AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate

Title: AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate Location: Nashville, TN, USA This position may be filled prior to the posted deadline.  Interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.    Koniag Services Inc., a Koniag Government Services company, is seeking a talented and technically skilled AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate to support the design, implementation, and optimization of Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud architecture solutions for our Call Center serving government clients. The ideal candidate is a cloud-savvy and solutions-oriented professional with demonstrated experience designing and implementing scalable, secure, and highly available AWS cloud architectures, a strong understanding of cloud-based service delivery environments, and a proven ability to translate operational and business requirements into effective AWS cloud solutions. They bring strong technical acumen, excellent communication skills, and the ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fully remote environment to deliver cloud architecture solutions that enhance the performance, reliability, and security of Call Center operations. Ability to obtain a government security clearance may be required to support Koniag Services Inc. and our government customers. This position is Remote.   Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) retirement plan, paid time off, paid parental leave, life and disability insurance, flexible spending accounts, commuter benefits, and tuition reimbursement.    Position Description: The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate will be responsible for the design, implementation, optimization, and ongoing support of AWS cloud architecture solutions supporting Call Center operations. This individual will work closely with program leadership, the AWS Connect Administrator, the ServiceNow Administrator/Developer, and government stakeholders to ensure the AWS cloud environment is architected, implemented, and maintained to the highest standards of performance, scalability, security, and compliance. Principal responsibilities will include but are not limited to:   Design, implement, and maintain scalable, secure, highly available, and cost-optimized AWS cloud architecture solutions that support the operational requirements of the Call Center program, including AWS Connect contact center infrastructure, data storage, compute, networking, and security components. Collaborate with program leadership, the AWS Connect Administrator, and operational staff to gather, analyze, and document cloud architecture requirements, translating them into technically sound and operationally effective AWS solution designs. Develop and maintain comprehensive AWS architecture documentation, including solution design documents, architecture diagrams, data flow diagrams, infrastructure specifications, and cloud environment configuration records. Lead the evaluation, selection, and implementation of AWS services and cloud architecture patterns that optimize the performance, reliability, scalability, and cost efficiency of the Call Center's cloud infrastructure. Design and implement AWS security architecture solutions including IAM policies, security groups, VPC configurations, encryption strategies, and compliance controls that align with federal security requirements, agency policies, and FedRAMP/NIST standards. Support the administration and optimization of core AWS services used within the IT Call Center environment, including AWS Connect, Amazon EC2, Amazon S3, Amazon RDS, AWS Lambda, Amazon CloudWatch, Amazon VPC, AWS IAM, Amazon Lex, and related services. Conduct regular AWS cloud environment health assessments, performance reviews, cost optimization analyses, and security audits, developing and presenting findings and actionable recommendations to program leadership and government stakeholders. Design and implement AWS disaster recovery and business continuity solutions, including failover configurations, backup and restore procedures, and recovery testing protocols, ensuring the Call Center's cloud infrastructure meets defined recovery time and recovery point objectives. Support the design and implementation of AWS cloud monitoring, logging, and alerting solutions using Amazon CloudWatch, AWS CloudTrail, and equivalent tools to ensure comprehensive visibility into cloud infrastructure health, performance, and security events. Collaborate with the AWS Connect Administrator to design and implement AWS service integrations that support contact center automation, IVR functionality, call recording, real-time analytics, and workforce management capabilities. Support the design and implementation of CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-code (IaC) solutions using AWS CloudFormation, AWS CDK, or equivalent tools to automate and standardize cloud infrastructure deployment and management processes. Provide technical guidance and subject matter expertise to program leadership, operations staff, and junior technical team members on AWS cloud architecture best practices, service capabilities, and optimization strategies. Ensure all AWS cloud architecture design and implementation activities comply with applicable federal security requirements, AWS GovCloud policies, FedRAMP authorization requirements, and contractual obligations. Support cloud cost management activities including resource tagging, cost allocation analysis, Reserved Instance and Savings Plan optimization, and rightsizing recommendations to ensure the program's AWS environment is operated within budgetary constraints. Stay current on AWS platform updates, new service releases, architectural best practices, and emerging cloud technologies, proactively identifying opportunities to leverage new AWS capabilities to enhance IT Call Center operational performance and efficiency. Contribute to business development activities as needed, including supporting proposal efforts with cloud architecture narratives, technical solution designs, and relevant past performance documentation.   Education and Experience: Required: Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Cloud Computing, Information Systems, or a related field from an accredited college or university. Relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree. 3+ years of hands-on experience designing, implementing, and managing AWS cloud architecture solutions in a structured service delivery environment. Demonstrated experience designing and implementing AWS solutions leveraging core services including EC2, S3, RDS, Lambda, VPC, IAM, CloudWatch, and CloudTrail. Experience designing and implementing AWS security architecture solutions including IAM policies, VPC configurations, encryption strategies, and compliance controls. AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification (required at time of hire).   Preferred: Prior experience designing and implementing AWS cloud architecture solutions within a federal government contracting or AWS GovCloud environment. Experience supporting AWS architecture design and implementation for a call center, service desk, or managed services program, including experience with AWS Connect infrastructure design. AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional certification or demonstrated progress toward obtaining the Professional-level certification. Experience working in a fully remote cloud architecture role within a government contracting environment.   Required Skills and Competencies: Strong communication skills in English – both written and oral – with the ability to present complex cloud architecture designs, technical findings, and strategic recommendations clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences including program leadership and government stakeholders in a remote work environment. Demonstrated hands-on proficiency in designing and implementing scalable, secure, and highly available AWS cloud architectures leveraging a broad portfolio of AWS services including compute, storage, networking, database, security, and serverless components. Deep working knowledge of AWS security architecture principles and best practices, including IAM policy design, VPC architecture, network security group configuration, encryption at rest and in transit, and compliance control implementation aligned with NIST and FedRAMP requirements. Proficiency in infrastructure-as-code (IaC) tools and frameworks such as AWS CloudFormation, AWS CDK, or Terraform for automated and repeatable cloud infrastructure deployment and management. Strong understanding of AWS networking concepts including VPC design, subnet architecture, route tables, NAT gateways, VPN connectivity, Direct Connect, and DNS configuration. Working knowledge of AWS Connect and related AWS contact center services including Amazon Lex, Amazon Polly, AWS Lambda, Amazon S3, Amazon Kinesis, and Amazon CloudWatch as they apply to cloud-based call center infrastructure design and optimization. Proficiency in AWS cloud monitoring, logging, and alerting solutions including Amazon CloudWatch, AWS CloudTrail, and AWS Config for comprehensive cloud environment visibility and security event management. Experience designing and implementing AWS disaster recovery and business continuity solutions, including multi-region failover architectures, backup and restore strategies, and recovery testing procedures. Strong cloud cost management skills with experience conducting cost optimization analyses, rightsizing assessments, and Reserved Instance or Savings Plan evaluations to ensure efficient utilization of AWS resources. Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and remote collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams and SharePoint for documentation, communication, and coordination purposes. Ability to obtain and maintain a government security clearance as required.   Desired Skills and Competencies: Active government security clearance (Secret or higher). AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional certification. AWS Certified Security – Specialty certification. AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional certification. Experience designing and implementing AWS cloud solutions within an AWS GovCloud environment in support of federal government FedRAMP authorization requirements. Familiarity with federal IT security frameworks and compliance requirements such as NIST SP 800-53, FedRAMP, FISMA, and FIPS 140-2 as they relate to cloud architecture design and security control implementation. Experience with DevSecOps principles and CI/CD pipeline design using AWS CodePipeline, AWS CodeBuild, AWS CodeDeploy, or equivalent tools for automated cloud infrastructure deployment and management. Proficiency in scripting or programming languages such as Python, JavaScript, Node.js, or Bash for AWS Lambda function development, infrastructure automation, and cloud management scripting. Experience with containerization and orchestration technologies such as Docker, Amazon ECS, or Amazon EKS as they relate to cloud-based service delivery architectures. Familiarity with Amazon QuickSight or equivalent cloud-based business intelligence and analytics platforms for advanced AWS environment performance reporting. Experience designing and implementing AWS Connect omnichannel architecture solutions including chat, task management, and outbound campaign infrastructure. ITIL Foundation certification or higher demonstrating knowledge of service management principles relevant to cloud-based call center operations. Experience with AWS Well-Architected Framework reviews and the application of AWS architectural best practices across the five pillars of operational excellence, security, reliability, performance efficiency, and cost optimization. Knowledge of zero-trust security architecture principles and their application within AWS cloud environments supporting federal government programs.   Our Equal Employment Opportunity Policy: The company is an equal opportunity employer. The company shall not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, color, religion, creed, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity (except where gender is a bona fide occupational qualification), national origin or ancestry, age, disability, citizenship, military/veteran status, marital status, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We are committed to equal employment opportunity in all decisions related to employment, promotion, wages, benefits, and all other privileges, terms, and conditions of employment.   The company is dedicated to seeking all qualified applicants. If you require an accommodation to navigate or to apply to a position on our website, please contact Heaven Wood via e-mail at or by calling to request accommodations.   Koniag Government Services (KGS) is an Alaska Native Owned corporation supporting the values and traditions of our native communities through an agile employee and corporate culture that delivers Enterprise Solutions, Professional Services and Operational Management to Federal Government Agencies. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Koniag, we apply our proven commercial solutions to a deep knowledge of Defense and Civilian missions to provide forward leaning technical, professional, and operational solutions. KGS enables successful mission outcomes for our customers through solution-oriented business partnerships and a commitment to exceptional service delivery. We ensure long-term success with a continuous improvement approach while balancing the collective interests of our customers, employees, and native communities. For more information, please visit www.koniag-gs.com.   Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled. Shareholder Preference in accordance with Public Law 88-352