assessment of internal equity and your qualifications, including:
  • Relevant experience
  • Technical and non-technical skills
  • Education and certifications

Benefits
As a full-time employee at General Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada, you'll enjoy a competitive total rewards package that supports your professional and personal well-being:
  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and eligible dependents from day one (no cost), including flexible benefits options (HCSA) emergency travel insurance, and 24/7 virtual care services.
  • Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP), onsite fitness facilities, and employee resource groups.
  • Defined Contribution Pension Plan with employer contributions after 3 months, RRSP access from day one, and financial planning support.
  • Flexible time off including vacation, holidays, parental leaves with top-up options, sick leave, and disability programs.
  • Career development through learning platforms, educational assistance, mentoring, and reimbursement of professional memberships.
  • Additional perks such as employee discounts, free onsite parking, social clubs, and an annual scholarship program for employees' children.

Accommodation
If you require accommodation during any stage of the application process, please contact Human Resources via [redacted].

Closing Date
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

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