SecuritySMBEnterprise

Cloud Security Engineer

[Company Name] is looking for a Cloud Security Engineer to protect our cloud infrastructure and ensure our environments meet the highest security standards. You will design and enforce IAM policies, harden cloud configurations, build automated compliance monitoring, and respond to security events across our cloud platforms. This role is ideal for someone who combines deep cloud platform expertise with a security-first mindset.

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Key Responsibilities

Design and implement IAM policies, roles, and permission boundaries across cloud accounts
Harden cloud configurations using CIS benchmarks and industry best practices
Build and maintain automated compliance monitoring and alerting pipelines
Investigate and respond to cloud security incidents including unauthorized access and data exposure
Conduct security reviews of cloud architecture designs and Terraform / CloudFormation templates
Manage cloud-native security tools including GuardDuty, Security Hub, Defender for Cloud, or Security Command Center
Collaborate with DevOps teams to implement least-privilege access and network segmentation

Required Skills & Experience

3+ years of experience in cloud security or cloud engineering roles
Deep expertise with at least one major cloud platform (AWS, Azure, or GCP) security services
Strong knowledge of IAM design including roles, policies, service accounts, and cross-account access
Experience with cloud security posture management (CSPM) tools
Proficiency with infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, CloudFormation) and reviewing templates for security issues
Understanding of network security in cloud environments (security groups, NACLs, private endpoints)
Familiarity with logging and monitoring tools (CloudTrail, Azure Monitor, or GCP Audit Logs)
Knowledge of compliance frameworks relevant to cloud (SOC 2, CIS Benchmarks, NIST)

Nice-to-Have

Cloud security certifications (AWS Security Specialty, CCSP, Azure Security Engineer Associate)
Experience with multi-cloud security strategies
Knowledge of Kubernetes security (RBAC, network policies, pod security standards)
Familiarity with SIEM platforms (Splunk, Sentinel, Chronicle) for cloud log analysis
Experience with cloud forensics and incident response playbooks

Tech Stack

AWS IAMTerraformAWS GuardDutyAWS Security HubPrisma CloudCloudTrailKubernetesProwlerScoutSuite

What We Offer

Competitive salary and equity package
Flexible remote or hybrid work arrangement
Health, dental, and vision insurance
Annual learning and development budget
Generous PTO policy

Interview Process

1Recruiter phone screen (30 min) — role fit and logistics
2Technical phone screen (45 min) — cloud security fundamentals and IAM design
3Architecture exercise — design a secure multi-account cloud landing zone
4On-site or virtual loop (3 hours) — incident response scenario, policy review, and team fit
5Offer and reference checks

Hiring for this role? You might also need:

Interview Scorecards

Bar Raiser

Bar Raiser — Cross-Functional

Independent bar-raiser assessment ensuring the candidate raises the team's overall bar.

Culture & Values

Culture & Values Interview

Behavioral interview scorecard covering collaboration, ownership, and growth mindset.

Hiring Manager

Hiring Manager Final Round

Final evaluation by hiring manager: team fit, role alignment, and leadership potential.

Phone Screen

Recruiter Phone Screen (Universal)

General-purpose recruiter screen covering motivation, experience fit, and logistics.

Email Templates

Sourcing

Cold Outreach — Passive Developer

A personalized first-touch email to engage passive developers who aren't actively job hunting.

Interview Scheduling

Technical Interview Invitation

An email inviting a candidate to a technical interview with details on format, duration, and how to prepare.

Decision & Offer

Offer Letter Email

A congratulatory email extending a formal job offer with key terms and the attached offer letter.

Related Templates

Security

Common Screening Mistakes

Requiring experience on a specific cloud provider — cloud security principles (IAM, network segmentation, encryption) transfer well across AWS, Azure, and GCP with a short ramp-up
Dismissing candidates from DevOps or infrastructure backgrounds — many strong cloud security engineers started in cloud engineering roles and bring practical operational knowledge
Overweighting certifications over hands-on experience — a candidate who has actually secured a production cloud environment is more valuable than one who passed a certification exam

Red Flags

Cannot explain the principle of least privilege or give examples of how they applied it — this is the foundational concept of cloud security
No experience with any cloud-native security tooling — at minimum they should know tools like GuardDuty, Security Hub, or equivalent services on other clouds
Describes security only in terms of prevention with no mention of detection or response — cloud security requires a defense-in-depth approach

What Good Looks Like

A strong cloud security engineer can explain how they designed an IAM strategy for a real environment — including the trade-offs they made between security and developer productivity.
They talk about layered defenses — prevention, detection, and response — and can describe how they investigated a real security event using cloud logs and tooling.

Key Tech to Listen For

IAM policies and permission boundaries
Cloud security posture management (CSPM)
CloudTrail and audit log analysis
Service control policies and guardrails
Encryption at rest and in transit
CIS benchmarks and compliance automation