Our mission is to create the Experience of a Lifetime for our employees, so they can, in turn, create the Experience of a Lifetime for our guests. We own and operate the most renowned destination resorts in the world as well as regional and local ski areas outside major cities, and connect them all through one unrivaled network. We are looking for ambitious leaders, innovators and creators to join our talented team. If you’re ready to pursue your fullest potential, we want to get to know you!

Candidates for year-round positions are reviewed on a rolling basis. Applications will be accepted up to 90 days after the posting date, or until the position is filled (whichever is first).

Job Summary:

We are looking for a Principal Architect - DevOps Engineering who will be instrumental in shaping and defining our future cloud-native infrastructure. This individual must possess deep technical knowledge across GitOps, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), containerization, and microservices, combined with the ability to translate complex concepts into actionable plans and guide multiple engineering teams through effective implementation using established Vail Resorts platforms.

This role requires an exceptional blend of architectural vision, hands-on engineering expertise, and strong leadership capabilities within the context of modernizing complex systems at Vail Resorts.

Job Specifications:

• Starting Wage: $104,000 + $140,000 + annual bonus
• Employment Type: Year Round
• Shift Type: Full Time
• Minimum Age: At least 18 years of age
• Housing Availability: No

Job Responsibilities:

• Define and articulate high-level DevOps architectural strategy for modernizing Vail Resorts' services.
• Lead the design and specification of GitOps-based CI/CD pipelines, particularly leveraging GitHub Actions. Develop robust patterns to ensure consistency and reliability across different service types.
• Architect cloud-native solutions using Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaC) tools like Terraform or similar. Focus on creating scalable, resilient, cost-effective, and reusable templates for various deployment scenarios across public clouds (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Champion containerization principles and oversee the design and deployment of container services to platforms such as Kubernetes and Azure Container Services.
• Lead initiatives in transitioning legacy services to modern microservice-based architectures. Develop patterns for service decoupling and ensure adherence to best practices for large distributed systems.
• Demonstrate expertise in event-driven architectures, including implementation with technologies like Kafka or RabbitMQ.
• Lead by Example: Provide deep technical guidance, mentor engineers across multiple teams, champion inner-sourcing principles (e.g., sharing reusable components via platforms), and foster a culture of automation and collaboration.
• Effectively communicate architectural concepts, roadmaps, and standards. Listen to diverse perspectives from development teams, leadership, and product stakeholders to build consensus and find practical solutions that align with business goals.
• Develop and champion common architectural patterns for deployment, service interaction, resilience management, observability, logging, monitoring, etc., tailored specifically for Vail Resorts' multi-cloud strategy.

Required Qualifications & Experience:

Technical Expertise

• Proven expertise in GitOps methodologies (e.g., ArgoCD/Flux CD) and hands-on experience designing/implementing robust CI/CD pipelines using tools like GitHub Actions, ensuring infrastructure is defined as code.
• Deep understanding of modern Cloud Architecture principles, specifically Azure/AWS/GCP services relevant to DevOps automation. Ability to make sound decisions on cloud provider choices where appropriate for Vail Resorts' multi-cloud strategy.
• Mastery of defining and operating Infrastructure-as-a-Service environments, particularly with Terraform, including advanced concepts like state management and module composition.
• Demonstrated experience in designing, building, deploying, and managing containerized applications (specifically Docker) using various orchestration platforms (Kubernetes is highly preferred).
• Proven ability to successfully deliver projects that convert legacy systems or services into modern, container-based architectures. Experience with complex system migrations.
• Expertise in eventing systems for decoupling services and message queuing technologies (e.g., Apache Kafka, RabbitMQ), including real-world application design.

Programming & Tools

• Hands-on experience writing code in one or more relevant languages (.NET Core preferred; strong working knowledge of Go, Rust, Python also required). Ability to contribute technically where needed.
• Familiarity with Kubernetes internals and best practices for managing large-scale deployments. Comfortable using related tools (e.g., Helm).

Soft Skills & Leadership

• Exceptional Communication & Collaboration: Proven ability to listen effectively, articulate complex technical ideas clearly, educate stakeholders at various levels, build cross-functional consensus, and find common ground/compromise.
• Strong leadership presence: Ability to guide multiple engineering teams towards adopting modern DevOps principles consistently across Vail Resorts.
• Experience with inner-sourcing practices (e.g., internal platforms like Git repositories, wikis) is highly valued.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working within the ski/resort/seasonal travel industry or a similar high-availability business context would be advantageous.
• Familiarity with Azure/AWS/GCP specific DevOps services and features (e.g., Azure DevOps Pipelines, AWS CodePipeline, GCP Cloud Build).
• Experience in driving digital transformation projects from concept to operational maturity.

The expected Total Compensation for this role is $104,000 + $140,000 + annual bonus. Individual compensation decisions are based on a variety of factors.

Job Benefits

• Ski/Mountain Perks! Free passes for employees, employee discounted lift tickets for friends and family AND free ski lessons
• MORE employee discounts on lodging, food, gear, and mountain shuttles
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Employee Assistance Program
• Excellent training and professional development

Full Time roles are eligible for the above, plus:

• Health Insurance; Medical Insurance, Dental Insurance, and Vision Insurance plans (for eligible seasonal employees after working 500 hours)
• Free ski passes for dependents
• Critical Illness and Accident plans

Vail Resorts offers a ‘Hybrid’ work environment where employees living within 50 miles of the Broomfield office work on-site Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and have flexibility to work off-site on Mondays and Fridays. Employees living outside of a commutable distance can work remotely from British Columbia, Washington D.C., and the 16 U.S. states* in which we currently operate. This includes: California, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, Washington State, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Please note that the ability to work in person or off-site, and the particulars related to such work, are subject to change at any time; and, accordingly, the Company reserves the right to change its policies and/or require in-person/in-office work or off-site work at any time in its sole discretion.

In completing this application, and when submitting related documentation, applicants may redact information that identifies their age, date of birth, and/or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.

We follow all federal, state, and local laws including restrictions on child/minor labor. Minors hired into this position will not be asked or permitted to engage in any activities restricted to adult workers.

Vail Resorts is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other status protected by applicable law.

Requisition ID 512070
Reference Date: 10/11/2025
Job Code Function: Applications