Information Technology Specialist (Cloud Operation Support)

Job Title

The STAA team is seeking an experienced professional to plan, design, and manage cloud infrastructure and operational processes; and provide expert guidance to leadership, project teams, and cross-organizational stakeholders to advance GAO's capabilities.

Specifically, the incumbent will:

• Lead the design, implementation, and continuous optimization of Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud infrastructure across the Innovation Lab's multi-account and multi-tenant environment, including Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), and other evolving as-a-service capabilities.
• Architect and implement AWS Service Catalog portfolios, products, and constraints to enable secure, standardized, and repeatable provisioning of cloud resources across accounts and teams.
• Design and implement infrastructure-as-code (IaC) solutions using tools such as AWS CloudFormation, Terraform, or AWS CDK to automate the provisioning, configuration, and management of cloud environments.
• Evaluate emerging AWS services, tools, and third-party solutions, and make authoritative recommendations to leadership on adoption, integration, or retirement of cloud capabilities.
• Design and manage identity and access management (IAM) strategies across cloud services, cloud infrastructure, and Innovation Lab tools, ensuring alignment with federal security standards and GAO cybersecurity policies.
• Develop and implement automated compliance monitoring and security controls using AWS-native services (e.g., AWS Config, CloudTrail, GuardDuty, Security Hub) and recommend remediation strategies for identified vulnerabilities.
• Lead the coordination, reporting, and documentation of cybersecurity events and incidents with the incident response team and across matrixed stakeholders, conducting root cause analysis and implementing preventive measures.
• Supports cloud financial management (FinOps) practices by analyzing resource utilization across services through AWS billing, cost management, and optimization tools (e.g., Cost Explorer, Trusted Advisor, Compute Optimizer). Develop actionable strategies for cost optimization and present findings and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Establish and maintain cloud budgeting frameworks, forecasting models, and chargeback/showback mechanisms to ensure transparency and accountability of cloud expenditures.
• Facilitate and drive Agile ceremonies, including sprint planning, retrospectives, and program increment (PI) planning sessions within the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), ensuring alignment of technical execution with strategic objectives.
• Define and continuously improve Agile processes and operational workflows to increase delivery velocity, quality, and cross-team coordination. Identify and resolve impediments that affect delivery across release trains and sprints.
• Coordinate and integrate external stakeholder inputs into Agile planning processes, balancing competing priorities and negotiating scope and timeline adjustments with project teams and leadership.
• Serve as a Contracting Officer Representative (COR) with responsibility for overseeing high-value and technically complex contracts. Execute the full range of contract administration activities, including developing and refining Statements of Work (SOWs) and Performance Work Statements (PWSs), evaluating contractor performance, leading in-scope and performance discussions, and planning for renewal, option exercise, or recompete actions.
• Conduct market research and analysis to inform acquisition strategies. Advise leadership on acquisition approaches, contract vehicles, and sourcing decisions that align with the Innovation Lab's strategic objectives and GAO procurement policies.
• Monitor contractor activities to ensure compliance with contract provisions, deliverable quality, and alignment with technical requirements. Identify and resolve contract performance issues, as appropriate.
• Serve as the subject matter expert (SME) and principal technical advisor to Innovation Lab leadership on cloud operations, DevSecOps, and IT infrastructure matters.
• Represent the Innovation Lab in cross-organizational working groups, governance boards, and agency-level forums involving internal and external stakeholders. Advocate for the Lab's technical requirements and contribute to enterprise-wide cloud and IT strategies.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior staff, detailees, and contractor personnel on cloud technologies, operational processes, and best practices.
• Lead operational activities of the Innovation Lab, including strategic event planning, outreach to mission and operation teams, schedule alignment across programs, training management, and compliance assessments. Develop and implement operational policies and standard operating procedures.
• Other duties as assigned.