What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Cloud hiring spans AI, software development, security, infrastructure, data, reliability, and cost management. A 2026 survey found that companies most often reported adding AI/ML engineers and AI platform engineers as part of cloud investments—but those figures are not counts of vacancies or measures of occupational growth. The role map below explains what each job tends to do and how to compare titles that employers use differently.
What the cloud-role figures measure
CIO’s August 27, 2026 feature reports findings from Foundry’s 2026 Cloud Computing Study. Its “role growth” percentages refer to the share of surveyed companies that said they added a role as part of cloud investments. They do not show the share of all job openings, the number of vacancies, or an occupation’s growth rate. The reviewed feature does not provide the survey’s sample size or full methodology, so treat the figures as a directional snapshot, not a universal ranking.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
The list is most useful as a map of work areas. Job titles and boundaries vary by employer: a cloud developer and cloud software engineer may do similar work, while a platform engineer may focus on internal developer tools or AI infrastructure depending on the organization.
20 cloud roles, grouped by the work they do
| Role | Companies reporting additions | Typical focus and relevant skills |
|---|---|---|
| AI/ML engineer | 36% | Designs, implements, and operates machine-learning systems. Skills include programming, machine learning, data science, data engineering, and building AI systems with APIs. |
| AI platform engineer | 27% | Builds and runs internal systems for developing and scaling AI tools. Relevant skills include cloud infrastructure, programming, Kubernetes, and Docker. |
| Cloud architect | 21% | Designs and maintains cloud environments and guides implementation. Work may draw on application architecture, automation, IT service management, governance, security, and leadership. |
| Cloud software engineer | 20% | Develops and maintains scalable applications on cloud platforms. Skills include programming, microservices, serverless computing, APIs, DevOps, and cybersecurity. |
| Cloud developer | 20% | Designs, creates, and deploys cloud applications with attention to scalability, reliability, and cost. Relevant skills include programming, cloud platforms, microservices, databases, APIs, containers, and orchestration. |
| Security engineer | 19% | Protects systems, networks, and data, including cloud-hosted services and applications. Skills include network security, identity and access management, encryption, vulnerability management, and cloud security. |
| Cloud consultant | 16% | Advises organizations on applying cloud technology to business needs. Work can involve solution design, DevOps, automation, project management, compliance, and migration. |
| Security architect | 16% | Designs security approaches for cloud infrastructure, applications, and data. Relevant areas include security architecture, governance, incident response, encryption, identity and access management, and DevSecOps. |
| Cloud product manager | 16% | Works with stakeholders to define cloud-service requirements, roadmaps, and quality feedback. Skills include product management, user experience, communication, collaboration, and technical knowledge. |
| Cloud governance/compliance manager | 16% | Helps oversee risk, policy, regulation, and secure cloud operations. The role may require knowledge of GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and governance tools. |
| Cloud network engineer | 15% | Designs and manages cloud networks, including hybrid or multicloud integration. Skills include networking, virtualization, security, automation, and scripting. |
| Data architect | 14% | Structures organizational data for access, security, storage, and business use. Relevant skills include warehousing, performance, governance, migration, and hybrid cloud. |
| Prompt engineer/AI application developer | 14% | Combines designing instructions for AI models with developing software systems and interfaces for AI-enabled services. Skills include programming, databases, API integration, and software engineering. |
| Cloud platform engineer/platform ops | 14% | Builds and maintains cloud tools, automation, self-service portals, and platforms for developers. Skills include infrastructure as code, containers, orchestration, scripting, Linux, and networking. |
| MLOps engineer/AI operations engineer | 13% | Connects machine learning and IT operations, working across data science, development, operations, and stakeholder teams. Skills include programming, DevOps, cloud tools, containers, orchestration, and ML tools. |
| Cloud sysadmin | 13% | Maintains cloud infrastructure, policies, patches, and performance. The CIO feature describes it as likely the most entry-level-friendly role on its list and names Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud among relevant tools. |
| DevOps engineer | 11% | Connects development and operations through automated deployment and infrastructure maintenance. Skills include automation, Linux, testing, security, containers, and programming. |
| FinOps/cloud cost optimization practitioner | 9% | Combines finance, technology, and business knowledge to inform cloud-investment decisions. Relevant tools include AWS, Azure, GCP, and FinOps platforms. |
| Site reliability engineer | 8% | Improves service reliability and scalability through infrastructure automation, monitoring, and incident response. |
| FinOps lead/FinOps manager | 6% | Bridges engineering, finance, and business to improve cost visibility and budget decisions. Relevant skills include cloud platforms, basic coding, and data analytics. |
All percentages in the table are shares of companies reporting role additions in Foundry’s 2026 study, as reported by CIO—not job-posting shares or occupation growth rates. The role descriptions and figures are from CIO’s August 27, 2026 feature.
#1 Best Overall
Which cloud skills show up in U.S. job postings?
O*NET’s employer-based skills page presents Lightcast data for U.S. Computer Systems Engineers/Architects postings dated January 1 through December 31, 2025. The percentages represent unique postings linked to that occupation that mention a skill, divided by all unique postings linked to it.
| Skill | Share of linked postings |
|---|---|
| Python | 31% |
| AWS | 31% |
| Microsoft Azure | 26% |
| Terraform | 18% |
| Kubernetes | 17% |
| Linux | 14% |
| Docker | 12% |
| SQL | 12% |
These figures apply to that occupation and U.S. postings in 2025; they should not be treated as a skill ranking for all cloud jobs or other countries. They can still help candidates identify technical skills that recur in systems-engineering and architecture listings.
Rank #2
How to choose a cloud career direction
Start with the kind of problem you want to work on, then compare actual job descriptions rather than relying on titles alone.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →- Building applications: Explore cloud developer and cloud software engineer listings; look for programming, APIs, databases, microservices, and serverless work.
- Designing systems: Cloud architect and data architect roles emphasize structure, integration, governance, and broader technical decisions. Check how much prior experience and decision-making authority each position expects.
- Protecting systems: Security engineer roles tend toward implementation and ongoing defense; security architect roles center on designing security solutions. Employers may combine these responsibilities.
- Running infrastructure: Cloud sysadmin, cloud network engineer, platform engineer, DevOps engineer, and site reliability engineer roles all support operations, but differ in focus—from networks and self-service platforms to deployment automation and service reliability.
- Supporting AI and data workloads: AI/ML engineer, AI platform engineer, MLOps engineer, data architect, and prompt engineer/AI application developer span model development, infrastructure, operations, data structure, and AI-enabled applications.
- Connecting technology with business decisions: Cloud consultant, cloud product manager, governance/compliance manager, and FinOps practitioner or manager involve varying degrees of advisory work, product direction, risk oversight, and cost decisions.
For each posting, compare the day-to-day responsibilities, scope, seniority, required technical skills, platform experience, and location. A role’s reported addition rate does not establish that it is the best entry point, pays more, or has more vacancies in your region. The available sources do not provide comparable salary or seniority data across all 20 roles.
Rank #3
What hiring trends can—and cannot—tell you
McKinsey’s Technology Trends Outlook 2025 describes cloud and edge job postings as fluctuating between 2021 and 2024. It says postings for senior software engineers, software developers, and technical architects peaked in 2022, then declined by 2024 to near 2021 levels. In the year preceding the report, postings for product managers, data engineers, and data scientists grew. McKinsey also describes uneven skill availability: AWS talent was especially scarce relative to demand; DevOps, Kubernetes, and Python faced shortages; and Linux and database skills were more readily available. These are historical findings through 2024, not a count of 2026 vacancies.
Workforce planning matters alongside recruiting. In a March 24, 2025 report, the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that companies in a nongeneralizable sample of 18 private-sector organizations identified cloud-related skill gaps, assessed recruiting and retention strategies, and worked to ensure staff had training, time, and tools to operate cloud systems. The sample is not representative of all employers, but it illustrates why employers may build skills internally as well as hire for them.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
Recommended Free Tools
