AC Future is building next-generation connected RV and smart mobile living products that combine sustainable energy, intelligent controls, smart home experiences, premium design, and AI-enabled resource management.
We are looking for a hands-on Cloud Engineer to build and operate the cloud foundation for AC Future’s connected product platform. This role will support customer identity, mobile app APIs, product telemetry, secure command relay, device registry, diagnostics, logging, OTA readiness, and future AI/resource intelligence capabilities.
This is an onsite role based in Irvine, California.
Role Summary
The Cloud Engineer will design, build, and manage AC Future’s AWS cloud platform for connected RV and smart living products.
This person must be technically hands-on, but also capable of independently managing small technical initiatives from requirements through delivery. The role requires working closely with mobile app developers, hardware engineers, international engineering teams, vendors, cybersecurity advisors, and business stakeholders.
This is not a narrow DevOps role. The right candidate must be a practical cloud engineer who can build, document, coordinate, follow up, and drive execution across teams.
Responsibilities
Cloud Platform Development
- Design and build AWS architecture for connected product telemetry, command relay, APIs, logging, diagnostics, and device registry.
- Build secure backend services for mobile app and HMI integration.
- Support MQTT and/or HTTPS communication between connected products and cloud services.
- Create scalable data models for products, devices, customers, owners, VIN/unit records, warranty, and support linkage.
- Build development, test, and production-ready cloud environments.
- Document architecture clearly for executives, vendors, and future engineers.
Telemetry and Command Platform
- Build telemetry ingestion pipelines for product data such as battery status, solar input, water levels, HVAC status, lock status, sensor status, camera status, alerts, and system health.
- Support real product telemetry and simulated telemetry for development and testing.
- Build mock telemetry tools to support mobile app, cloud, and AI development.
- Design secure command authorization and logging for remote product controls.
- Classify product commands by risk level: comfort, operational, and safety-critical.
- Ensure safety-critical commands require proper gating, validation, and auditability.
IAM and Access Control
- Integrate customer identity and access management platforms such as Descope, Auth0, AWS Cognito, Okta, or similar tools.
- Support user roles such as owner, admin, technician, internal operator, and test user.
- Implement role-based access control for mobile app and cloud APIs.
- Enforce MFA for privileged access.
- Design secure customer-to-product ownership and permission mapping.
- Support future guest access, service access, and dealer/service partner access models.
Mobile App Backend Support
- Build backend APIs for login, product dashboard, system status, selected controls, diagnostics, and support workflows.
- Provide test endpoints and sample data for mobile app developers.
- Work with UI/UX and mobile app vendors to define API contracts.
- Support integration between mobile app, cloud, IAM, and connected product systems.
- Maintain API documentation and integration guides.
Device Registry and Product Data Model
- Define registry structure for product ID, VIN/serial number, cloud device ID, owner, warranty status, service status, and support relationship.
- Support future linkage to CRM, customer support, dealer operations, and warranty workflows.
- Build APIs or data export structures for future business system integration.
- Maintain accurate records for development units, test units, and future production units.
Security and Cloud Operations
- Implement least-privilege IAM policies.
- Secure API endpoints and command paths.
- Build logging, monitoring, alerting, and audit trails.
- Support secrets management and environment separation.
- Define cloud-to-product network security requirements.
- Support vendor security reviews and basic incident response planning.
- Ensure customer and product data is handled securely.
- Maintain secure development and deployment practices.
OTA and Release Readiness
- Support cloud-side architecture for future OTA updates.
- Track software and firmware versions across connected product components.
- Support release management and version tracking.
- Work with engineering partners to understand device-side update constraints.
- Design OTA readiness without overbuilding before production requirements are finalized.
AI and Resource Intelligence Support
- Provide telemetry and data access needed for AI energy optimization, AI water optimization, AI concierge, and resource intelligence features.
- Support RAG chatbot or AI assistant prototypes using product documentation and telemetry data.
- Support future video, diagnostic, or sensor-based AI features where technically feasible.
- Ensure AI features are built on clean data, secure APIs, and clear product boundaries.
Project Management and Cross-Team Coordination
This role will independently manage selected technical initiatives.
Responsibilities include:
- Convert high-level goals into clear requirements, tasks, timelines, and acceptance criteria.
- Manage small cloud, IAM, telemetry, API, or vendor integration initiatives independently.
- Coordinate with engineers in the U.S., China, and other international locations.
- Track blockers, dependencies, owners, and decisions.
- Run technical follow-ups with vendors and engineering partners.
- Write meeting notes, action items, and weekly progress updates.
- Escalate risks early, especially around interface dependencies, mobile app dependencies, IAM, security, and delivery timelines.
- Maintain lightweight documentation in Jira, Confluence, Microsoft 365, or equivalent tools.
- Communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
This is not a formal program manager role, but the candidate must have enough execution discipline to own initiatives without constant direction.
Required Qualifications
- 4+ years of cloud engineering, backend engineering, DevOps, or IoT platform experience.
- Strong AWS experience.
- Hands-on backend or cloud development experience in at least one modern language such as Python, TypeScript/Node.js, Java, or Go.
- Experience with REST APIs, MQTT, event-driven architecture, and cloud messaging.
- Experience with cloud databases such as DynamoDB, PostgreSQL/RDS, Timestream, or similar.
- Experience with infrastructure-as-code such as Terraform, AWS CDK, or CloudFormation.
- Experience with cloud operation logging and monitoring.
- Strong security fundamentals, including IAM, least privilege, secrets management, API security, TLS, and audit logging.
- Ability to write clear technical documentation and architecture diagrams.
- Ability to manage small technical initiatives independently.
- Ability to work with international engineers, vendors, and hardware teams across time zones.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Must be able to work onsite in Irvine, California.
Preferred Qualifications
- AWS IoT Core, IoT Device Defender, IoT Jobs, or equivalent IoT platform experience.
- Connected vehicle, RV, smart home, energy storage, solar, battery, HVAC, or hardware telemetry experience.
- Experience building command-and-control systems where safety and authorization matter.
- Mobile app backend experience.
- Customer identity platform experience.
- OTA or device update management experience.
- CRM, customer support, or warranty system integration experience.
- AI/LLM, RAG, telemetry analytics, or data pipeline exposure.
- Experience working with offshore or international engineering teams.
- Startup experience with fast-moving requirements.
First 90-Day Expectations
- Understand AC Future’s connected product architecture and cloud requirements.
- Deliver an AWS architecture one-pager.
- Establish cloud environments and basic deployment structure.
- Define IAM integration approach.
- Build or support initial telemetry ingestion capability.
- Create device/product registry MVP.
- Support mobile app backend API planning.
- Build mock telemetry tools for development and testing.
- Establish logging, monitoring, and security baseline.
- Create a technical initiative tracker for cloud, IAM, telemetry, and mobile backend dependencies.
- Provide weekly progress updates, blockers, and risk escalations.
Success Metrics
- AWS cloud foundation is designed, documented, and operational.
- Mobile app developers have clear APIs and sample data.
- Product telemetry can be received, stored, and displayed through cloud services.
- IAM and role-based access are implemented correctly.
- Cloud services follow least-privilege and secure-by-design principles.
- Device registry supports product, customer, owner, warranty, and support relationships.
- Technical dependencies with international teams and vendors are tracked clearly.
- Key initiatives are delivered without constant executive follow-up.
- Architecture is simple, scalable, and practical for AC Future’s stage.
Reporting Structure
- Reports to: CIO
- Works closely with:
- Product software leadership
- Hardware and embedded engineering teams
- International engineering partners
- Mobile app developers
- UI/UX vendors
- IAM vendors
- Cybersecurity advisors
- CRM and customer support system vendors
- Program coordinator or project manager
