Principal Engineer I – Azure Cloud Engineer

Western Alliance Bank

Cloud Principal Engineer driving technical direction for Azure and AWS cloud platforms at Western Alliance Bank. Leading engineering standards, governance, and complex migration efforts while mentoring teams.

Posted 4/30/2026full-timeColumbus • Arizona, Ohio • 🇺🇸 United StatesLeadWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

AWSAzureCloudKubernetesPythonTerraform

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

The Cloud Principal Engineer is a senior technical leader responsible for defining and driving the strategic technical direction of the organization’s cloud platforms across Azure and AWS
This role serves as the highest-level engineering authority for cloud architecture, engineering standards, automation patterns, and platform design
Ensure cloud capabilities are secure, scalable, resilient, and aligned with business and regulatory requirements
Partner closely with Enterprise Architecture, Security, Application teams, System Integration team, and Operations to establish cloud reference architectures, engineering guardrails, and long-term platform roadmaps
Lead the resolution of complex cross-domain technical challenges, guide major cloud modernization and migration efforts, and influence enterprise decisions that shape the future-state cloud operating model
Set direction, raise engineering standards, and enable teams to deliver cloud solutions consistently and at enterprise scale
Establish and mature automation-first engineering practices using Infrastructure as Code, policy-as-code, CI/CD, and self-service platform capabilities
Influence and strengthen the Cloud Center of Excellence (CCoE) by defining engineering standards, reusable patterns, governance mechanisms, and architectural review practices
Mentor engineers and technical leads, raising the overall engineering capability of the organization through coaching, design reviews, and technical guidance.

Requirements

What you’ll need

8+ years of related experience
Bachelor's degree in related field required; Masters or MBA in related field preferred
Deep hands-on and architectural experience in both Azure and AWS environments
Proven experience defining cloud architecture standards, high-level designs, and platform strategies in large, complex organizations
Advanced expertise in Infrastructure as Code and automation, including tools and languages such as Terraform, Python, and Bash
Deep expertise in cloud networking and security, including IAM, VPC/VNet design, segmentation, private connectivity patterns, VPN architecture, and enterprise governance controls
Experience establishing or maturing engineering standards, platform guardrails, and governance models for cloud adoption at scale
Strong understanding of reliability, resiliency, disaster recovery, observability, and performance engineering in cloud environments
Experience with containers, Kubernetes, and CI/CD platforms in enterprise delivery models
Strong architectural and technical review skills, including the ability to evaluate trade-offs and guide teams toward scalable, supportable solutions
Experience working across technical and business functions, including architecture, security, operations, application teams, and executive stakeholders
Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction without relying solely on formal authority
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical issues to both engineers and senior leadership
Previous leadership experience preferred
Advanced to expert knowledge of general Financial Services or Banking is preferred
Advanced to expert knowledge of applicable regulatory and legal compliance obligations, rules and regulations, industry standards and practices
Advanced to expert experience in leading cross-functional teams and managing multiple projects simultaneously with an established expertise in one or more key domains of the bank (Deposits, Loans, Operations or Reporting) with the ability to walk through top level process design
Capable of working with regulatory partners like the CFPB, OCC and FRB through audits and collaboration efforts as situations arise
Advanced to expert familiarity with the capability model across IT and the applications and infrastructures available for engagement in solutioning across the bank to develop results that leverage existing capabilities in addition to implementing new solutions when required
Experience in the design, enhancement, and compliance with all governance frameworks across the IT organization to ensure proper compliance with published procedures and standards.

Benefits

Comp & perks

competitive salaries
an ownership stake in the company
medical and dental insurance
time off
a great 401k matching program
tuition assistance program
an employee volunteer program
a wellness program

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

cloud architectureInfrastructure as Codeautomationcloud networkingsecurityTerraformPythonBashKubernetesCI/CD

Soft Skills

leadershipcommunicationmentoringinfluencingcollaborationtechnical guidanceproblem-solvingcross-functional teamworkdesign reviewsevaluating trade-offs

Certifications

Bachelor's degreeMaster's degreeMBA