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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Cloud Trainer

💰 $70,000 - $130,000

TrainingCloud ComputingITInstructional Design

🎯 Role Definition

The Cloud Trainer is an experienced cloud computing instructor who designs, develops, and delivers high-quality training programs for enterprise and individual learners. This role combines deep technical expertise across public cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), instructional design best practices, hands-on lab creation, and proven facilitation skills to prepare learners for real-world cloud adoption and certification. The Cloud Trainer partners with product, engineering, and sales teams to create bespoke curricula, measure learning outcomes, and continuously improve training assets and delivery modalities.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Senior Cloud Engineer with training or mentoring experience
  • Instructional Designer with technical domain knowledge
  • Technical Consultant or Solutions Architect transitioning into training

Advancement To:

  • Lead Cloud Trainer / Training Manager
  • Director of Technical Training / Head of Enablement
  • Senior Curriculum Architect or Cloud Evangelist

Lateral Moves:

  • Solutions Architect
  • Developer Advocate / Developer Relations

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Design and develop comprehensive instructor-led and self-paced cloud training curricula for AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform that align with enterprise cloud strategies, certification paths, and role-based learning objectives.
  • Create and maintain hands-on labs, sandbox environments, and real-world exercises using IaC tools (Terraform, CloudFormation) and scripts so learners can practice deployment, automation, and troubleshooting in a safe, repeatable environment.
  • Deliver live instructor-led training (onsite and virtual), webinars, bootcamps, and recorded video modules using engaging facilitation techniques and adult-learning principles to maximize knowledge retention and learner engagement.
  • Build exam-focused certification preparation programs (e.g., AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Azure Administrator, Google Professional Cloud Architect) including practice tests, exam walkthroughs, and evaluation rubrics to help learners achieve certification goals.
  • Partner with product managers and engineering SMEs to translate new cloud features and product roadmaps into up-to-date learning modules and technical enablement content for internal and external audiences.
  • Author high-quality training documentation, slide decks, lab guides, step-by-step tutorials, video scripts, and knowledge base articles that are clear, SEO-friendly, and optimized for discoverability by learners and search engines.
  • Operate and administer learning management systems (LMS) and content platforms (SCORM, xAPI), manage course enrollment, track completions, and ensure smooth delivery of virtual classrooms and asynchronous training.
  • Implement learning measurement strategies including pre/post assessments, NPS, completion rates, skill gap analyses, and training ROI reports to quantify program impact and guide continuous improvement.
  • Customize and localize enterprise training programs for key customers, including workshop scoping, needs analysis, hands-on lab customization, and delivery of tailored learning experiences for cloud migration and modernization projects.
  • Coach and mentor junior instructors and internal subject matter experts to scale training capacity, establish quality standards, and build internal enablement capabilities across technical teams.
  • Maintain and update training labs and demos to reflect current best practices in cloud architecture, security, cost optimization, observability, and scalability to ensure real-world applicability.
  • Design scenario-based, role-playing, and case-study exercises that simulate enterprise cloud challenges (networking, identity & access management, hybrid connectivity, disaster recovery) to develop practical problem-solving skills.
  • Collaborate with sales and pre-sales teams to deliver technical workshops, proof-of-concept training sessions, and enablement materials that accelerate customer adoption and support go-to-market initiatives.
  • Create reusable code samples, templates, and automation artifacts (CI/CD pipelines, Helm charts, Kubernetes manifests) that learners can reuse in production or tailor for their own cloud environments.
  • Lead pilot programs and beta training initiatives for new cloud services, capture learner feedback, and iterate on course design before full-scale rollouts.
  • Drive accessibility and inclusion in course content by following best practices for clear language, captioning video content, and providing alternative learning pathways for diverse learner needs.
  • Troubleshoot lab environment issues and provide real-time learner support during workshops, including debugging deployment failures, permission errors, and network configuration problems.
  • Coordinate with security and compliance teams to ensure training environments meet corporate and customer data protection, isolation, and governance standards when using live cloud resources.
  • Maintain a personal roadmap of professional certifications and cloud learning to remain current on platform capabilities, industry trends, and competitive cloud offerings.
  • Produce analytics-driven recommendations for content retirement, consolidation, or update cycles based on usage metrics, learner performance, and product change frequency.
  • Manage relationships with third-party content providers, instructional design vendors, and freelance subject matter experts to augment internal training capabilities and expand course catalogs.
  • Facilitate learning communities of practice, study groups, and office hours to foster peer learning, create knowledge-sharing networks, and increase long-term skill adoption.
  • Ensure consistent branding, voice, and quality across all training materials and channels; enforce version control, content governance, and archival processes for training artifacts.
  • Advocate for learner success by designing clear certification paths, creating competency frameworks, and embedding practical assessments that validate learners’ ability to perform job tasks in cloud environments.
  • Monitor cloud cost implications of sandbox and lab environments, recommend optimizations, and implement auto-shutdown and cleanup policies to control training spend and resource usage.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Expert knowledge of one or more public cloud platforms: AWS (EC2, S3, IAM, VPC, Lambda), Microsoft Azure (VMs, Azure AD, AKS, Functions), Google Cloud Platform (GCE, GKE, IAM, Cloud Functions).
  • Hands-on experience building and maintaining hands-on labs and sandbox environments using Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation, ARM templates).
  • Proficiency with containerization and orchestration technologies (Docker, Kubernetes) and deployment pipelines (GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab CI).
  • Strong scripting and automation skills in Python, Bash, and PowerShell for demo automation, lab provisioning, and troubleshooting.
  • Familiarity with networking concepts (VPC, subnets, routing, DNS, VPN/Direct Connect/ExpressRoute) and hybrid cloud connectivity patterns.
  • Cloud security fundamentals: IAM, encryption, secrets management, compliance controls, and secure architecture patterns (Zero Trust, least privilege).
  • Experience designing, authoring, and delivering certification exam prep materials and practical assessments.
  • Learning platform proficiency: LMS administration, SCORM/xAPI packaging, course publishing, and analytics reporting.
  • Knowledge of monitoring, logging, and observability tools (Prometheus, Grafana, CloudWatch, Stackdriver) to teach operational best practices.
  • Curriculum development and instructional design skills, including storyboards, learning objectives, Bloom’s taxonomy, and assessment design.
  • Familiarity with DevOps practices, Git workflows, CI/CD pipelines, and automated testing frameworks.
  • Ability to produce high-quality video and multimedia content, working with recording and editing tools (Zoom, Camtasia, Adobe Premiere, Articulate).
  • Experience with enterprise cloud migration patterns, replatforming, lift-and-shift, and refactoring strategies.
  • SQL and data services knowledge (RDS, Cloud SQL, BigQuery) to support data-focused cloud training modules.
  • Basic understanding of cost management tools and cloud billing to teach cost optimization strategies and tagging standards.

Soft Skills

  • Exceptional public speaking and live facilitation skills for classroom and virtual audiences.
  • Strong written communication skills for clear, SEO-optimized course content, lab guides, and technical documentation.
  • Coaching and mentoring aptitude with patience and the ability to adapt explanations to varied experience levels.
  • Customer-facing consultative skills for tailoring training programs to enterprise stakeholders and executives.
  • Problem-solving mindset with a hands-on approach to reproduce and resolve technical issues quickly during labs.
  • Project management and organizational skills to manage multiple course deliveries, content updates, and stakeholder expectations.
  • Collaborative team player who partners effectively with product, engineering, sales, and support teams.
  • Empathy and learner-centric orientation to design inclusive, accessible, and motivating experiences.
  • Analytical thinking to interpret learner metrics and drive continuous improvement across programs.
  • Flexibility and adaptability to work across time zones, support global cohorts, and respond to fast-moving product changes.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Education, Instructional Design, or related technical field OR equivalent practical experience in cloud technologies and adult learning.

Preferred Education:

  • Master's degree in Education Technology, Computer Science, Cloud Computing, or related discipline.
  • Professional certifications in training or instructional design (e.g., ATD, CPLP) are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Computer Science / Software Engineering
  • Information Technology / Systems Administration
  • Instructional Design / Education Technology
  • Cloud Computing / DevOps

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 3–7 years of hands-on cloud experience with 2+ years delivering technical training or enablement programs.

Preferred:

  • 5+ years of combined cloud engineering and adult-learning experience with a proven track record of building and delivering enterprise-scale training.
  • Industry certifications such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect, AWS Certified Trainer, Microsoft Certified: Azure Trainer/Administrator, Google Cloud Certified — Professional Cloud Architect, and instructional design credentials are highly desirable.
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