Cloud Engineer III

Cloud Engineer III
Business Technology – Systems Engineering | WoodmenLifeLocation: Hybrid work from our Omaha officeReports To: Manager, Systems Engineering

Why You’ll Love This Role
WoodmenLife is seeking an experienced Cloud Engineer III to help design, build, and evolve our Azure cloud platform. This senior technical role is highly impactful—driving platform engineering maturity, advancing our Azure Landing Zone, and enabling secure, scalable cloud solutions across the enterprise.
You will partner closely with our Cloud Architect and Enterprise Architecture teams to operationalize cloud standards and deliver reusable engineering patterns. This role combines hands-on engineering with platform ownership, mentorship, and influence on the future direction of our cloud environment.
This is a platform engineering role focused on building and evolving the Azure foundation—not just supporting individual application workloads.
At WoodmenLife, you’ll also enjoy a culture that values people as much as technology. With Friday afternoons off year-round, a collaborative environment, and a focus on outcomes rather than hours, you’ll find a workplace designed to support both professional impact and personal well-being.

About the Team
This role is a core contributor of WoodmenLife’s Cloud Center of Excellence (CoE) as part of the Systems Engineering organization.
The Cloud CoE (led by the Cloud Architect) defines standards, guardrails, and platform direction, while the Systems Engineering team provides the delivery and operational foundation for the Azure platform.
As a Cloud Engineer III, you will bridge strategy and execution—owning platform engineering outcomes while helping operationalize the enterprise cloud model.

Role Summary
The Cloud Engineer III is a senior platform engineer responsible for designing, building, and evolving WoodmenLife’s Azure cloud platform. This role owns key platform domains, operationalizes cloud standards and guardrails, and delivers secure, scalable, and automated solutions that support enterprise modernization.

What You’ll Do
Cloud Engineering & Platform Delivery

Lead design and engineering of complex Microsoft Azure platform solutions aligned with enterprise architecture standards
Own and evolve one or more Azure platform domains such as identity, networking, governance, or DevOps pipelines
Integrate hybrid cloud environments leveraging Azure networking and identity services
Lead Infrastructure as Code development using Bicep (primary), PowerShell, and Azure CLI
Advance Azure Landing Zone components (governance, identity, network, security) to support enterprise-scale, secure-by-default environments
Collaborate with Cloud Architects, Enterprise Architects, and cross-functional stakeholders to implement and operationalize approved platform standards, engineering patterns, and cloud guardrails

Monitoring, Cost Optimization & Observability

Enhance cloud observability using Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, and App Insights to improve proactive detection and response
Implement cost optimization and financial transparency practices aligned to business outcomes, including tagging, budgeting, and usage analytics
Lead efforts to monitor, analyze, and optimize cloud resource utilization and platform performance

Automation, DevOps & Enablement

Lead development of CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps and modern Git-based workflows
Build automation frameworks that streamline provisioning, monitoring, and operational tasks, leveraging AI-assisted engineering tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Azure AI services) to improve development efficiency and code quality
Develop reusable templates, scripts, and modules to support scalable, self-service platform capabilities and enable development teams through standardized patterns
Embed governance controls, policy enforcement, and configuration management into automation workflows

Collaboration, Leadership & Mentoring

Mentor Systems Engineers and technical peers across the organization, fostering a culture of learning, collaboration, and high performance
Support Agile ceremonies and iterative delivery culture for cloud initiatives
Contribute to the Cloud Center of Excellence through knowledge sharing, documentation, tooling, and best practices

Security, Governance & Compliance

Implement Azure governance controls (Azure Policy, RBAC, resource organization)
Ensure secure-by-default configurations aligned with enterprise security standards
Support identity governance through Entra ID and least-privilege models

Resilience, Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery

Lead planning and implementation of cloud-based Business Continuity and DR strategies
Implement resilient, highly available solutions leveraging availability zones, automated failover, and cloud-native backup strategies

Innovation & Continuous Improvement

Evaluate emerging Azure capabilities, including AI and automation technologies, and recommend platform enhancements that improve engineering productivity and platform maturity
Provide technical guidance and advocacy for cloud engineering best practices, automation-first patterns, and modern architectural approaches

What You Bring
Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred
10+ years of progressive IT infrastructure or platform engineering experience, including recent, sustained hands-on experience designing and operating enterprise-scale Azure environments
Deep expertise in Infrastructure as Code (Bicep preferred; strong scripting and automation experience required)
Advanced Windows/Linux, Entra ID/AD, and hybrid networking background
Experience building CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps and modern Git-based workflows
Proven experience with cloud cost management, observability, and performance optimization
Demonstrated technical leadership and mentoring skills
Extensive governance experience (Azure Policy, RBAC, tagging standards)
Expertise with hybrid connectivity technologies (ExpressRoute, VPN, Private Endpoints)
Experience supporting modernization, migration, and automation initiatives
Exposure to Azure-native application hosting patterns (App Services, Functions, or AKS) preferred
Strong preference for candidates with recent, hands-on Azure platform engineering experience in enterprise environments
Strong communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills
Familiarity with AI-assisted development tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot) or Azure-native AI capabilities is a plus

Scope & Decision Authority

Own defined Azure platform domains (e.g., identity, networking, governance, DevOps pipelines) with accountability for engineering quality and outcomes
Make design and implementation decisions for cloud solutions within established enterprise standards and cloud guardrails
Operationalize architectural direction provided by the Cloud Architect through scalable, reusable engineering solutions
Influence platform evolution by providing engineering feedback, prototyping solutions, and identifying improvement opportunities
Promote and implement standardized engineering patterns, automation frameworks, and Infrastructure as Code practices
Identify and lead resolution of platform-level issues related to performance, cost, reliability, and security
Provide engineering input into prioritization of cloud platform work aligned to enterprise modernization and business outcomes
Focus on platform engineering and scalable solutions rather than ticket-driven operational work

Preferred Certifications

AZ-305: Microsoft Certified – Azure Solutions Architect Expert
AZ-400: Microsoft Certified – DevOps Engineer Expert
AZ-500: Microsoft Certified – Azure Security Engineer Associate

Leadership Insight from the Hiring Manager

“My leadership style is structured yet empowering. I focus on clarity, operating discipline, and measurable outcomes while building strong technical teams and giving them the autonomy and trust to execute.”

WoodmenLife offers a competitive compensation package and a comprehensive benefits package. More information about our benefits can be found at: https://www.woodmenlife.org/careers/home-office/benefits/ As part of WoodmenLife’s employment process, candidates will be required to complete a criminal background check, credit check (where required for position), fingerprint check (where required for position), drug screen, and reference checks. Any offer of employment will be contingent upon successfully passing the above.

WoodmenLife is welcoming to all regardless of background and beliefs. We respect every associate’s unique perspective and contribution. We are committed to creating an environment that values differences and provides opportunities for growth, leadership, and service. This includes providing equal opportunity in recruitment, employment, promotion, training, and community outreach. WoodmenLife is also dedicated to strengthening the communities where our employees live and work.

APPLICANTS WITH DISABILITIES SHOULD ADVISE THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION IF SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS ARE NEEDED.

Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society (WoodmenLife) is an Equal Opportunity Employer.