Cloud computing job description templates by role: cloud engineer, architect, administrator, DevOps, security, and support. With FLSA and hiring guidance.
Cloud computing is a field, not a single job. 6 templates by role: cloud engineer, architect, administrator, DevOps, security, and junior support, with FLSA classification and a hire-vs-outsource decision aid. Download as DOCX.
Cloud computing is not a job title, it is a technology field, and that is the first thing to get right before writing a job description. Search for a cloud computing job description and you will find a tangle of very different roles bundled under one phrase: engineers, architects, administrators, DevOps specialists, security engineers, and support technicians, with salaries ranging from the $50,000s to well over $200,000. Naming the specific role you need is the whole job, and it is where most postings go wrong.
At FirstHR, we build hiring templates and give honest guidance, which here includes a question many small businesses should ask first: whether to hire a dedicated cloud role at all, or to contract the work out. The six templates below cover each core cloud role, with an explicit FLSA classification call and a hire-versus-outsource decision aid. For the fundamentals behind any posting, the guide to writing a job description is a useful companion.
TL;DR
Cloud computing is a field, not a single job. The core roles are Cloud Engineer, Architect, Administrator, DevOps/Platform Engineer, Security Engineer, and Junior Support Technician. Most are senior, six-figure, and exempt (median roughly $96,000 to $130,000); only the junior support role is typically non-exempt. Many small businesses are better off outsourcing cloud work than hiring. Download six role-specific templates as a DOCX.
Cloud Computing Roles: One Field, Many Jobs
Cloud computing is a technology field that spans several distinct jobs, not a single role. Before writing a job description, you have to decide which specific position you need, because a cloud engineer, a cloud architect, and a junior support technician do very different work at very different pay levels.
For the employer, this disambiguation is the most important step. The closest federal occupations span network and computer systems administrators (SOC 15-1244) and the more senior computer network architects (SOC 15-1241), among others. The roles differ enormously in seniority, pay, and classification, which is why the templates below are organized by specific role rather than the generic cloud computing label.
The Six Core Cloud Roles
Here are the six core roles the cloud computing field breaks into, from the most senior architect down to the entry-level support technician. Pick the one that matches the work you actually need.
Cloud Engineer
Builds and runs infrastructure
Designs, builds, and maintains cloud infrastructure and automation. The core cloud build role. Senior, salaried, and exempt.
Cloud Architect
Owns strategy and design
Defines cloud architecture, standards, and strategy across the organization. The most senior cloud role. Salaried and exempt.
Cloud Administrator
Day-to-day operations
Administers accounts, resources, monitoring, and updates. Keeps the cloud running. Usually exempt; confirm by duties.
Cloud DevOps / Platform Engineer
Automation and CI/CD
Builds the platform teams ship on: automation, pipelines, containers, and reliability. Senior, salaried, and exempt.
Cloud Security Engineer
Secures the environment
Designs and enforces cloud security, identity, and compliance. High-level analytical work. Salaried and exempt.
Junior Cloud Support Technician
Entry-level support
First-line support, basic account tasks, and monitoring, escalating complex work. The one typically non-exempt cloud role.
Cloud Computing Salaries by Role
Cloud roles are predominantly six-figure positions, with only the junior tier sitting lower. Anchor your offer to the specific role and your local market.
Mostly Six Figures: $96,000 to $130,000+ Medians (BLS May 2024)
Federal wage data puts the median for network and computer systems administrators around $96,800 (10th percentile $60,320, 90th over $150,320) and for computer network architects around $130,390 (10th percentile $79,520, 90th over $198,030) as of May 2024 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Software and cloud engineering roles run similarly high. The one lower tier is junior support, where a junior cloud administrator or technician can fall in the $50,000s to low $70,000s.
Role
Typical level
Pay direction
Typical FLSA
Cloud Architect
Most senior
Highest, often $130,000+
Exempt
Cloud Security Engineer
Senior
High six figures
Exempt
Cloud Engineer
Mid to senior
Six figures
Exempt
DevOps / Platform Engineer
Mid to senior
Six figures
Exempt
Cloud Administrator
Mid
Around or above $96,000
Usually exempt
Junior Cloud Support Technician
Entry
$50,000s to low $70,000s
Non-exempt
The pattern is clear: cloud is a senior, expensive field, with the junior support technician as the one entry-level, non-exempt exception.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by the specific role you need. Each follows the same structure but reflects the scope, pay, and classification of that role. Use this guide to choose, then adjust.
Match the Template to the Role
Building and running infrastructure? Cloud Engineer. Defining strategy and design? Cloud Architect. Day-to-day operations? Cloud Administrator. Automation, CI/CD, and platform? DevOps / Platform Engineer. Securing the environment? Cloud Security Engineer. An entry-level, hands-on support hire? Junior Cloud Support Technician, the one typically non-exempt role. The first five are senior, salaried, and exempt.
6 Free Cloud Computing Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: company and job summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, compensation with the classification note, and how to apply, with an EEO statement. Fill in the brackets and post.
Download All 6 Job Description Templates
Cloud engineer, architect, administrator, DevOps, security, and junior support versions. All in one DOCX.
Template 1: Cloud Engineer
Designs, builds, and maintains cloud infrastructure and automation. The core cloud build role. Senior, salaried, and exempt.
Cloud Engineer Job Description
CLOUD ENGINEER JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __
Location: __ ([City, State] / Remote)
Reports to: [Engineering Lead / CTO / IT Director]
Employment type: Full-time
FLSA status: Exempt (computer employee)
Compensation: $______ [salary]
ABOUT [COMPANY NAME]
[Two or three sentences about your company, your cloud environment (AWS,
Azure, GCP), and the systems this engineer will build and run. Cloud
engineering is senior technical work, so describe the scope and the stack.]
JOB SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring a Cloud Engineer to design, build, and maintain our
cloud infrastructure: provisioning and automating environments, managing
deployments, optimizing performance and cost, and keeping our systems secure
and reliable. You will own the cloud platform our applications run on.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Design, build, and maintain cloud infrastructure
•Automate provisioning with infrastructure as code
•Manage deployments, scaling, and reliability
•Optimize cloud performance, cost, and security
•Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines
•Monitor systems and respond to incidents
•Document architecture and operational procedures
•Collaborate with developers and IT on cloud needs
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Bachelor's in computer science or equivalent experience
•[3+] years of cloud or infrastructure engineering experience
•Hands-on with AWS, Azure, or GCP
•Infrastructure as code (Terraform, CloudFormation) and scripting
•Knowledge of networking, security, and CI/CD
•Cloud certification (AWS, Azure, GCP) a plus
COMPENSATION AND CLASSIFICATION
Compensation: $______ [salary]
This is an exempt computer-employee role under the FLSA: the primary duty is
systems analysis, design, and development, and the role is paid on a salary
basis above the federal threshold. [See the classification section. This is
general information, not legal advice.]
Benefits: __
To apply, send your resume to __ by _.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Template 2: Cloud Architect
Defines cloud architecture, standards, and strategy across the organization. The most senior cloud role. Salaried and exempt.
Cloud Architect Job Description
CLOUD ARCHITECT JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __
Location: __
Reports to: [CTO / VP Engineering]
Employment type: Full-time
FLSA status: Exempt (computer / professional)
Compensation: $______ [salary]
JOB SUMMARY
[Company Name] is hiring a Cloud Architect to define and own our cloud
strategy and architecture: designing scalable, secure, cost-effective cloud
solutions, setting standards, and guiding engineering teams. This is a senior
role that shapes how our entire cloud environment is built.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Define cloud architecture, strategy, and standards
[Company Name] is hiring a Junior Cloud Support Technician to provide
first-line support for our cloud environment: handling support tickets,
basic account and access tasks, monitoring alerts, and routine maintenance,
escalating anything complex to engineering. This is an entry-level, hands-on
support role and a path into cloud engineering.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Handle cloud support tickets and user requests
•Manage basic accounts, access, and permissions
•Monitor alerts and dashboards, escalate issues
•Perform routine maintenance and checks
•Assist with deployments and configuration tasks
•Document issues, solutions, and procedures
•Support engineers with hands-on cloud tasks
•Learn cloud platforms and tooling on the job
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•High school diploma; associate's or certifications a plus
•[0-2] years of IT or cloud support experience
•Familiarity with a cloud platform (AWS, Azure, GCP) a plus
•Basic networking, troubleshooting, and ticketing skills
•Eager to learn cloud technologies
•Reliable, organized, and a clear communicator
COMPENSATION AND CLASSIFICATION
Pay: $______ to $______ per hour
This is the one cloud role that is typically non-exempt: a junior support
technician whose primary duty is troubleshooting, installation, and
maintenance rather than systems analysis or design is non-exempt and owed
overtime over 40 hours a week, even on a salary. [See the classification
section. Post a pay range where your state requires it. This is general
information, not legal advice.]
Benefits: __
To apply, send your resume to __ by _.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Are Cloud Roles Exempt or Non-Exempt?
This question has a clear answer for cloud roles, and it runs opposite to most roles a small business hires: senior cloud roles are exempt and not owed overtime, with only the junior support tier non-exempt. Knowing this shapes the budget and the classification.
Cloud engineer, architect, DevOps, or security engineer
Exempt (computer employee)
These roles have a primary duty of systems analysis, design, development, and similarly skilled computer work, and are paid on a salary basis well above the federal threshold. They are paradigmatic exempt computer professionals under the computer-employee exemption, and architects often also qualify under the professional or highly compensated exemptions. They are salaried and not owed overtime.
Cloud administrator doing systems administration and configuration
Usually exempt
A cloud administrator whose primary duty is analytical systems administration, configuration, and management generally qualifies for the computer-employee exemption and is paid above the salary threshold. The classification is usually exempt, but it should be confirmed against the actual duties, since the line between analytical administration and routine support matters.
Junior cloud support technician doing troubleshooting and maintenance
Non-exempt (owed overtime)
This is the one cloud role that is typically non-exempt. A junior support technician whose primary duty is installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting rather than systems analysis or development does not meet the computer-employee exemption's duties test, so the role is non-exempt and owed overtime over 40 hours a week, even if paid a salary. This is the entry-level role most relevant to a smaller team.
Any cloud role, regardless of title or salary
Classify by duties
A title alone never determines exempt status, and neither does paying a salary. The computer-employee exemption requires both a qualifying pay level and a primary duty of systems analysis, design, or development. Most cloud roles clearly meet both, but a role whose real day is routine support or hardware work is non-exempt regardless of what it is called. Classify by the actual primary duty.
The federal pay test for the exemption is a salary of $684 per week or an hourly rate at or above the regulatory level, which every senior cloud role clears easily, so for these roles the analysis is straightforward: exempt. The junior support technician is the exception. The exempt versus non-exempt guide and the Fair Labor Standards Act overview explain the tests in more depth. This is general information, not legal advice.
Should a Small Business Hire or Outsource?
Before writing any cloud job description, a small business should answer an honest question: is a dedicated cloud hire the right move, or is contracting the work out the better choice? For many smaller companies, outsourcing wins on cost and coverage. Here is how to decide.
When to outsource to an MSP or contractor
For most businesses under roughly 50 to 100 employees with standard cloud needs, contracting cloud work to a managed service provider or a specialist firm is more cost-effective than a dedicated hire. A fully managed package for a small company typically runs a fraction of a single senior cloud salary, and you get a team's worth of coverage instead of one person. If your cloud needs are routine, your environment is standard, or you cannot keep a senior engineer busy and challenged full time, outsourcing is usually the right call. Federal labor data notes that small firms with minimal IT requirements often find it more cost-effective to contract these services than to hire directly.
When a dedicated cloud hire makes sense
A full-time cloud engineer or architect becomes worthwhile when cloud is central to your product or operations, your environment is complex or proprietary, you have enough ongoing work to keep a senior engineer fully engaged, and the cost of downtime or a security gap justifies in-house ownership. This is typically a larger organization, often 100 employees or more, or a smaller technology company whose product runs on the cloud. A senior cloud hire is a six-figure salary commitment, so it should map to a genuine, continuous need rather than occasional projects.
The middle path: a junior support hire plus outside expertise
A growing business that needs hands-on cloud help but not a full architect can hire a junior cloud support technician for day-to-day tickets, monitoring, and maintenance, while contracting the senior design and architecture work to an outside firm. The junior support role is the one cloud position that fits a smaller team, is genuinely entry-level, and is typically non-exempt and overtime-eligible. This combination gives you on-site responsiveness without committing to a six-figure senior salary before the workload justifies it.
If the decision lands on hiring, pick the specific role above and use the matching template. If it lands on a middle path, the junior support template plus an outside firm is often the most realistic setup for a growing business.
Skills and Certifications
Cloud roles weight platform expertise and certifications heavily. Match the certification level to the seniority, and treat credentials as a strong signal alongside hands-on experience.
Role
Core skills
Certification level
Cloud Engineer
Infrastructure as code, scripting, a cloud platform
Keep the posting neutral and inclusive, since the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that express a preference based on a protected characteristic, and the SHRM guide covers the standard sections of a job description. List certifications as a plus rather than a hard requirement unless the role genuinely demands one. Once the posting is live, FirstHR stores the offer and onboarding records it generates, including certifications. Applicant tracking is coming soon to manage the candidates a cloud posting brings in.
Hiring Cloud Talent at a Small Business
A large organization hires cloud talent into a structured engineering team. A small business faces a different reality: cloud roles are senior and expensive, the field bundles several distinct jobs, and outsourcing is often the smarter choice. Here is how to approach it honestly.
Cloud computing is a field, not a single job, so pick the actual role first
Cloud computing is not one job title, it is a technology area that spans several distinct roles, and a job description has to name the specific one. A cloud engineer builds and runs infrastructure. A cloud architect defines strategy and design. A cloud administrator handles day-to-day operations. A DevOps or platform engineer automates the platform teams ship on. A cloud security engineer secures the environment. A junior cloud support technician provides first-line help. These differ enormously in seniority, pay, and the kind of work involved, so a posting titled simply cloud computing will attract a confusing mix of candidates. Decide which specific role you need, then use the matching template. The role guide and templates on this page map each title to its scope, pay band, and classification so you can pick correctly.
Most cloud roles are senior, six-figure, and exempt, which shapes how you hire
Unlike many roles a small business hires, the mainstream cloud positions are senior technical jobs with six-figure pay. Federal wage data puts the median for network and computer systems administrators around $96,800 and for computer network architects around $130,390, with software and cloud engineering roles in a similar range, and the highest earners well over $150,000. These roles are also exempt computer professionals: their primary duty is systems analysis, design, and development, so they are salaried and not owed overtime. The practical implication for hiring is that a cloud engineer or architect is a major salary commitment, not an entry-level hire, and the usual overtime considerations do not apply to them. The one exception is a junior cloud support technician, which is genuinely entry-level and typically non-exempt. Knowing which tier you are hiring changes the budget, the expectations, and the classification. This is general information, not legal advice.
A small business often should not hire a dedicated cloud role at all
The honest answer for many small businesses is that a full-time cloud hire is not the right move. Companies under roughly 50 to 100 employees with standard cloud needs usually find it more cost-effective to contract cloud work to a managed service provider or a specialist firm than to commit to a six-figure in-house salary, and federal labor data makes the same point about small firms outsourcing IT. Where a smaller team does need hands-on cloud help, the realistic hire is a junior cloud support technician for day-to-day operations, with senior architecture and engineering work contracted out. If your business does reach the point of hiring a dedicated cloud engineer or architect, the hire is significant enough that getting the offer, classification, and onboarding right matters. That is where FirstHR fits: send and e-sign the offer letter, run a repeatable onboarding workflow that captures the I-9, W-4, and security and systems-access acknowledgments, and store certifications and signed documents in document management. To be clear on scope, FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform; it does not run payroll, cloud infrastructure, or device management, so pair it with those tools. Applicant tracking is coming soon.
From Hiring to Onboarding
If you do hire a dedicated cloud role, the job description is step one. Once a candidate accepts, the same details become the offer and onboarding, with two things worth getting right early: documenting the classification, exempt for an engineer or architect, non-exempt for a junior support hire, and provisioning secure system access, since a cloud hire touches sensitive infrastructure from day one.
Send the offer
Confirm the specific role, salary or hourly pay, classification, and start date in writing, and get the offer signed with e-signature.
Document the classification
Record the exempt basis for an engineer or architect, or the non-exempt basis and time tracking for a junior support hire.
Provision access securely
Form I-9, W-4 and state tax forms, plus security and cloud-access acknowledgments, since a cloud hire touches sensitive systems on day one.
Onboard and store certs
Train on your environment and security policies, and store cloud certifications (AWS, Azure, GCP) with a structured first-week plan.
Once your offer is ready, the offer letter template handles the core terms, an onboarding template gives the new hire a structured start, and the new hire paperwork guide covers the I-9, tax forms, and state reporting. FirstHR connects the offer, signatures, security and access acknowledgments, onboarding workflow, and document management, including storing cloud certifications, in one place so a small business can run the full hire-and-onboard cycle without an HR department. FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a payroll, cloud-infrastructure, or device-management system, so connect those separately. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Key Takeaways
Cloud computing is a field, not a single job; name the specific role (engineer, architect, administrator, DevOps, security, or support) before writing a description.
Most cloud roles are senior, six-figure positions, with medians roughly $96,000 to $130,000 and the highest earners well over $150,000.
Senior cloud roles are exempt computer professionals; only a junior cloud support technician is typically non-exempt and owed overtime.
Many small businesses are better off outsourcing cloud work to an MSP than committing to a six-figure in-house hire.
A realistic middle path for a growing business is a junior cloud support technician in-house plus contracted senior expertise.
If you do hire, classify by the actual primary duty, be realistic about pay, and provision secure access from day one.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a cloud computing job description?
There is no single cloud computing job, so a cloud computing job description has to name a specific role within the field. Cloud computing is a technology area that spans several distinct positions: a cloud engineer builds and maintains cloud infrastructure, a cloud architect defines strategy and design, a cloud administrator handles day-to-day operations, a DevOps or platform engineer automates the platform and deployments, a cloud security engineer secures the environment, and a junior cloud support technician provides first-line support. Each of these has its own scope, seniority, pay range, and overtime classification, so writing a job description starts with deciding which role you actually need. A posting that just says cloud computing without specifying the role will attract a confusing mix of candidates with very different skill sets and salary expectations. The templates on this page provide a separate, fill-in-the-blank job description for each of the six core roles.
What is the difference between a cloud engineer, architect, and administrator?
They sit at different levels of a cloud team. A cloud engineer is the core build role, designing, building, and maintaining cloud infrastructure, automation, and deployments hands-on. A cloud architect is the most senior, defining the overall cloud strategy, architecture, standards, and governance, and guiding engineers rather than doing all the building themselves. A cloud administrator is more operational, handling the day-to-day running of the cloud environment: accounts, resources, monitoring, updates, and routine maintenance. In simple terms, the architect decides what to build and why, the engineer builds and maintains it, and the administrator keeps it running. Pay rises along that ladder, with administrators typically earning the least of the three and architects the most. All three are senior, salaried, and generally exempt from overtime. A larger organization may have all three; a smaller one might have a single cloud engineer covering all of it, or contract the work out entirely.
How much do cloud computing roles pay?
Cloud computing roles are predominantly six-figure positions. Federal wage data for the closest occupations shows a median around $96,800 for network and computer systems administrators and around $130,390 for computer network architects as of May 2024, with software and cloud engineering roles in a similar range and the highest earners well over $150,000 to $200,000. Salary aggregators report even higher averages for specific cloud titles, often $140,000 to $190,000 for cloud engineers and architects, reflecting strong demand. The main exception is the junior or entry tier: a junior cloud administrator or support technician can fall in the $50,000s to low $70,000s, which is the only part of the field that sits below typical senior pay. For a posting, benchmark to the specific role and seniority and your local market, and include a salary range where your state's pay-transparency law requires it. The key takeaway is that a mainstream cloud hire is a significant salary commitment, not an entry-level cost. This is general information, not legal advice.
Are cloud computing roles exempt or non-exempt from overtime?
Most cloud computing roles are exempt and not owed overtime. Cloud engineers, architects, DevOps and platform engineers, and security engineers are paradigmatic exempt computer professionals: their primary duty is systems analysis, design, and development, and they are paid on a salary basis well above the federal threshold, which satisfies the computer-employee exemption. Cloud administrators are usually exempt as well when their work is analytical systems administration. The one notable exception is a junior cloud support technician whose primary duty is troubleshooting, installation, and maintenance rather than systems analysis or design. That role does not meet the exemption's duties test and is therefore non-exempt and owed overtime over 40 hours a week, even if paid a salary. As always, a job title never determines exempt status on its own, and neither does paying a salary; classification depends on the actual primary duty. For the typical senior cloud hire, exempt is the correct classification. This is general information, not legal advice.
Should a small business hire a cloud engineer or outsource?
For most small businesses, outsourcing cloud work is more cost-effective than hiring a dedicated cloud engineer. A company under roughly 50 to 100 employees with standard cloud needs can contract a managed service provider or specialist firm for a fraction of a single senior cloud salary, and get a team's worth of coverage rather than one person. Federal labor data notes that small firms with minimal IT requirements often find it more cost-effective to contract these services than to hire directly. A dedicated in-house cloud engineer or architect makes sense when cloud is central to your product or operations, your environment is complex or proprietary, and you have enough continuous work to keep a senior engineer fully engaged, which is typically a larger organization or a technology company whose product runs on the cloud. A middle path for a growing business is to hire a junior cloud support technician for hands-on day-to-day work while contracting senior architecture and engineering to an outside firm. Match the decision to your actual cloud workload and growth stage.
What certifications do cloud computing roles need?
Cloud roles place heavy weight on platform certifications, more than most fields. The major cloud providers offer tiered certifications that signal verified skill: associate-level credentials suit engineers and administrators, while professional and specialty-level credentials suit architects and senior engineers. For a cloud engineer or administrator, an associate-level certification from your platform of choice is a strong signal. For a cloud architect, a professional architect certification is often expected. A cloud security engineer benefits from security-specific certifications alongside a general security credential. For a DevOps or platform engineer, certifications in the platform plus container orchestration are valuable. For a junior support technician, a foundational cloud certification and a general IT support credential show readiness to learn. For a posting, list the certifications you value as a plus rather than a hard requirement unless the role genuinely demands one, since strong candidates often hold deep hands-on experience that matters as much as a credential. Match the certification level to the seniority of the role.
Do small businesses hire cloud computing roles?
Small businesses use cloud services heavily, but most do not hire dedicated cloud engineers or architects as employees. The economics usually favor contracting cloud management to a managed service provider or specialist firm, because a qualified cloud engineer or architect is a six-figure salary commitment that a smaller company rarely has enough continuous work to justify. Dedicated in-house cloud hires concentrate in larger organizations, often 100 employees or more, and in technology companies whose products run on the cloud. Where a smaller, growing business does bring cloud work in-house, the realistic first hire is usually a junior cloud support technician for day-to-day operations and tickets, with the senior design and architecture work contracted out. So while small businesses are major cloud users, the dedicated cloud roles in this field are more often a larger-company or tech-company hire, and the honest guidance for a small business is to weigh hiring against outsourcing before committing to a senior salary. The hire-versus-outsource section on this page walks through that decision.
What should a cloud computing job description include?
A strong cloud job description starts by naming the specific role, whether engineer, architect, administrator, DevOps, security, or support, rather than the generic cloud computing label, then includes a company summary with your cloud environment and stack, a job summary that makes the scope clear, and responsibilities matched to the role's level. It should specify the cloud platform you use, such as AWS, Azure, or GCP, name the certifications you value, set an experience bar matched to the seniority, and address the FLSA status, noting that senior cloud roles are exempt while a junior support role is non-exempt. Include a salary range where your state's pay-transparency law requires it, and be realistic about the six-figure pay most cloud roles command. For a small business, the description should also reflect an honest decision about whether the role is a genuine full-time need or whether the work is better contracted out. Close with an equal opportunity statement and clear apply instructions. This is general information, not legal advice.
