AWS Solutions Architect


Location: San Antonio, TX (preferred) — Remote OK for the right candidate

Company: SoftStackers (AWS Select Tier Services Partner)


About Us
SoftStackers is a small, high-trust AWS partner focused on cloud adoption, modernization, GenAI/ML, and ongoing CloudOps/FinOps for SMBs and mid-market clients. We move fast, stay pragmatic, and grow people into leaders.

Role Overview
You’ll design and implement AWS solutions for a diverse set of customers. Expect a mix of discovery, architecture, hands-on build, light full-stack tasks, security/FinOps basics, and client enablement. We’re optimizing for potential and coachability over a long cert list. AWS certs help, but experience and outcomes matter more.

What You’ll Do

  • Discovery & Architecture: Run light assessments, shape reference architectures, write concise design docs, and present options/trade-offs to clients.

  • Build & Deliver: Stand up well-architected AWS workloads (VPC, IAM, ECS/EKS/Lambda, API Gateway, RDS/Aurora/DynamoDB, S3, CloudFront), with IaC (Terraform/CDK).

  • Security & Reliability: Apply least-privilege IAM, backups/DR, logging/monitoring (CloudWatch, OpenSearch), and basic incident response.

  • Cost Awareness: Tagging, right-sizing, budgets/alerts, and simple FinOps recommendations.

  • Dev Enablement: CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions/CodeBuild), environments, and developer self-service patterns.

  • Full-Stack Helpful: Comfortable reading a React/Node/Next.js service, tweaking a Dockerfile, or wiring an API to a database when needed.

  • Client-Facing: Join standups and checkpoints, capture requirements, demo progress, and document clearly.

  • Grow Into: Lead small projects, pre-sales scoping, and solution reviews.

Must-Have (Early Career)

  • 3+ years in cloud or software engineering preferred (internships and projects count if substantial).

  • Solid grasp of core AWS services (IAM, VPC, EC2/Lambda, API Gateway, RDS/DynamoDB, S3, CloudWatch).

  • IaC fundamentals (Terraform or AWS CDK) and basic CI/CD.

  • Comfort with at least one programming language (Python, TypeScript/Node, or JS).

  • Clear, concise communication; ability to turn requirements into small, shippable plans.

Nice-to-Have

  • Exposure to containerization and orchestration (Docker, ECS or EKS).

  • Basic networking (subnets, routing, security groups, NAT, DNS/Route 53).

  • Front-end familiarity (React/Next.js) for troubleshooting and quick integrations.

  • Security baseline knowledge (CIS, AWS Well-Architected, least privilege).

  • Certifications (AWS SAA, DVA, SysOps) are valued but not required.

How We’ll Support You

  • Mentorship from senior architects and direct access to the founder.

  • A real project path to lead ownership as you’re ready.

  • AWS funding/alignment exposure and partner best practices.

  • Training budget for certs or deep-dives that move your career forward.

Compensation
Competitive salary or contract rate (DOE), bonus potential, benefits for qualifying roles, and growth path toward Lead / Senior SA.