Senior AWS Cloud Engineer - Dallas, TX - Locals only

Job Title: Sr. AWS Cloud Engineer

Job Location: Remote, Dallas, TX 7523

Duration: 24 Months+ With possibility of extension.

Must be able to work 8 am CST 5 pm CST! (CST & EST candidates only)

Travel: Must be able to travel for 1 week to SWA Headquarters in Dallas to work onsite. This could be quarterly or monthly depending on the manager. (Expenses paid)

Overview:

Seeking an experienced AWS Cloud Engineer to join our growing cloud engineering team in support of a strategic Identity Provider (IDP) migration to Ping. Will be working directly with seasoned engineers and leadership, playing a key part in foundational service builds that will live beyond the migration itself. We re seeking someone who brings deep technical experience and isn t afraid to pick up work, communicate openly, and hold their own among strong senior peers.

Team Dynamics & Culture Fit:

• This team is made up of long-tenured engineers who are transitioning from legacy systems to modern cloud architecture.
• Seeking good learners and culture fit

Technical Environment:

• Cloud: AWS (Lambda, API Gateway, IAM, CloudWatch, S3, CloudFormation/CDK)
• Languages: Python (primary), Java (secondary for APIs)
• Messaging: Kafka / Confluent Must be comfortable setting up and configuring topics/queues
• Tools: Git, Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Postman, Cypress, PyTest

Core Responsibilities:

• Design, build, and maintain AWS-native services primarily using Lambda (Python) and Kafka (Confluent) to sync user data and credentials across legacy and modern identity platforms.
• Develop event-driven architecture to trigger updates such as password changes or profile modifications across systems.
• Create and manage Kafka topics/queues and support infrastructure setup (not just consuming them).
• Write scalable, secure, and clean automation code primarily in Python (Pytest for services, Postman for API testing, Cypress for frontend where relevant).
• Participate in peer code reviews, technical design discussions, and agile ceremonies.
• Proactively identify gaps, own tasks, and collaborate closely with senior engineering leads.
• Help transition infrastructure knowledge from startup-style builds to enterprise ownership.
• Encrypted file processing developers will be building services in AWS, Lambda, serverless, services that are dealing in message processing (message in, transformation, message out).

Must-Have Qualifications:

• 10+ years of professional experience in AWS cloud engineering, including cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-on-prem connectivity.
• Strong proficiency with AWS Lambda using Python for serverless development.
• Hands-on experience with Kafka/Confluent must be able to set up, configure, and manage queues (not just consume messages).
• Background in Java development and went into AWS Cloud. Comfortable working in both modern Python and legacy Java environments.
• Familiarity with older Java-based microservices and APIs, and willingness to support and modernize legacy systems.
• Experience with messaging systems such as JMS and MQ.
• Solid understanding of cloud testing and automation tools (e.g., Postman, Cypress, PyTest).
• AI Pair Programming Tools: Experience with AI-powered development tools, with a preference for Amazon Q; GitLab Duo also acceptable
• Experience generating XML and working with file-based integrations.
• Proven ability to collaborate across functions and work closely with senior and principal engineers.
• Excellent communication skills proactive, self-driven, and confident in cross-team and leadership interactions.

Nice to Have:

• IAM/SSO and identity migration experience
• Cloud infra setup and early-stage team experience
• Familiarity with legacy Java APIs
• Proactive, collaborative, and supports principal engineers
• Experience standing up cloud infra (e.g., Kafka queues) before handoff