Senior AWS Cloud Systems Administrator

As a Senior AWS Cloud Systems Administrator at M9 Solutions, you will engage in a variety of responsibilities including analysis and planning, developing requirement documents, and building functional architectures. You’ll also play a key role in managing and maintaining AWS cloud infrastructure, ensuring security compliance, and streamlining processes to enhance operational efficiency.

For the Senior AWS Cloud Systems Administrator role at M9 Solutions, candidates need an active TS/SCI clearance and over 10 years of IT systems administrative experience on both Microsoft and Linux platforms. A bachelor’s degree is required, with a master’s degree substituting for two years of experience. Experience in AWS management and compliance, as well as familiarity with Kubernetes, is essential.

M9 Solutions is committed to the growth of its employees, offering numerous professional development opportunities, including certifications and training in AWS, Kubernetes, and cloud technologies. This ensures that as a Senior AWS Cloud Systems Administrator, you can expand your expertise and advance your career within a supportive environment.

At M9 Solutions, the work environment is collaborative, energetic, and dynamic. As a Senior AWS Cloud Systems Administrator, you will be part of a team of IT experts dedicated to delivering exceptional service to the Federal Government. The culture fosters creativity and encourages fun while remaining focused on achieving impactful results.

In the role of Senior AWS Cloud Systems Administrator at M9 Solutions, you'll work extensively with AWS tools, including Kubernetes, EKS, Lambda, and more. Proficiency in using the AWS Management Console and the AWS Command Line Interface (CLI) is essential, as you'll be managing workloads and ensuring they align with industry standards for security and performance.

In answering this question, focus on specific examples of AWS projects you've handled, the nature of the workloads, and how you addressed challenges. Discuss your familiarity with AWS services and how you implemented best practices for management and security.

To effectively respond to this question, highlight the five pillars of the AWS Well-Architected Framework: Operational Excellence, Security, Reliability, Performance Efficiency, and Cost Optimization. Discuss how you have applied these principles in past projects to optimize solutions.

Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answer. Talk about a specific challenge related to AWS or cloud management, the steps you took to resolve it, and the successful outcome that followed.

Outline your knowledge of AWS security practices, including IAM policies, security groups, and compliance frameworks. Mention specific tools or processes you’ve used to ensure adherence to security standards in your previous roles.

Detail your hands-on experience with Kubernetes, perhaps discussing how you've deployed applications or managed clusters. If you hold a CKA certification, mention it and how it has contributed to your proficiency in managing containerized applications.

Discuss how you estimate resource needs based on application loads and performance metrics, how you've leveraged AWS tools for forecasting, and the importance of dynamic scaling in ensuring resource efficiency.

Demonstrate your commitment to professional development by mentioning resources you use, such as AWS blogs, webinars, forums, and relevant certifications. Highlight how you apply new knowledge to your work as a Senior AWS Cloud Systems Administrator.

Provide specific examples of tasks you’ve accomplished using the AWS CLI, emphasizing its usefulness for automation and scripting cloud management operations. Mention any particular commands or scripts that you’ve created or regularly use.

Explain your incident response process, including how you identify issues, communicate with stakeholders, and implement recovery plans. Highlight your approach to learning from incidents to prevent future occurrences.

Share your insights on cost management strategies such as using reserved instances, monitoring usage metrics, and implementing autoscaling. Discuss how you've successfully reduced costs in past roles and the importance of aligning expenditures with business needs.