Hire AWS, Azure & GCP Cloud Engineers

Certifications are a starting point, not a guarantee. Every engineer passes a live cloud architecture screen where they design a real-world architecture under time pressure: VPC topology for a multi-account setup, IAM strategy for cross-account access, IaC module structure for Terraform, and cost estimation for a given workload. Engineers who cannot design from scratch -- regardless of their certifications -- are not shortlisted. The live cloud screen covers VPC architecture -- engineers must design a multi-AZ VPC with public/private subnet segmentation, NAT gateway placement, and security group rules for a given workload. IAM policy least-privilege is assessed as a live audit exercise: engineers review a policy document and identify over-permissive actions. CloudFormation or CDK drift detection is tested, specifically identifying manual console changes that have diverged from infrastructure-as-code state. Engineers are also assessed on the ECS versus EKS trade-off for the client's described workload, including cost and operational complexity implications.

We have engineers specialising in all three major cloud providers. AWS is the most common (EKS, Lambda, Control Tower, CDK), followed by Azure (AKS, Entra ID, Bicep, ExpressRoute) and GCP (GKE, BigQuery, Cloud Run, Anthos). Multi-cloud architects who operate across two or all three providers are available at senior level. Specify your provider in the brief and we match on service-level depth, not just 'cloud experience'.

Yes -- we have engineers who specialise specifically in FinOps: Reserved Instance and Savings Plans analysis, Spot Instance automation for EKS node groups, S3 storage class and lifecycle policy optimisation, data transfer cost reduction, tag governance for cost allocation, and Kubecost dashboards for Kubernetes cost visibility. A typical FinOps engagement reduces cloud bills 20-40% within 8-12 weeks.

A cloud engineer builds and operates cloud infrastructure day-to-day: writing Terraform, deploying to Kubernetes, configuring managed services, and maintaining CI/CD pipelines. A cloud architect designs the foundation: account structure, networking topology, IAM strategy, data residency architecture, and migration roadmaps. For greenfield cloud builds or large migrations, you need an architect first. For ongoing operations and feature delivery, you need engineers.

You receive 3 shortlisted, pre-vetted cloud engineers within 72 business hours of submitting your brief. Our AI scans 280+ engineers and a senior cloud architect validates each match manually for provider depth, certification relevance, architecture scope, and timezone. Cloud shortlisting takes slightly longer than application developer shortlisting because we verify architecture experience, not just coding ability.

Cloud engineer rates range from $30 to $165 per hour depending on seniority, provider specialisation, and region. Open IT Freelancers adds a flat 15% management fee on top of the engineer rate. There is no matching fee -- you pay $0 to receive your shortlist. Senior cloud architects, particularly those with FedRAMP or compliance experience, command the highest rates in our pool.

Yes -- compliance posture experience is a matching criterion. We note specific compliance frameworks in each shortlist profile. SOC 2 experience typically includes CI/CD audit trails, access control reviews, and AWS Security Hub/Azure Defender configuration. FedRAMP experience is rarer and commands higher rates. Specify your compliance requirement in the brief and we filter accordingly.

If within the first 14 days the engineer is not the right fit, we replace them at no extra cost. No arguments, no delays -- we activate the replacement process within 24 hours. For cloud architecture roles, this guarantee matters particularly because the cost of a mismatched cloud architect is not just time -- it is potential infrastructure re-work. After 14 days, engagements run on 14-day notice.

You own 100% of all infrastructure code, Terraform modules, CDK constructs, CloudFormation templates, Bicep files, architecture diagrams, and documentation. Ownership transfers automatically on work approval through our tri-party contract signed on day one. Architecture decision records (ADRs) produced during the engagement are also fully yours.

Yes -- and we screen for this explicitly. In the brief, describe your current IaC tooling (Terraform version, module structure, state backend, Terragrunt usage), cloud provider, and what you want the engineer to build or improve. We match engineers who have navigated existing infrastructure codebases and can extend without forcing rewrites.

Toptal's vetting takes 1-2 weeks and their margin typically runs 40-60% on top of the engineer rate. We return a shortlist in 72 hours with a flat 15% fee. Our live architecture screen covers VPC design, IAM strategy, IaC depth, and provider-specific services -- not generic algorithm challenges. We also include managed delivery (weekly reports, ADRs, milestone tracking) as standard on every engagement, which Toptal does not.

Timezone is a mandatory matching criterion. Specify your team's working hours in the brief and we only shortlist engineers with at least 4 hours of shared working time. For cloud roles where engineers may be involved in incident response, tighter timezone overlap may be important -- you can specify this in the brief. We have engineers across Eastern Europe, South Asia, Latin America, South-East Asia, and Western Europe.