Job Description:

Security Clearance required:

Cognosante is on a mission to transform our country's healthcare system. With our health and security-focused solutions, we help public sector organizations achieve the important task of providing the best possible public services to American Citizens. From Enterprise IT, Data Science, and Security Services, to full-scale Consumer Engagement and Interoperability solutions, we are moving government services forward with transformation and innovation. Learn how we are making a difference in people's lives today!

Job Description

Cognosante is seeking to fill DevOps Cloud Engineer positions in support of VA (Veterans Affairs) Cloud Operations and Migration Services (COMS) capability to provide operational input and support for the operations, maintenance, and refinement of VA's Enterprise Cloud (VAEC) environment, execution support for migrating new and legacy VA applications and services to cloud computing and continuous improvement of VA's IT infrastructure. The candidate will support our VA clients in their cloud operations to enhance, optimize, and maintain their computing capabilities across their technical landscape. This includes working with our Cloud Architects when interviewing clients to understand application and infrastructure current state. Working with our Cloud Architects leading client working sessions to identify, categorize, prioritize, and analyze data and information to work into cloud migration action plans. Working with the larger project teams to migrate legacy applications to their cloud platform. The DevOps Cloud Engineer must have expertise with Microsoft Azure and/or Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud Service Providers (CSPs).

As a DevOps Cloud Engineer, you will analyze client workflow, validate architectural specifications for customer migrations, design and develop automation to build and maintain customer infrastructure, and help determine the best solutions for a successful project.

As a part of our vision and innovation the Cloud Services team will help our organization adopt Cloud native solutions whenever possible. This key role will work with business stakeholders and senior leaders to deliver on complex, enterprise-level initiatives that are a part of the company's overall strategic direction. To be successful in this role the candidate must have deep knowledge cloud technologies and align technology solutions to specific business objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Work with business stakeholders and senior leaders to deliver on complex, enterprise-level initiatives that are a part of the company's overall strategic direction


• Assist Cloud Architects to provide database operations and migration services that enable VA to tailor the availability and delivery of cloud computing services based on business and technical requirements


• Utilize the future VA Enterprise Cloud Operational Tools (VAECOT), CSP native portals and tools, and/or other VA TRM-approved tools necessary to provide operations and migration support


• Utilize automation tools such as Terraform, Ansible, Chef, Jenkins, Git, CloudFormation, ARM or similar


• Assist with upgrading, installing, and configuring all aspects of database services for AWS or Microsoft Azure for PaaS and IaaS solutions


• Assisting with reporting on current infrastructure status, and planning for future usage


• Document key infrastructure items to support sustainment transition of projects


• Provide support and guidance to migrating data and technical resources as they transition to the Cloud

Required Qualifications

• A minimum of 6 years of relevant work experience


• Bachelor's Degree in computer science, electronics engineering or other engineering or technical discipline OR AWS/Azure Certification (AWS Professional / Specialty Cert. OR Azure Expert / Advanced Cert.) OR 2 years of relevant experience in one of the VAECOT suite of tools (Science Logic, Dynatrace, Turbot, AppDynamics)


• 6 years of additional relevant experience may be substituted for education


• Must have experience implementing, migrating, managing, and operating systems/applications in an enterprise cloud computing environment


• Subject matter expertise with at least one of VAEC Cloud Service Providers which currently includes Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS)


• Able to pass a background check to obtain a Public Trust (High-Risk) Position


• Must be a U.S. citizen

Candidates that do not meet the required qualifications will not be considered.

Preferred Qualifications

• Solid basic database administration skills (setup, configuration, connectivity, performance)


• Must have subject matter expertise in database PaaS offerings from AWS (RDS), Microsoft Azure (Azure SQL), or both


• Strong knowledge in several of the following: database clustering, SQL AlwaysOn, replication, monitoring, backups, region/availability zone/resource group/location


• Strong knowledge of limitations of PaaS database offerings in AWS RDS and/or Microsoft Azure SQL in the course of migrating a new application to the platform


• Strong scripting skills in at least one area outside of SQL (PowerShell, bash, JavaScript, etc.)


• Previous Federal Government experience preferably at VA


• Experience working in a CMMI-DEV or CMMI-SVC environment at Maturity Level 3 or above


• One or more Microsoft or Amazon cloud certifications


• Well versed in development lifecycle concepts and methodologies


• ITIL certification or experience with ITIL


• Active clearance for Public Trust (High-Risk) Position


• Experience with agile and DevSecOps model


• Experience with at least one configuration technology including: Chef, Puppet, Ansible, Docker, Kubernetes, etc.


• Experience with tools such as Terraform, Jenkins, Git, CloudFormation, AWS CLI, Azure PowerShell, or similar


• Experience writing technical documentation, especially in relation to Cloud architecture and infrastructure


• Strong written and verbal communication skills


• Sound internal consulting skills and executive presence