Principal Engineer (Google Cloud) (Remote From Anywhere In CO)

Together, we innovate for a stronger Colorado

The work of employees at the Governor's Office of Information Technology (OIT) is challenging and diverse because the needs of agencies, customers and Coloradans constantly evolve. But our focus never changes: improve the lives of all Coloradans through innovation and collaboration. We're building one of the nation's leading government IT organizations by reimagining how we support agencies, building first-of-their-kind applications, and creating an inclusive, collaborative culture, together. Join us in the important work of providing equitable access to services.

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IMPORTANT NOTE: Please review your application to ensure completion. For the most equitable applicant experience, OIT’s hiring team considers only the contents of your application to review your qualifications. Please do not include any attachments (such as resume or cover letter) with your application as these items are not used by OIT’s hiring team.  

Are you a strategic, collaborative tech leader ready to shape the future of state cloud operations? 

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) is seeking a Google Cloud Principal Engineer to serve as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) and lead enterprise-level Google Cloud project initiatives. In this key role, you will drive digital transformation by engineering scalable, secure, and automated Google Cloud solutions using modern practices such as Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and Policy as Code (PaC). You will align Google Cloud architecture strategy with state business priorities, pilot innovative technologies, manage complex cloud workloads, and provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineering teams—directly impacting continuous IT innovation, security compliance, and the delivery of highly reliable cloud services. 

To be successful in this role, candidates must combine deep Google Cloud technical acumen—including expertise in core architecture, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), and Policy as Code (PaC)—with strong leadership and execution capabilities. Ideal candidates demonstrate proactive initiative in driving technical innovation, exceptional process improvement skills to automate workflows and eliminate operational waste, and the ability to resolve conflicts and guide empowered teams toward reliable, high-quality project delivery. 

Essential Duties:

• Strategic Google Cloud Engineering & Project Initiatives: Interpret business, technical, security, and architectural requirements to design and deploy enterprise-wide Google Cloud solutions. 

Outcome: Google Cloud applications and infrastructure directly advance state agency priorities, accelerate digital service delivery, and maximize technology investments.

• Automation & Infrastructure as Code (IaC/PaC): Engineer and manage workflows in a multi-tenant cloud environment, championing the use of Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Policy as Code (PaC), and automated deployment pipelines. 

Outcome: Consistent, repeatable, and secure cloud environments that minimize manual intervention and reduce delivery bottlenecks.

• Continuous IT Innovation & Collaboration: Pilot or build proofs of concept for emerging Google Cloud technologies and APIs in partnership with sustaining resources. Coordinate with internal operations teams to transition solutions to implementation. 

Outcome: Enhanced operational productivity and the seamless adoption of innovative, modern, cloud-native technology capabilities.

• Stakeholder Partnership & Intake Request Management: Serve as a technical, customer-facing liaison by directly interacting with state agencies and vendors. Handle intake requests, conduct comprehensive information gathering, and clarify technical requirements to bridge the gap between business needs and cloud capabilities. 

Outcome: Improved stakeholder satisfaction, transparent communication, and precise alignment of product demands with technical feasibility. 

• Cyber Security & Compliance Governance: Ensure Google Cloud architectures strictly adhere to state cyber security standards, data privacy protocols, and regulatory requirements. Translate cyber security requirements into actionable platform designs, coordinate required vulnerability scanning, and develop proactive remediation plans with Security Operations. 

Outcome: Highly secure cloud ecosystems, reduced cyber vulnerability risks, proactive threat mitigation, and the safe handling of sensitive state and public data. 

• Documentation, Reporting & Best Practices: Document and communicate standard Google Cloud best practices, ensuring agency-level compliance requirements are adhered to and established security policies are followed. 

Outcome: Standardized, highly compliant Google Cloud systems, reduced vulnerability risks, and secure handling of sensitive state and public data.

• Legacy Rationalization & Tech Debt Reduction: Drive efforts to modernize enterprise systems, evaluate Google Cloud modernization opportunities, and recommend technical-debt remediation. 

Outcome: Lower maintenance overhead, improved platform stability, and modern cloud architecture supporting future scale.

• Build team psychological safety by encouraging and supporting team members in taking risks, leading them through teachable moments, and encouraging participation from everyone.

A wide salary range is posted for this position and any job offer is based upon a salary analysis to comply with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. The salary analysis considers relevant experience, education, certifications, and state seniority as compared to others doing substantially similar work. While all offers are compliant with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, there is no guarantee an offer will be at the top of the posted range based on the salary analysis. 

This is a skills-based job announcement. The required minimum qualifications and/or education (if substituting for the proven experience, knowledge, and skills), are as follows: 

Minimum Qualifications:

• A minimum of seven (7) years of experience in cloud engineering, DevOps, IT infrastructure, or software development.

• Demonstrate hands-on competency with mainstream GCP systems, such as projects, folders, VPC, networking, cloud databases, BigQuery, cloud storage, containers, cloud functions, VMs, load balancers, WAF, WIF, etc.

• Proven experience automating cloud operations and infrastructure using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like Terraform.

• Experience designing and managing continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) pipelines.

Substitutions:

• Additional appropriate education will substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis, but cannot completely substitute for these qualifications. 

• Training or Certification related to the work assigned to the position will be assigned credit towards substitution for experience and/or education, but cannot completely substitute for these qualifications. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Active Google Cloud Certifications, such as Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer, Professional Cloud Architect, or Associate Cloud Engineer.

• Hands-on experience deploying and managing containerized applications using Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE). Additional orchestration certifications, such as Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) or Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD), are a strong plus.

• Understanding of cloud cost optimization, budget allocation, and resource tuning within GCP environments.

• Previous IT or engineering experience within a state, local, or federal government setting.

Conditions of Employment:

OIT employees must comply with any screening procedures in place at state agency locations where they might perform work. 

A pre-employment background check will be conducted as part of the selection process. Post-employment background checks will be required for specific agencies as business needs dictate, which may include a polygraph exam, fingerprint-based criminal history search, reference checks, and a drug test.

This position may require travel within the specified geographic area, and to locations across the state as needed. 

If this posting indicates “remote from anywhere in CO” in the title, periodic reporting to the primary state work location designated for the position is required. All remote work must be performed in Colorado. 

While candidates from out of state will be considered for this role, the candidate selected for the position must relocate and reside in Colorado on the first day of their new position.  A reasonable timeframe for relocation will be established on an individual basis, while considering business needs, and determining a start date.

We know it's important to support each other, and that means having a healthy balance of work and personal time. Visit our benefits to learn more about some of our great offerings that allow us all to have fulfilling lives. 

Visit our How to Apply webpage to learn more about our application process and what to expect after you apply.

The State of Colorado strives to create a Colorado for All by building and maintaining workplaces that value and respect all Coloradans through a commitment to equal opportunity and hiring based on merit and fitness.  The State is resolute in non-discriminatory practices in everything we do, including hiring, employment, and advancement opportunities.

The Governor's Office of Information Technology is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or to perform essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to our ADA Coordinator at [email protected] or call (303) 764-7900.

This posting may be used to fill multiple vacancies based upon business need. 

The Governor's Office of Information Technology does NOT offer sponsored Visas for employment purposes.