AWS Engineer Job Description Template - 2025 Guide

An AWS Engineer designs, implements, and manages cloud infrastructure solutions using Amazon Web Services. They bridge the gap between traditional IT operations and modern cloud-native architectures, ensuring scalable, secure, and cost-effective cloud environments that support business objectives.

Key Highlights

• Average Salary: $95,000 - $165,000 annually (varies by experience and location)
• High Demand: 35% year-over-year growth in AWS engineering roles
• Certification Focused: AWS certifications significantly impact earning potential
• Diverse Responsibilities: Infrastructure as Code, security, monitoring, and optimization
• Remote Friendly: 70% of positions offer remote or hybrid work options
• Career Growth: Clear advancement path from Associate to Solutions Architect level

Why This Role Matters

AWS Engineers serve as the backbone of modern cloud infrastructure, enabling organizations to leverage the full power of Amazon's cloud platform. In today's digital-first economy, businesses rely on AWS Engineers to architect resilient systems that can scale with demand while maintaining security and cost efficiency. These professionals don't just manage infrastructure—they enable innovation by providing the foundation upon which applications, data analytics, and AI/ML initiatives can thrive.

As organizations continue their digital transformation journeys, AWS Engineers play a critical role in reducing operational overhead, improving system reliability, and accelerating time-to-market for new products and services.

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced AWS Engineer to design, deploy, and manage our cloud infrastructure on Amazon Web Services. You will be responsible for architecting scalable solutions, implementing Infrastructure as Code practices, and ensuring our cloud environment meets the highest standards for security, performance, and cost optimization.

In this role, you will work closely with development teams to enable CI/CD pipelines, collaborate with security teams to implement cloud security best practices, and partner with business stakeholders to translate requirements into robust cloud solutions. You will have the opportunity to work with cutting-edge AWS services and contribute to architectural decisions that impact the entire organization.

The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise in AWS services with strong problem-solving skills and a passion for automation. You will join a dynamic team that values continuous learning, innovation, and operational excellence in everything we do.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and architect cloud infrastructure solutions using AWS services including EC2, VPC, RDS, Lambda, ECS, and EKS to meet business requirements and scalability needs
• Implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using tools like Terraform, AWS CloudFormation, or AWS CDK to ensure consistent, version-controlled, and reproducible infrastructure deployments
• Manage and optimize AWS cost structures through right-sizing instances, implementing reserved instances, spot instances, and leveraging AWS cost management tools to reduce operational expenses
• Establish and maintain CI/CD pipelines using AWS CodePipeline, CodeBuild, CodeDeploy, and integration with third-party tools like Jenkins or GitLab CI
• Implement comprehensive monitoring and alerting using AWS CloudWatch, AWS X-Ray, and third-party solutions to ensure system reliability and proactive issue detection
• Design and enforce security best practices including IAM policies, VPC security groups, encryption at rest and in transit, and compliance with industry standards
• Automate routine operational tasks using AWS Lambda, Systems Manager, and scripting languages to reduce manual effort and improve system reliability
• Perform disaster recovery planning including backup strategies, multi-AZ deployments, and cross-region replication to ensure business continuity
• Collaborate with development teams to optimize application architecture for cloud deployment and implement containerization strategies using Docker and Kubernetes
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex infrastructure issues using AWS support tools, logs analysis, and performance monitoring to maintain system uptime and performance

Requirements

Must-Have Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field, or equivalent practical experience
• 3+ years of hands-on experience with AWS services including EC2, S3, RDS, VPC, Lambda, and CloudFormation
• AWS certification required: AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate or AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate minimum
• Infrastructure as Code expertise with Terraform, AWS CloudFormation, or AWS CDK including version control and deployment automation
• Strong scripting skills in Python, Bash, or PowerShell for automation and infrastructure management tasks
• Experience with containerization technologies including Docker and orchestration platforms like ECS, EKS, or Fargate
• Knowledge of networking concepts including VPC design, subnets, security groups, load balancers, and DNS management
• Understanding of security best practices including IAM, encryption, compliance frameworks, and AWS security services

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• Advanced AWS certifications such as Solutions Architect Professional, DevOps Engineer Professional, or specialty certifications
• Experience with configuration management tools like Ansible, Puppet, or Chef for automated server configuration
• Knowledge of databases including RDS administration, DynamoDB, and database migration strategies
• Familiarity with monitoring and logging tools beyond CloudWatch, such as Datadog, New Relic, or ELK stack
• DevOps experience with CI/CD pipeline optimization, automated testing, and deployment strategies

What We Offer

• Competitive salary range: $95,000 - $165,000 based on experience and location
• Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision insurance, and 401(k) matching
• Professional development budget of $3,000 annually for AWS training, certifications, and conferences
• Flexible work arrangements with remote work options and flexible hours
• AWS certification bonuses up to $2,000 per certification achieved
• Career advancement opportunities with clear paths to Senior AWS Engineer, Solutions Architect, or DevOps leadership roles

Context Variations

Corporate Environment Adaptation

In enterprise settings, AWS Engineers focus heavily on governance, compliance, and cost management across multiple business units. Emphasis on establishing cloud centers of excellence, implementing enterprise-grade security controls, and managing complex hybrid cloud architectures with on-premises integration requirements.

Startup Environment Adaptation

Startup AWS Engineers wear multiple hats, often combining DevOps, security, and architecture responsibilities. Focus on rapid deployment capabilities, cost optimization for scaling businesses, and building foundational infrastructure that can grow with the company while maintaining development velocity.

Remote/Hybrid Work Considerations

Remote AWS Engineers leverage cloud-based development environments, collaborative tools, and automated infrastructure management. Emphasis on documentation, asynchronous communication, and building infrastructure that enables distributed development teams to work effectively across time zones.

Industry Considerations

Industry	Key Requirements	Compliance Focus
Healthcare	HIPAA compliance, data encryption, audit logging	PHI protection, access controls
Financial Services	PCI-DSS, SOC compliance, disaster recovery	Risk management, regulatory reporting
E-commerce	High availability, auto-scaling, global distribution	Payment processing, customer data protection
Manufacturing	IoT integration, hybrid cloud, legacy system integration	Industry 4.0, operational technology security
Government	FedRAMP compliance, GovCloud regions, security clearances	Authority to operate, continuous monitoring
Education	FERPA compliance, cost optimization, seasonal scaling	Student data privacy, research computing

Compensation Guide

Salary Information

National Average Range: $95,000 - $165,000 annually

Regional Compensation Data:

Metropolitan Area	Salary Range	Cost of Living Factor
San Francisco Bay Area	$135,000 - $195,000	High demand, premium market
New York City	$125,000 - $185,000	Financial services concentration
Seattle	$120,000 - $175,000	Tech hub, AWS headquarters proximity
Austin	$105,000 - $155,000	Growing tech scene, lower COL
Denver	$100,000 - $150,000	Mountain West tech corridor
Atlanta	$95,000 - $140,000	Southeast regional hub
Remote (US)	$90,000 - $160,000	Varies by company location policy

Compensation Factors:

• AWS certifications can increase salary by 15-25%
• Specialized skills (ML, IoT, containers) command premium rates
• Industry experience (finance, healthcare) adds 10-20% premium

Data sourced from industry salary surveys, job posting analysis, and recruiter insights as of January 2025

Interview Questions

Technical/Functional Questions

1. Walk me through designing a highly available web application architecture on AWS Evaluate: Architectural thinking, service knowledge, availability concepts

2. How would you implement Infrastructure as Code for a multi-environment setup (dev, staging, prod)? Evaluate: IaC expertise, environment management, best practices

3. Explain your approach to AWS cost optimization for a growing startup Evaluate: Cost management knowledge, business acumen, optimization strategies

4. Describe how you would set up monitoring and alerting for a microservices architecture Evaluate: Monitoring strategies, service mesh understanding, operational expertise

5. How do you handle secrets management and access control in a AWS environment? Evaluate: Security knowledge, IAM understanding, secrets management

6. What's your strategy for implementing disaster recovery in AWS? Evaluate: DR planning, RTO/RPO understanding, cross-region knowledge

7. How would you migrate a legacy application to AWS with minimal downtime? Evaluate: Migration strategies, risk management, planning capabilities

8. Explain your approach to container orchestration using AWS services Evaluate: Container knowledge, ECS/EKS expertise, orchestration concepts

Behavioral Questions

9. Tell me about a time when you had to troubleshoot a critical AWS infrastructure issue. How did you approach it? Evaluate: Problem-solving skills, incident management, technical debugging

10. Describe a situation where you had to convince stakeholders to adopt a new AWS service or approach Evaluate: Communication skills, influence, technical evangelism

11. Walk me through a challenging project where you had to balance performance, cost, and security requirements Evaluate: Trade-off analysis, project management, stakeholder management

12. Tell me about a time when you made a mistake in AWS configuration. How did you handle it? Evaluate: Accountability, learning mindset, incident response

13. Describe how you stay current with AWS service updates and cloud best practices Evaluate: Continuous learning, professional development, industry engagement

Culture Fit Questions

14. How do you approach collaborating with development teams who may have different priorities than infrastructure teams? Evaluate: Cross-functional collaboration, empathy, problem-solving

15. What motivates you most about working with cloud technologies? Evaluate: Passion, career alignment, long-term fit

16. How do you handle the pressure of managing critical infrastructure that impacts business operations? Evaluate: Stress management, responsibility handling, reliability

17. Describe your approach to documentation and knowledge sharing in a technical team Evaluate: Communication, team contribution, process improvement

Hiring Tips

Quick Sourcing Guide

• LinkedIn: Search "AWS Certified" + specific services (Lambda, EKS, etc.)
• AWS Community: Engage with AWS User Groups, re:Invent attendees
• GitHub: Look for Infrastructure as Code repositories and AWS-related contributions
• Stack Overflow: Active contributors in AWS, Terraform, and cloud tags

Red Flags to Avoid

• Certification without practical experience - Paper certifications don't guarantee hands-on skills
• Single-cloud mindset - Best engineers understand when AWS isn't the right solution
• Resistance to automation - Manual processes don't scale in cloud environments
• Poor cost awareness - Cloud engineers must understand financial implications
• Security afterthoughts - Security should be integrated into architectural thinking
• Communication gaps - Infrastructure engineers must translate technical concepts to business stakeholders

FAQ Section