DevOps Platform Engineering Lead

Cognizant is seeking a DevOps Platform Engineering Lead to establish an AWS Cloud Center of Excellence and transition from traditional operations to a product-led platform engineering model. The role involves designing secure cloud patterns, CI/CD standards, and automation frameworks to enhance developer efficiency while ensuring security and scalability.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the design and build-out of the AWS Cloud Center of Excellence, helping shift cloud operations from a ticket-based model to a product-led platform engineering model
• Define the platform strategy, standards, and reusable patterns that enable development teams to provision secure, scalable, and cost-efficient cloud infrastructure
• Design and deliver the top 3 to 5 golden paths for common application and infrastructure patterns, including Kubernetes, serverless, and VM-based workloads
• Create reusable Infrastructure as Code templates using Terraform and/or Ansible, with embedded standards for security, networking, monitoring, tagging, and governance
• Build standardized networking templates, including subnets, routing tables, security groups, endpoints, NAT gateways, and firewall patterns
• Automate the creation of golden images, including AMI standards, EC2 Image Builder pipelines, OS hardening, vulnerability scanning, and image lifecycle controls
• Establish Kubernetes and serverless platform foundations for modern application hosting, including Amazon EKS and/or Azure AKS
• Define Kubernetes platform baselines, including private endpoints, RBAC/AD integration, node pools, autoscaling, encryption at rest, audit logging, security controls, and monitoring
• Create container standards, including Dockerfile baselines, container base image strategies, vulnerability scanning, SBOM generation, image signing, and promotion gates
• Define infrastructure image management standards, including base OS images, application-specific images, patching cadence, deprecation policies, and CVE response SLAs
• Define CI/CD standards for infrastructure provisioning and application deployment, including branching strategy, pull request standards, approval gates, automated testing, rollback patterns, and artifact management
• Implement policy-as-code controls using tools such as OPA, Conftest, Sentinel, Azure Policy, or AWS Service Control Policies
• Create self-service platform capabilities using tools such as Backstage and/or ServiceNow so developers can access approved templates, tools, and platform services
• Partner with application, infrastructure, security, and architecture teams to drive adoption of AWS DevOps, DevSecOps, and platform engineering standards

Requirements:

• 8+ years of experience in AWS DevOps, DevSecOps, platform engineering, cloud architecture, or infrastructure automation, with experience defining standards or leading platform engineering initiatives
• Proficiency with Amazon Kubernetes Services, including Amazon EKS
• Deep knowledge of DevSecOps practices, including security automation, vulnerability scanning, policy enforcement, compliance checks, and secure deployment patterns
• Proven background designing and implementing CI/CD standards, including pipeline design, branching strategies, approval workflows, release promotion, and rollback approaches
• Hands-on proficiency with Ansible and/or Terraform for Infrastructure as Code
• Strong experience with AWS DevOps, including cloud automation, infrastructure provisioning, deployment automation, monitoring, and governance
• Proficiency with GitHub, including repository standards, pull request practices, code owners, approval rules, and CI/CD integration
• Experience creating golden paths, reusable templates, standardized networking patterns, golden images, and self-service platform capabilities
• Knowledge of infrastructure image management, including AMIs, EC2 Image Builder pipelines, patching standards, vulnerability scanning, and image lifecycle controls
• Background with Kubernetes and serverless hosting patterns, including security, monitoring, scalability, and operational controls
• Working knowledge of containerization, Docker, container base images, and artifact repositories such as ECR, ACR, Artifactory, or similar platforms
• Strong understanding of cloud networking patterns, including subnets, routing tables, security groups, endpoints, NAT gateways, firewall patterns, and private connectivity
• Ability to partner with cross-functional teams to define standards, drive adoption, and support a product-led platform engineering model
• Background in helping establish or mature an AWS Cloud Center of Excellence
• Exposure to building internal developer platforms or self-service platform capabilities
• Experience with Backstage and/or ServiceNow
• Working knowledge of policy-as-code tools such as OPA, Conftest, Sentinel, Azure Policy, or AWS Service Control Policies
• Experience with SBOM generation, image signing, artifact promotion, and software supply chain security
• Familiarity with blue/green deployments, canary releases, progressive delivery, Argo Rollouts, Flagger, or feature flag strategies
• Experience supporting Kubernetes, serverless, and VM-based application patterns
• Experience creating documentation, reference architectures, starter templates, and developer enablement materials