Software Engineer 3- Cloud Operations, Flickr

Job Title: Software Engineer 3 - Cloud Operations, Flickr

Job Level: IC3

Location: Remote, within approved U.S. states (see below)

As a Senior Cloud Ops Engineer, you will be expected to own and manage multiple priorities with the broader strategic approach. Your role is crucial in driving the design, development, and maintenance of complex software applications, the development of processes, and approaches for tackling problems and projects. You’ll be able to use your technical expertise in helping us move beyond standard practices and contributing to the organization's long-term goals.

Compensation: Awesome is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The salary range for this role is $130,000- $190,300. This position is also remote-friendly, and as such, compensation will ultimately be in line with the location in which the position is filled. Various factors, such as defined competency leveling and geographic location, will determine the final compensation for this role.

Benefits: Health, dental, vision insurance with 100% premium coverage for you and dependents • Health Savings Account contributions covering 90%+ of annual deductible • 401(k) with company match and immediate vesting • Professional development and learning opportunities • Remote work support (internet, fitness, coworking space reimbursements) • Company-sponsored therapy and coaching sessions 

Your Opportunity:

• Contributes to  the design and delivery of scalable, reliable, cloud-native systems using AWS (ECS, Lambda, and related services), with a strong focus on automation and operational excellence.
• Own complex technical and operational initiatives from problem definition through execution, anticipating risks and driving solutions to completion.
• Take a leadership role in on-call operations, independently managing incidents, coordinating response efforts, and improving system reliability through root cause analysis and follow-through.
• Contributes to improving engineering and operational practices, including deployments, monitoring, alerting, and incident response.
• Partner cross-functionally with engineering, product, and support teams to deliver solutions that improve both system performance and user experience.
• Drive technical discussions and decision-making, clearly articulating trade-offs and aligning solutions with broader organizational goals.

What You Bring:

• Strong experience building and operating distributed systems in AWS, with a focus on modern, cloud-native and serverless architectures.
• Proven ability to lead projects end-to-end, including defining approaches, breaking down ambiguous problems, and delivering impactful solutions.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in SRE, DevOps, infrastructure, or a related field, with demonstrated ownership of production systems.
• Deep understanding of production systems, including monitoring, alerting, incident response, and debugging in live environments.
• Experience improving and scaling operational processes, with an emphasis on reliability, efficiency, and automation.
• Ability to go beyond standard best practices to develop pragmatic, effective solutions to complex problems.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to influence decisions and collaborate across teams.
• Comfortable collaborating and sharing knowledge with peers. 

Beyond The Skills:

• Experience building or operating systems involving media uploads, processing pipelines, or large-scale content delivery (e.g., images, video, or other high-volume assets).
• Comfortable working across a mix of modern and legacy systems, and can quickly ramp up in unfamiliar technologies (e.g., PHP, VESPA, or similar large-scale production systems).
• A strong sense of ownership of systems and outcomes, especially in high-impact or high-pressure situations.
• A systems thinker who understands how their work impacts reliability, scalability, and the broader business.
• Proactive in identifying gaps and driving improvements without waiting for direction.
• Confident leading during incidents and bringing clarity to ambiguous or complex situations.

What We Offer You:

**Comprehensive Benefits** 

- Health, dental, vision insurance - 100% premium coverage for employee and dependents 

-  HSA contributions covering 90%+ of annual deductible

- 401(k) with company match and immediate vesting

- Unlimited PTO (and we mean it!)

- Learning & development opportunities for personal and professional growth

- Remote work stipends (internet, fitness, coworking space)

- Company-sponsored therapy and coaching sessions

- Flexible spending accounts available 

- Company-sponsored phone plan

- A fully remote work environment (+ a coworking space reimbursement if you prefer)

- An experimental 4-day work week

***Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis up until 4/22/26***

A Little About Us

Our purpose is simple: building a better world through the power of photography. For over two decades, we have led the photography industry and thrived as a private, mission-focused, values-led company. We are a Certified Evergreen brand. We are also a Certified Great Place to Work, Climate Neutral Certified, and members of the Conservation Alliance. 

We’re building iconic brands that connect people through photography and unleash the value of the stories they tell. We make products that thrill photographers of all types, crafting experiences that empower them to preserve their precious memories, share their art, and run their businesses. 

A career at Awesome is much more than a job. Our people come first, and we invest in their growth and prioritize their well-being. Your work will contribute to our mission while leaving a positive, lasting impact on our community and our world.

Our expanding family of brands includes SmugMug, Flickr, and TWiP (This Week in Photo).

Work Authorization: Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. Please note that we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position.

Location: This is a remote position, and candidates must be physically located in one of the following states: California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington.

All employees must perform work duties from a Company-approved location. Any change to your remote work location, whether temporary or permanent, requires prior approval from your manager and the People Team.

EEOC Statement:

Awesome seeks to thrill customers around the world, and building a diverse team is essential to our success. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetics, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws. We encourage diverse candidates to apply and are dedicated to fostering an inclusive and respectful workplace for all. We’re committed to providing equal opportunities and cultivating an inclusive culture. We believe that embracing diversity is integral to innovation and progress.

 ADA Requirements:

At Awesome, we strive to create an accessible and inclusive application and selection process. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities to facilitate their participation in the recruitment, selection, and assessment processes. Should you require an accommodation, please contact our People Operations Team by email at jobs@smugmug.com, and we will work with you to meet your accessibility needs.

AI Use Restrictions:  

While we may encourage people to use AI systems during their role to help them work faster and more effectively, please do not use AI assistants during the application and during the interview processes. We want to understand your personal interest in Awesome without mediation through an AI system, and we also want to evaluate your non-AI-assisted skills.*

*This requirement does not apply to those who require the use of AI for necessary accommodations.