Senior Engineer, Cloud

By joining the National Student Clearinghouse, you can be sure that the work you do now will help shape the future of education and the workforce in the U.S. As the trusted source for higher education data since 1993, the Clearinghouse is the leading provider of transcript and data exchange services, automated enrollment and degree verifications, learner insights and research, and compliance solutions for schools, businesses, and learners nationwide. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Clearinghouse works with nearly 3,600 postsecondary institutions to meet their compliance needs and with thousands of high schools and districts to provide continuing collegiate enrollment, progression, and completion statistics about their alumni. In addition, the Research Center publications inform policymakers and business leaders about student educational pathways. Using our unique combination of data, analytics, and software to drive our mission, security and privacy is paramount. Join us as we continue to invest in our talent and new advanced technologies to unlock the power of data on behalf of all learners.

The Senior Engineer, Cloud is responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining secure, reliable, and scalable cloud infrastructure. This role focuses on migrating on-premise applications to AWS and other cloud platforms, optimizing performance, and ensuring high availability across multiple regions and availability zones. The position requires strong expertise in Linux systems, automation, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to support enterprise modernization initiatives.

Currently, this is a remote-first position, and this position may be required to periodically work on-site at our office and the frequency would depend on the department/division's requirements. Therefore, candidates must either reside within a reasonable distance to commute to our office or be willing to travel to our office in Herndon, when required.

• Demonstrate the Clearinghouse's core competencies: Customer Focus, Optimizes Work Processes, Collaborates, Communicates Effectively, and Be Open and Authentic.
• Actively participate in the reengineering and migration of on-premise applications to AWS and other cloud platforms, with a focus on Linux servers and open-source technologies.
• Support applications in an AIX & Linux -based cloud environment comprised of custom-built applications, SaaS solutions, and open-source components.
• Ensure all Linux application services are monitored, and performance meets or exceeds established SLAs.
• Administer access, rights, and privileges to Clearinghouse staff on Linux systems in cloud environments.
• Configure, monitor, and manage Linux servers and infrastructure and cloud management services.
• Ensure continuous operation of servers and components through effective patch management, backup and archival of data, and ensuring that monitoring/alerting needs are met.
• Create, maintain, and operate all servers and infrastructure devices including troubleshooting, patching, backups, monitoring and alerting, architectural and operational documentation, creating and managing AWS VPC, URL proxies, and Bastion Hosts.
• Develop and deploy automation infrastructure as code using the AWS Cloud Formation templates as part of the CI/CD process. Ensure that any infrastructure deployed is correctly sized based on the environmental needs and projected volume of data/transactions tools.
• Ensure all application components are monitored, performance is baselined, and actual performance meets or exceeds established SLAs.
• Ensure all application components are monitored, performance is baselined, and actual performance meets or exceeds established SLAs.
• Collaborating with application support teams, architects, and others in support of IT projects.
• Actively participate with scrum teams in the development of new functions and features by provisioning needed services, assigning access levels, and developing cloud formation templates to deploy infrastructure as software in all environments.
• Effectively monitor cloud optimization strategies, budget planning, governance, and reporting within AWS and Azure.
• Create and maintain system documentation (e.g., network/system architecture, daily operational procedures, disaster recovery procedures, and checklists) for all environments.
• Monitor system components and application processing to proactively identify incidents, resolve issues, and participate in root cause analysis.
• Collaborate and share knowledge with team members.
• Establish and maintain a strong working relationship with all team members.
• Demonstrate openness with positive intent for entertaining new perspectives and ideas.

Position may be required to perform other duties as required. These essential functions are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the job. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• Bachelors degree in Computer Information Systems, Computer Science or other related technical field. A combination of education and experience including military service will also be considered.
• 10 years of overall IT experience.
• 5 years years of experience in roles supporting IT infrastructure.
• 3 years of related AWS cloud-based IT infrastructure experience.
• Experience:
  
  
  
  • Managing and monitoring systems using tools such as Cloud Watch, Cloud Trail, and X-Ray, etc.
  • Migrating traditional infrastructure to Linux-based cloud environments.
  • Working knowledge of SVN, GIT, Code Commit.
  • With Linux security hardening (SELinux, iptables, firewall, IAM policies). working knowledge of Networking Elastic Load Balancers (ELB), VPN, Transit Gateway, Direct Connect and VPC Peering.
  • With Windows and/or Linux operating system experience in administration and troubleshooting.
  • With system installation of high availability/fault tolerance IT environments, including cloud, networking, and back- end data systems.
  • Collaborating with application support teams, architects, and others in support of IT projects.
  • With disaster Recovery planning and execution.
  
  
  
  
• Demonstrated ability to provide backup system operation.
• Familiarity with the ITIL service delivery, including system processes and documentation (architectural, logical, functional drawings and creation and maintenance of standard operating procedures).
• Strong organizational skills (must be detail-oriented), and the ability to resolve problems quickly and successfully.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to communicate technical and nontechnical messages to all levels of staff.
• Demonstrates ability to work independently with little supervision and be a team player.
• Demonstrates the Clearinghouse's core competencies: customer focus, optimizes work processes, communicates effectively, collaborates, and is open and authentic.
• Must live within a commutable distance to Herndon, VA or in one of the Clearinghouse's approved States for hiring purposes. Refer to our HR Policies Page, located on our Careers site at https://www.studentclearinghouse.org/careers/human-resource-policies/, for more details.
• Must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. We do not intend to sponsor external applicants for work visas, and may consider sponsorship only if no qualified candidates can be found who are authorized to work without sponsorship.
• Must be at least 18 years old.

Additional Desired Qualifications:

• Possession of an AWS SysOPS Administrator Associate certification or Linux Foundation certifications (LFCS, LFCE) is highly desirable.

• Use of a computer for 8 or more hours a day.
• Use of a telephone and/or copy machine.
• Frequently required to sit for 7 or more hours per day.
• Occasionally required to use hands and fingers to operate, handle, and reach.
• Vision abilities include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.
• Must be flexible to do out-of-town assignments and travel occasionally when needed.
• Must be able to work during maintenance windows, after business hours, and may be required to provide on-call remote, or 24/7 technical support.

The National Student Clearinghouse provides a robust benefit program designed to help meet the needs of each employee and their family, both now and in the future. We offer comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as life and disability insurance benefits, for employees and their qualified dependents. Health care, dependent care, and limited purpose flexible spending accounts, as well as a health savings account with annual employer contributions of $300 for employees and $600 for employees who are enrolled with their spouse and/or dependents, voluntary supplemental health plans for Accident and Hospital Indemnity coverage, and infertility coverage are options available for employees to set aside pre-taxed dollars for certain qualifying expenses. We offer a very generous 401k matching contribution program with the opportunity to defer pre-tax and Roth contributions, as well as catch-up contributions for those who are eligible! We are proud to offer a competitive paid leave program consisting of vacation, sick, and personal time, as well as paid holidays, up to 3 weeks of paid parental leave during a 12-month period , and up to 5 days of paid military leave per calendar year . Vacation time will accrue based on length of service, and new full-time hires can accrue up to 13 days of vacation and up to 10 days of sick time per year. On an annual basis, new employees may use up to 32 hours of accrued sick time as personal time. Additionally, the Clearinghouse observes at least 15 paid holidays per year, including company year-end close between Christmas and New Years Holidays.

Another perk is that employees have the option to get reimbursed for basic wholesale company and roadside assistance memberships (e.g., Costco and AAA) and to request a buy back on portions of unused accrued vacation based on tenure and certain other qualifications. Employees can further their education and professional development by using our Employee Education Assistance Program, which establishes reimbursement for qualified education expenses upon successful completion of the program, and leveraging the enterprise-wide LinkedIn Learning subscription. There are additional employee benefits too, including but not limited to, mental health with up to eight free therapy sessions for employees and their family members and well-being reward benefits. With the Clearinghouse being an eligible 501(3)(c) nonprofit organization, employees are eligible for service credit towards the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF). To find out more, please request a copy of our Benefits at a Glance!

Additionally, we reasonably believe that the salary range for this position is between $122,000 - $159,000.

The pay range listed above represents a general guideline and is not a guarantee of compensation or salary, and the National Student Clearinghouse considers a number of factors when determining base pay for offers, which include but are not limited to, responsibilities and scope of the job and the candidate's experience, education, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Internal Candidates: If you feel that you qualify and meet the requirements of the job, we highly encourage you to apply and focus on preparing for the application process. Once the final candidates are selected, they can anticipate a review of the compensation prior to any offer made.

This job announcement was posted to the National Student Clearinghouse's Careers site at www.studentclearinghouse.org/careers on 1/6/2026 and the online application period will be open for at least 3 days. A completed online application is required to be considered for this opportunity.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities: The National Student Clearinghouse is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability or handicap, sex, marital status, veteran status (or known to have a spousal, family, business, social or other relationship or association with a protected veteran), sexual orientation, genetic information, arrest record, natural hairstyle, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. Our management team is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities and general treatment during employment.

Pay Transparency Notice: The National Student Clearinghouse is a federal contractor that abides by all applicable equal opportunity laws and regulations. Under these laws, companies doing business with the federal government must provide applicants and employees with certain policies, including the following information. The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)