Senior AWS Engineer

Senior AWS Engineer - WidePoint Integrated Solutions Corp. - Columbus, OH or Fairfax, VA

WidePoint Corporation (WYY) is a leading provider of wireless mobility management and cybersecurity solutions. We offer secure, cloud-based, enterprise-wide information technology-based solutions that enable enterprises and government agencies to deploy fully compliant IT services in accordance with government-mandated regulations and advanced system requirements.

We are looking for a highly motivated Senior AWS Engineer located in Columbus, OH or Fairfax, VA that can operate in a fast-paced and demanding environment of a micro-cap publicly-traded company.

Position Summary

The Senior AWS Engineer serves as the technical lead for our FedRAMP Authorized (Moderate FISMA) cloud environment supporting our SaaS platform. The Senior AWS Engineer will translate security controls into infrastructure-as-code, maintain and evolve a Terraform-managed AWS stack, and implement a robust DevSecOps toolchain. This role will integrate tools, including Okta, Entra, Elastic Cloud, Qualys, SonarQube, Nessus, Cloudflare, and GitLab while optimizing AWS RDS performance. Additionally, this role is a hands-on leadership position requiring close collaboration across Compliance, Infrastructure, Development, and Product teams, as well as mentorship of a Junior AWS Engineer.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The essential functions include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Designs and implements secure, highly available AWS environments using Terraform—emphasizing VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) design, IAM (Identity Access Management) least privilege, FIPS encryption, and network segmentation.
• Provisions, tunes, and maintains AWS RDS (SQL Server) with a focus on performance, backups, and high availability.
• Develops and maintains CI/CD pipelines in GitLab, integrating SAST (SonarQube), DAST (Qualys), vulnerability scanning (Nessus), and Terraform automation.
• Translates FedRAMP/NIST Rev 5 security controls into technical safeguards; remediates findings and supports continuous ATO (Authority to Operate).
• Integrates SSO (Single Sign-On) and RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) using Okta and Entra across AWS, GitLab, Elastic Cloud, and related SaaS platforms.
• Operate Elastic Cloud SIEM and AWS GuardDuty; respond to alerts, coordinate incident response, and lead postmortem analysis.
• Mentors and supports the Junior AWS Engineer; conducts code reviews and champions DevSecOps culture.
• Defines SLIs (Service Level Indicators)/SLOs (Service Level Objectives), implements disaster recovery and backup strategies, and leads service improvement initiatives.
• Collaborates with stakeholders to convert regulatory and product needs into secure cloud capabilities; articulates security posture to leadership and clients.
• Participates in a rotating 24x7 on-call support schedule.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

The minimum qualifications include:

• Education and Certifications

o Bachelor's degree in computer science or related field (preferred).

o Relevant certifications strongly preferred: AWS Solutions Architect – Professional, AWS Security Specialty, AWS DevOps Engineer, CISSP or similar.

• Cloud and Infrastructure Expertise

o 8+ years of experience in software or cloud engineering, including 5+ years designing and operating workloads on AWS.

o Deep expertise with AWS core services: VPC, IAM, ECS/EKS, Lambda, RDS, S3, KMS, CloudWatch, Security Hub, and Control Tower.

o Strong background in Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform—modules, state management, and CI-driven deployments.

o Experience provisioning, tuning, and maintaining AWS RDS (SQL Server).

o Solid foundation in both Linux and Microsoft Windows operating systems.

• Security and Compliance

o Direct experience supporting at least one FedRAMP Moderate (or higher) authorized system, including audit preparation and evidence submission.

o Working knowledge of FedRAMP Moderate, NIST SP Rev 5, and NIST SP

o Experience mapping security controls, maintaining SSPs, POA&Ms, and delivering continuous monitoring artifacts.

o Hands-on experience with security tools such as Elastic Cloud SIEM, Qualys Cloud WAS, SonarQube, Nessus, and AWS GuardDuty.

o Ability to translate regulatory requirements into technical safeguards.

• DevSecOps and Automation

o Proficiency in GitLab CI/CD, including runners, pipelines, and GitOps workflows.

o Experience building security gates into CI/CD processes (SAST, DAST, vulnerability scans, Terraform automation).

o Automation-first mindset with fluency in at least one backend language (Python, Go, or Java) and scripting (Bash or PowerShell).

• Identity and Access Management

o Experience integrating and managing SSO solutions with Okta and Entra (SAML/OIDC, SCIM, MFA, RBAC policy design).

o Familiarity with fine-grained access control across AWS and SaaS platforms.

• Leadership and Communication

o At least two (2) years of experience mentoring or leading engineers.

o Strong communication skills—able to clearly explain technical issues to both technical and non-technical audiences.

o Excellent documentation skills (e.g., policies, procedures, architecture diagrams, audit artifacts).

• Other Requirements

o Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.

o Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.

o Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite or similar tools.

o Must be eligible to obtain a government security clearance.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Mentors and supports the Junior AWS Engineer

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to twenty-five (25) pounds at times.

Note: This position description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employees will be required to follow any other position-related instructions and to perform any other position-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments. All duties and responsibilities are essential functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. To perform this position successfully, the incumbents will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of themselves or others. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an "at will" relationship.

The company is an Equal Opportunity Employer, drug-free workplace, and complies with ADA regulations as applicable.