Cloud Operations Lead

Cloud Operations Lead

(Location: Hybrid - Ontario)

The total target compensation (TTC) range, including salary and target bonus, is $92,960 - $142,960. This TTC range is applicable to permanent roles only. The actual base salary offered within this range will be determined by the successful candidate’s skills and experience, as well as internal equity.

Empire Life is looking to hire a Cloud Operations Lead to join our IT Services team! We are actively seeking candidates to fill a current, open position.

Why pursue this opportunity

1. Our mission - Provide expertise and intelligent solutions to help Canadians navigate life with confidence.

1. Join a transforming business - we are a medium-sized Canadian company in a stable industry that emphasizes the importance of innovation to use industry-leading technology.

1. The role - this is a new position and your chance to join a growing team, while being provided the opportunity to make an impact.

1. Hone your skills - this is an opportunity that allows for you to grow your technical, and functional skills.

What you’ll be working on

• Technical Leadership

• Provide technical guidance, mentoring, and support to Cloud Operators and system administrators.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performance, and continuous-learning culture within the operations team.
• Proactively identify, diagnose, and resolve complex technical challenges across cloud and hybrid infrastructure environments before they impact operations

• Infrastructure & Operations Management

• Oversee and coordinate the deployment, configuration, and maintenance of cloud resources (virtualization, storage, networking components, and containerization).
• Manage routine operational maintenance, including patch management, system backups, log retention, and disaster recovery readiness.
• Direct the operational monitoring of cloud infrastructure and applications to maintain target availability, performance, and capacity metrics.
• Oversee specialized operational duties as required, ensuring overall environmental stability and production print/output queue efficiency.

• Incident, Event & Vulnerability Management

• Lead responses to complex cloud alerts, infrastructure outages, and performance degradation issues, ensuring timely resolution and root cause analysis.
• Collaborate with Production Support and Development leadership to streamline incident response, escalation pathways, and operational handoffs.
• Participate in on-call rotation for high-severity operational incidents, providing 24/7 escalation support coverage.
• Work closely with enterprise security teams to monitor security threats, enforce identity and access management (IAM) best practices, and maintain the overall security posture of the cloud footprint.

• Automation & Process Improvement

• Identify manual operational workflows and lead initiatives to automate routine tasks using scripting (Bash, Python, PowerShell) and Infrastructure as Code (IaC).
• Standardize, document, and maintain operational procedures, runbooks, and architectural topologies for cloud infrastructure.
• Continuously evaluate operational workflows to optimize system performance, reduce cloud spend/waste, and enhance operational resilience.
• Collaborate with Development and DevOps teams to align operational readiness with CI/CD deployment pipelines.

• Technical Expertise

• Serve as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in cloud infrastructure platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure), enterprise networking (TCP/IP, DNS, VPNs, firewalls), and operating systems (Linux/Windows).
• Conduct root cause analysis (RCA) on severe infrastructure failures, implementing long-term recurrence controls and preventive measures.
• Evaluate the interrelationships between cloud services, network topologies, and hosted applications to assess the impact of proposed infrastructure or configuration changes.

• Communication & Collaboration

• Act as a key technical liaison between Cloud Operations, Production Support, Development, and Enterprise Security teams.
• Communicate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders, providing regular updates on operational performance, ongoing infrastructure projects, and incident post-mortems

What we’re looking for you to have

• 5+ years of progressive work experience in IT operations, systems administration, or cloud infrastructure environments, with demonstrated leadership experience.
• Hands-on expertise with major cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and container orchestration technologies (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Strong working knowledge of Linux and/or Windows server administration, enterprise networking concepts (TCP/IP, DNS, routing, firewalls), and scripting technologies (Bash, Python, or PowerShell).
• Hands-on experience with cloud monitoring tools, log analysis platforms (e.g., Sumo Logic), and enterprise ticketing tools (e.g., Jira).
• Completion of a University Degree, Community College Diploma, or equivalent practical experience in Computer Science, Network Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Relevant cloud certifications (e.g., AWS Certified Solutions Architect/SysOps Administrator, GCP Associate Cloud Engineer) or ITIL Foundations certification would be considered a strong asset.
• Well-developed analytical, evaluation, problem-solving, and system integration skills.
• Ability to prioritize, organize, and balance multiple operational tasks and infrastructure projects simultaneously.
• Strong team-building, coaching, and mentoring capabilities.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• If you are applying for a position which is open to applicants across Canada, unless otherwise indicated in the position, language proficiency in English is required for communicating with customers, advisors, or employees across Canada.
• Our hiring process includes AI screening for keywords and minimum qualifications. Recruiters review all results.

Beyond the salary

For permanent full-time positions, Empire Life offers a comprehensive total rewards package that includes:

• Hybrid work model
• Competitive salaries with annual pay increases
• Annual bonus program, which recognizes both strong company performance and individual contributions, for non sales positions
• Access to learning & development programs, and education/tuition reimbursement (role dependent), to support your professional growth and career advancement.
• Competitive uncapped commission, for sales positions
• A comprehensive employer-funded benefits package starting from day one of employment, that includes life insurance, health and dental and a generous health account
• Flexible work arrangements and an annual allotment of personal health days.
• Four weeks annual vacation from hire date
• A defined contribution pension plan with generous employer matching
• Top up programs for parental leave and compassionate leave
• Employer-sponsored wellness and recognition programs
• A cash employee referral program

To learn more about working at Empire Life, visit https://www.empire.ca/workatempire.

Get to know us

Empire life is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity, are committed to creating an inclusive environment, and welcome everyone to participate in our application process. We encourage those of all backgrounds and experiences to apply, even if you don't believe you meet each unique qualification outlined. Applicants will receive equal consideration without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or age.

Empire Life is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to building an inclusive and barrier-free workplace. We welcome applications from people with disabilities and are committed to providing accommodations at any stage of the recruitment process. If you require a specific adjustment to help you present your best self, please let us know—we are happy to work with you. If you need this job posting in an alternative format or have any accessibility questions, please contact [email protected].