[Remote] Senior Cloud Engineer

Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Onyx Visual Effects is a company specializing in visual effects and cloud infrastructure. They are seeking a Senior Cloud Engineer to manage AWS services, optimize cloud resources for VFX workloads, and ensure compliance with security standards while collaborating with global teams.

Responsibilities

• Proficiency in AWS core services, including EC2 for compute, EFS/S3/EBS for storage, VPC networking, Security Groups, NACLs, Route 53, and Direct Connect for low-latency remote access
• Includes managing instance failures during long-running renders, handling multi-AZ outages with failover, optimizing for global teams, and integrating with on-premises legacy hardware
• Specialization in MPA compliance and security-first engineering, including AWS KMS encryption, access logging, Trusted Partner Network assessments, and zero-trust models
• Includes adapting to evolving MPA guidelines, managing sensitive IP with external studios, handling data sovereignty requirements, and responding to vulnerabilities in media workflows
• Experience with AWS VFX solutions like Thinkbox Deadline, Deadline Cloud, Nimble Studio, and EC2 Spot/GPU instances for cost-effective rendering
• Includes scaling farms for 8K+ projects, recovering from spot interruptions, troubleshooting custom VFX plugins, and optimizing hybrid CPU/GPU workloads
• Identity and Access Management with role-based controls, MFA, and integration with directory services
• Includes onboarding/offboarding remote users, federated logins from third-party IDPs, managing privilege escalation risks, and auditing access logs for anomalous behavior
• Cost optimization using AWS Cost Explorer, Savings Plans, Reserved Instances, and auto-scaling groups for variable VFX workloads
• Includes forecasting burst render costs, mitigating overspending from misconfigured scaling, and tracking costs across multiple projects
• Data transfer tools like AWS Snowball and DataSync for asset migrations, plus multi-tier storage strategies such as S3 Intelligent-Tiering
• Includes large-scale transfers, partial sync recovery, encryption integrity, and cold storage retrieval planning
• AWS certifications such as Solutions Architect or SysOps Administrator, with the ability to apply certification knowledge to custom VFX scenarios, real-time collaboration setups, renewals, and edge deployments such as AWS Outposts
• Expertise in Rocky Linux, Redhat-based OS, Windows, and macOS command-line and general administration, including cross-platform scripting with Bash and PowerShell
• Includes troubleshooting Linux kernel issues, macOS driver conflicts, Windows updates, and mixed-OS fleets
• Infrastructure as Code with Terraform, AWS CloudFormation, or Ansible for provisioning and automation
• Includes idempotent deployments, rolling back failed IaC changes during live productions, version control collaboration, and provider quirks
• Monitoring and logging with AWS CloudWatch, X-Ray, and integrations like ELK Stack for metrics, alarms, and proactive issue resolution
• Includes custom alarms for GPU utilization, tracing distributed render jobs, filtering high-volume logs, and SIEM integration
• Backup and disaster recovery using AWS Backup, S3 versioning, and multi-region replication
• Includes testing restores for corrupted VFX assets, managing RTO/RPO in outages, automating failover drills, and handling version conflicts
• Networking and security operations, including VPN, firewalls, AWS GuardDuty, and high-performance network-attached storage
• Includes mobile artist VPN access, detecting network attacks, optimizing NAS for 4K/8K streaming, and securing third-party integrations
• Virtual machine management and containerization with Docker, ECS, or Kubernetes for portable VFX applications
• Includes bursty simulations, pod evictions during resource contention, GPU passthrough, and network policy debugging
• Proficiency with core VFX software like Nuke, ZBrush, Maya, V-Ray, Houdini, Redshift, Arnold, RenderMan, and Octane
• Includes optimizing for non-standard hardware, troubleshooting batch-mode plugin crashes, integrating emerging AI tools, and handling license server failures
• Render farm management using AWS Deadline Cloud, PipelineFX Qube, or custom scripts for job distribution and optimization
• Includes prioritizing jobs during overlapping deadlines, recovering orphaned tasks, scaling to thousands of nodes, and integrating hybrid cloud/off-cloud farms
• Pipeline tools including asset management systems such as ShotGrid or ftrack, version control with Perforce or Git, and CI/CD for artist workflows
• Includes merging conflicting asset versions, handling large binary files, automating plugin testing, and securing pipelines against IP leaks
• Performance tuning for GPU/CPU workloads, memory management in simulations, and benchmarking to reduce render times
• Includes managing OOM errors in Houdini sims, comparing instance types, and optimizing cost/performance trade-offs
• Troubleshooting application issues, OS problems, and providing deskside, phone, and ticket support to VFX artists and production teams
• Includes remote debugging, VPN-disrupted sessions, vendor escalation, and documenting repeatable fixes
• Experience with HP Connect Anywhere, PCoIP desktop environments, NICE DCV, and AWS AppStream for low-latency streaming and multi-monitor support
• Includes high-DPI displays, transcontinental latency, session security, and VR/AR review workflows
• NVIDIA CUDA drivers, GRID/AMDGPU management in EC2 instances, and virtual workstations for color-accurate VFX work
• Includes driver updates, CUDA version mismatches, color calibration over compressed streams, and experimental AMD setups
• Secure file sharing via AWS Transfer Family and real-time collaboration tools such as Frame.io integrations
• Includes enforcing upload quotas, recovering interrupted transfers, auditing shares, and custom encryption for sensitive dailies
• WEKA Storage Solutions integration with AWS for high-I/O VFX tasks such as 4K/8K footage
• Includes scaling IOPS for parallel artist access, handling filesystem issues, optimizing mixed read/write patterns, and migrating from legacy storage
• Advanced storage strategies, including lifecycle policies for archiving and handling large media files
• Includes tier transitions, retention policies, legal holds, accidental deletion recovery, snapshots, and cost optimization for growing project data
• Scripting and programming in Python, Bash, or similar for automation, system tasks, and DevOps practices
• Includes resilient scripts for flaky APIs, exception handling in long-running automations, VFX-specific libraries, and secure handling of user input
• Configuration management, deployment tools, and CI/CD pipeline building
• Includes managing config drift, zero-downtime deployments, troubleshooting branched pipeline failures, and securing secrets in CI/CD environments
• Strong problem-solving, critical thinking, and root cause analysis for render failures and remote issues
• Includes diagnosing cascading failures, intermittent bugs, post-mortems with non-technical stakeholders, and adapting solutions to evolving tech stacks
• Excellent communication, teamwork, and ability to consult, train, and build relationships with remote artists, producers, and vendors
• Includes bridging time zones, supporting high-stress deadlines, training via screen share, and negotiating SLAs during outages
• Self-motivated, proactive, and committed to continuous learning, including AWS trends and VFX innovations like AI-assisted rendering
• Includes self-teaching during rapid tech shifts, identifying bottlenecks before escalation, and testing beta features in sandboxes
• Experience in vendor management and shift work flexibility for global remote operations
• Includes managing multi-vendor ecosystems, adapting to 24/7 on-call needs, negotiating custom integrations, and handling critical vendor escalations

Skills

• Proficiency in AWS core services, including EC2 for compute, EFS/S3/EBS for storage, VPC networking, Security Groups, NACLs, Route 53, and Direct Connect for low-latency remote access
• Specialization in MPA compliance and security-first engineering, including AWS KMS encryption, access logging, Trusted Partner Network assessments, and zero-trust models
• Experience with AWS VFX solutions like Thinkbox Deadline, Deadline Cloud, Nimble Studio, and EC2 Spot/GPU instances for cost-effective rendering
• Identity and Access Management with role-based controls, MFA, and integration with directory services
• Cost optimization using AWS Cost Explorer, Savings Plans, Reserved Instances, and auto-scaling groups for variable VFX workloads
• Data transfer tools like AWS Snowball and DataSync for asset migrations, plus multi-tier storage strategies such as S3 Intelligent-Tiering
• AWS certifications such as Solutions Architect or SysOps Administrator
• Expertise in Rocky Linux, Redhat-based OS, Windows, and macOS command-line and general administration
• Infrastructure as Code with Terraform, AWS CloudFormation, or Ansible for provisioning and automation
• Monitoring and logging with AWS CloudWatch, X-Ray, and integrations like ELK Stack for metrics, alarms, and proactive issue resolution
• Backup and disaster recovery using AWS Backup, S3 versioning, and multi-region replication
• Networking and security operations, including VPN, firewalls, AWS GuardDuty, and high-performance network-attached storage
• Virtual machine management and containerization with Docker, ECS, or Kubernetes for portable VFX applications
• Proficiency with core VFX software like Nuke, ZBrush, Maya, V-Ray, Houdini, Redshift, Arnold, RenderMan, and Octane
• Render farm management using AWS Deadline Cloud, PipelineFX Qube, or custom scripts for job distribution and optimization
• Pipeline tools including asset management systems such as ShotGrid or ftrack, version control with Perforce or Git, and CI/CD for artist workflows
• Performance tuning for GPU/CPU workloads, memory management in simulations, and benchmarking to reduce render times
• Troubleshooting application issues, OS problems, and providing deskside, phone, and ticket support to VFX artists and production teams
• Experience with HP Connect Anywhere, PCoIP desktop environments, NICE DCV, and AWS AppStream for low-latency streaming and multi-monitor support
• NVIDIA CUDA drivers, GRID/AMDGPU management in EC2 instances, and virtual workstations for color-accurate VFX work
• Secure file sharing via AWS Transfer Family and real-time collaboration tools such as Frame.io integrations
• WEKA Storage Solutions integration with AWS for high-I/O VFX tasks such as 4K/8K footage
• Advanced storage strategies, including lifecycle policies for archiving and handling large media files
• Scripting and programming in Python, Bash, or similar for automation, system tasks, and DevOps practices
• Configuration management, deployment tools, and CI/CD pipeline building
• Strong problem-solving, critical thinking, and root cause analysis for render failures and remote issues
• Excellent communication, teamwork, and ability to consult, train, and build relationships with remote artists, producers, and vendors
• Self-motivated, proactive, and committed to continuous learning, including AWS trends and VFX innovations like AI-assisted rendering
• Experience in vendor management and shift work flexibility for global remote operations

Company Overview