Cloud Engineer / QA Analyst

Peraton is seeking a Cloud Engineer / QA Analyst for a new role based in Chantilly, VA. This blended position combines hands-on cloud engineering with technical quality assurance to develop, support, and validate mission-critical applications in support of the Intelligence Community. The ideal candidate brings deep AWS infrastructure experience alongside a strong quality mindset — capable of building reliable cloud solutions and ensuring they meet rigorous standards for performance, usability, and security. This person will hit the ground running from day one, contributing across the full development lifecycle within a fast-paced Agile environment.

Responsibilities

Cloud Engineering

• Plan, design, and develop cloud-based applications on AWS.
• Manage cloud environments in accordance with security guidelines and best practices.
• Deploy and debug cloud initiatives throughout the development lifecycle.
• Automate infrastructure provisioning using tools such as Terraform, CloudFormation, and Jenkins.
• Employ exceptional problem-solving skills, identifying and resolving issues before they escalate.

Quality Assurance

• Conduct testing, write test plans and procedures, and apply experience with test automation software and testing frameworks.
• Review user stories and acceptance criteria for clarity, completeness, and testability.
• Ensure requirements reflect real user needs and business goals; focus on user workflows and business processes.
• Identify usability issues, confusing flows, or inconsistencies and advocate for intuitive, accessible design.
• Clearly document defects with detailed descriptions, expected vs. actual results, and business impact; communicate findings in a constructive, solution-oriented manner.
• Help prioritize issues based on business impact and user risk.

Agile & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Actively participate in Agile ceremonies including planning, stand-ups, reviews, and retrospectives.
• Ask thoughtful questions to uncover gaps, ambiguities, or risks in user stories and requirements.
• Promote a "quality is everyone's responsibility" mindset; raise risks and concerns proactively.
• Contribute ideas during retrospectives to improve team workflows and refine QA practices.
• Provide clear updates on testing progress, risks, and readiness; translate technical concerns into business-friendly language.
• Collaborate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Required

• Clearance: Active Top Secret/SCI security clearance with Polygraph required.
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, Communications, Psychology, Project Management, or a related discipline.
• 8 years of experience with a BS; 6 years with an MS; 3 years with a PhD. 4 years of additional experience may be considered in lieu of a degree. 

Required Technical Skills

• Hands-on AWS experience with services such as SNS/SQS, Lambda, VPC, S3, and related tools.
• Familiarity automating AWS infrastructure using Jenkins, CloudFormation, Terraform, or equivalent tools.
• Experience conducting testing, writing test plans and procedures, and working with test automation frameworks.
• Experience working in an Agile environment.

Required Professional Skills

• Strong attention to detail with the ability to spot inconsistencies across systems and requirements.
• Clear, concise verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to break down complex processes, ask the right questions, and facilitate productive discussions.
• Comfortable giving and receiving constructive feedback; works effectively within cross-functional teams.
• Adapts quickly to shifting priorities and requirements in iterative, fast-changing environments.

Desired Qualifications

• AWS Certification.
• Working knowledge of SecDevOps.
• Hands-on CI/CD experience.
• Coursework or training in SDLC concepts, Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban), business analysis, or UX/human-centered design.
• Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or similar Agile certification.
• Certified Agile Tester (CAT) or equivalent.
• ISTQB Foundation Level certification.
• Business Analysis certifications (e.g., CBAP or ECBA).

Peraton offers enhanced benefits for employees supporting this critical National Security program, including:

• Heavily subsidized employee benefits coverage for employees and dependents.
• 25 days of PTO accrued annually up to a generous PTO cap.
• Participation in an attractive bonus plan.