14 in-demand cloud roles companies are hiring for

After marked increase in cloud adoption through the pandemic, enterprises are facing new challenges, namely around the security, maintenance, and management of cloud infrastructure. To tackle that, businesses are turning their budgets toward the cloud, with two out of every three IT decision-makers planning to increase cloud budgets in 2024, and nearly a third (31%) reporting that 31% of their IT budget is earmarked for cloud computing, according to the 2023 Cloud Computing Study from CIO.com parent company Foundry.

Those bumps in spending include added demand for cloud and cloud-adjacent workers who can help maintain and continuously improve and expand enterprise cloud networks. According to the Foundry report, 78% of organizations say that, in response to cloud investments made by the organization, they have added new roles.

Following are the roles companies are most likely to have added to support their cloud investments, according to Foundry’s research.

1. Cloud architect

As cloud computing grows increasingly complex, cloud architects have become a vital role for organizations to navigate the implementation, migration, and maintenance of cloud environments. These IT pros can also help organizations avoid potential risks around cloud security, while ensuring a smooth transition to the cloud across the company. With 65% of IT decision-makers choosing cloud-based services by default when upgrading technology, cloud architects will only become more important for enterprise success.

Skills: Skills for this role include knowledge of application architecture, automation, ITSM, governance, security, and leadership.

Role growth: 30% of companies have added cloud architect roles as part of their cloud investments, according to Foundry’s survey.

2. Cloud systems administrator

Cloud systems administrators are charged with overseeing the general maintenance and management of cloud infrastructure. Whether that means implementing cloud-based policies, deploying patches and updates, or analyzing network performance, these IT pros are skilled at navigating virtualized environments.

Skills: Knowledge and skills for this role include an understanding of implementation and integration, security, configuration, and knowledge of popular cloud software tools such as Azure, AWS, GCP, Exchange, and Office 365.

Role growth: 27% of companies have added cloud systems admin roles as part of their cloud investments.

3. DevOps engineer

DevOps focuses on blending IT operations with the development process to improve IT systems and act as a go-between in maintaining the flow of communication between coding and engineering teams. It’s a role that focuses on the deployment of automated applications, maintenance of IT and cloud infrastructure, and identifying the potential risks and benefits of new software and systems.

Skills: Relevant skills for a DevOps engineer include automation, Linux, QA testing, security, containerization, and knowledge of programming languages such as Java and Ruby.

Role growth: 21% of companies have added DevOps engineer roles as part of their cloud investments.

4. Cloud systems engineer

Migrating to the cloud involves adopting new infrastructure to make the most of cloud environments. Cloud systems engineers are responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining the necessary infrastructure to support a business’ cloud initiatives.

Skills: Relevant skills for a cloud systems engineer include networking, automation and scripting, Python, PowerShell, automation, security and compliance, containerization, database management, disaster recovery, and performance optimization.

Role growth: 20% of businesses have added cloud systems engineer roles as part of their cloud investments.

5. Cloud software engineer

Cloud software engineers are tasked with developing and maintaining software applications that run on cloud platforms, ensuring they are built to be scalable, reliable, and agile. Companies that have migrated to the cloud often need IT pros who can build company-specific services and applications to make the most of the cloud environment. Cloud software engineers are quickly becoming a vital role in organizations, with more than half of IT decision-makers saying that their total IT environment has been moved to the cloud — a number expected to grow to 63% over the next 18 months.

Skills: Relevant skills for a cloud software engineer include Python, Java, C#, JavaScript, microservices architecture, serverless computing, APIs and SKDs, DevOps, cybersecurity, and knowledge of the agile methodology.

Role growth: 19% of companies have added cloud software engineer roles as part of their cloud investments.

6. Security architect

Security architects are responsible for building, designing, and implementing security solutions in the organization to keep IT infrastructure secure. For security architects working in a cloud environment, the focus is on designing and implementing security solutions that protect the business’ cloud-based infrastructure, data, and applications. The No. 1 business objective driving cloud investment is “enabling disaster recovery and business continuity” (40%), and security architects can help businesses ensure they have the proper measures in place to meet these goals.

Skills: Relevant skills for security architects working in a cloud environment include security architecture design, network security, security compliance and governance, incident response and forensics, data encryption, identity and access management (IAM), automation, and DevSecOps.

Role growth: 18% of businesses have added security architect roles as part of their cloud investments.

7. Data architect

A data architect focuses on ensuring that an organization’s data is structured so that it can be easily accessed, secured, and efficiently stored, and meets business needs. Data has become a primary way for businesses to conduct analysis and assist with business decision-making — and most of that data is now stored in the cloud.

Skills: Data architects working in a cloud environment will need skills such as data warehousing, scalability and performance optimization, automation and virtualization, data governance and cloud security, data migration, and knowledge of hybrid cloud solutions.

Role growth: 18% of businesses have added data architect roles as part of their cloud investments.

8. Security engineer

Security engineers are tasked with overseeing the security of an organization’s systems, networks, and data, ensuring they’re protected from cybersecurity threats. For organizations investing in the cloud, security engineers can help ensure that the services, applications, and data running on cloud platforms are secure and compliant with any government regulations.

Skills: Relevant skills for a security engineer working in a cloud environment include network security, identity and access management (IAM), encryption, vulnerability management, security architecture, cloud security, automation, and infrastructure design and optimization.

Role growth: 16% of companies have added security engineer roles as part of their cloud investments.  

9. Cloud consultant

With the rapid adoption and move to the cloud, organizations are looking for professionals who can help guide the business on how to leverage cloud technologies to meet business needs, grow the business, and improve efficiency. These pros are experts in the cloud and stay on top of the latest innovations in cloud technology to better advise business leaders. Cloud consultants are becoming more important to businesses as they embrace cloud to achieve “increased and sustainable revenue”, according to 50% of respondents.

Skills: Relevant skills for a cloud consultant include knowledge of architecture and solution design, DevOps, automation, project management, cloud security, compliance, cloud migration, and knowledge of popular cloud platforms.

Role growth: 16% of companies have added cloud consultants as part of their cloud investments.

10. Cloud developer

Cloud developer is a vital role for developing and deploying software in cloud environments. These IT pros are tasked with designing, creating, and deploying applications designed to run on cloud platforms, with a focus on building scalable, reliable, and cost-effective solutions to meet business needs.

Skills: Relevant skills for a cloud developer include programming languages such as Java, C#, and Python as well as knowledge of popular cloud platforms, microservices architecture, database storage, agile methodology, APIs and SKDs, and containers and orchestration.

Role growth: 16% of companies have added cloud developer roles as part of their cloud investments.

11. Cloud network engineer

Cloud network engineers are responsible for the design, implementation, and management of an organization’s cloud-based networks. These IT pros are tasked with overseeing network management, virtualization and virtual LAN, wide area networks (WAN), TCP/IP, HTTP, network security, and the integration of hybrid cloud and multicloud deployments.

Skills: Relevant skills for this role include knowledge of cloud platforms such as Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, along with networking fundamentals, virtualization, project management, security, automation and scripting, and collaboration.

Role growth: 15% of companies have added cloud network engineer roles as part of their cloud investments.

12. Cloud product manager

With cloud adoption often comes an increase in in-house development of cloud-based services. A cloud product manager can help ensure cloud teams develop effective solutions aimed at fulfilling business objectives. Cloud product managers are tasked with using their deep understanding of product management within the cloud environment to work closely with key stakeholders, identify and define requirements from users or customers, develop product roadmaps, and oversee the QA process to gain feedback on how to improve product offerings.  

Skills: Relevant skills for this role include product management, UX design, communication and collaboration, and a strong technical background.

Role growth: 13% of organizations have added cloud product manager roles as part of their cloud investments.

13. Site reliability engineer

For any organization implementing cloud strategies, there is a significant focus on reliability and scalability, ensuring that data can be accessed from the cloud, on-demand, as needed. Site reliability engineers are responsible for overseeing the automation of IT infrastructure, application monitoring, and system management. Cloud infrastructure requires frequent software updates and the services must be able to scale with the growth of the organization.

Skills: These IT pros have relevant skills such as change management, IT infrastructure management, emergency incident response, process improvement, and application monitoring.

Role growth: 10% of companies have added site reliability engineer roles as part of of their cloud investments.  

14. Financial operations (FinOps) analysts

FinOps is a business discipline practice that combines financial services and IT operations and is aimed at establishing best practices for optimizing cloud spend. FinOps roles are especially vital when it comes to analytics and reporting as well as managing the overall financial operations of a business’ cloud infrastructure.

Skills: Relevant skills for FinOps roles in a cloud environment include knowledge of financial management principles, analytical skills, and a strong background in cloud computing.

Role growth: 10% of businesses have added FinOps roles as part of their cloud investments.