Comprehensive Guide to Hiring Cloud Developers

It’s 2025, and everyone’s in the cloud. As cloud adoption surges, finding the people who actually know how to build there has become a lot harder. Cloud developers are in high demand, and hiring the right one can shape the success of your infrastructure, product reliability, and long-term growth.

If you’re reading this, you already understand the value of cloud development. What you need now is real guidance on how to hire cloud developers who can deliver results, communicate clearly, and integrate well with your team.

This guide covers everything: what cloud developers do, how much they cost, which skills to look for, where to find them, how to evaluate candidates, interview tips, common mistakes to avoid, and when a recruiting partner can help.

What Do Cloud Developers Do?

Cloud developers build, deploy, and maintain cloud-based applications and services that scale efficiently and securely.

They design cloud-native software that runs on remote infrastructure, manage that infrastructure using code, and make sure that everything stays secure, performant, and always available. Their work directly supports business goals like scalability, faster product delivery, and lower infrastructure costs.

Most cloud developers specialize in one or more platforms—AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform, which are by far the most widely used cloud providers across industries. These developers typically collaborate with backend teams, DevOps engineers, and product managers to deliver reliable, scalable functionality to end users.

Despite developing on cloud infrastructure, they’re not system administrators. While cloud developers typically work alongside DevOps, their focus is on building applications and not just managing deployments.

If your needs also include managing cloud-based data pipelines, consider hiring for cloud data engineer roles, which come with a different skill set focused on storage, processing, and analysis.

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Cloud Developer?

In the US alone, the cloud market is projected to reach $3 trillion by 2035. Globally, it’s expected to surpass $5 trillion. With that kind of growth, it’s no surprise that cloud developers command high salaries. Like most technical roles, exact compensation depends on experience level and location.

According to our benchmarks, full-time cloud developers in the US typically earn:

• Junior: $73,000 – $145,200
• Mid-level: $145,200 – $156,200
• Senior: $156,200 – $162,800

Hiring outside the US, especially in regions with lower living costs, can lead to significant savings without compromising on quality.

Based on our experience, hiring developers in Latin America with similar skill levels will cost:

• Junior: $42,000 – $54,000
• Mid-level: $54,000 – $66,000
• Senior: $66,000 – $78,000

This represents a cost reduction of 42% to 63%, depending on the role and experience level.

These savings come from regional economic differences, not differences in talent or professionalism. Many businesses are able to hire senior-level talent on a mid-level budget. 

What Skills Should You Look For When Hiring Cloud Developers?

Cloud developers do more than just write code. They build the infrastructure your product depends on. They need to think about scale, security, and speed while also collaborating across teams and staying aligned with business goals. 

Hiring the right developer means looking past surface-level experience and identifying who can contribute real value in a real-world environment.

Here’s how to break that down.

Hard skills (the must-haves)

To do the job well, a cloud developer needs strong technical foundations. These are non-negotiables:

• Cloud platform expertise (AWS, Azure, or GCP): The best candidates have hands-on experience with at least one major platform. AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud are by far the most widely adopted across industries, so most roles require deep familiarity with one or more of them. 
• Infrastructure as code (IaC): Tools like Terraform and CloudFormation help developers manage infrastructure in a scalable, repeatable way. Look for experience writing and managing IaC templates, not just using prebuilt ones.
• Containerization and orchestration: Docker and Kubernetes are foundational to modern cloud architecture. Ask about their experience deploying and managing containers, and how they’ve handled rollbacks, scaling, or downtime.
• CI/CD pipelines: Continuous integration and delivery allow teams to move fast without breaking things. Candidates should understand tools like GitHub Actions, CircleCI, or Jenkins and be able to explain how CI/CD supported their last project.
• Security best practices: Misconfigured cloud resources are a major vulnerability. Developers should know how to handle access control, encryption, and secure networking by design and not as an afterthought.
• API design and cloud databases: Cloud developers often build or integrate APIs and work with both SQL and NoSQL databases. Look for experience designing APIs and using tools like Postman, along with knowledge of cloud-native databases like DynamoDB or Firestore.

Soft skills (equally important)

Technical know-how is essential, but it’s soft skills that often separate good developers from great ones. This is especially true on a distributed or cross-functional team.

• Clear communication: Developers need to explain technical concepts to non-technical colleagues and work smoothly with other engineers. Look for candidates who answer questions directly, avoid jargon, and can clearly explain their thought process.
• Ownership and follow-through: Cloud development involves long-term thinking. Strong candidates take responsibility for their systems and care about the outcome, not just the code.
• Problem-solving mindset: Things go wrong in the cloud. Latency spikes, deployments fail, services crash. Developers should stay calm, ask the right questions, and work through issues logically.
• Adaptability: Cloud tech evolves fast. Ask candidates how they keep their skills sharp or how they handled a major change in their last role.
• Business awareness: A top tip from our recruiter is to look for candidates who write clean, scalable code and understand how their work supports the broader product goals. Here, it's as much about uptime as it is about impact.

Nice-to-have skills (the differentiators)

These skills aren’t required, but they often signal a candidate who can ramp up faster, collaborate more effectively, or support more complex use cases.

• Multi-cloud or hybrid environment experience: Some companies use a mix of providers. Developers with experience across platforms can navigate this complexity without getting locked into one ecosystem.
• Familiarity with performance monitoring tools: Tools like Datadog, Prometheus, or New Relic help detect issues before users notice them. Candidates who’ve used them in production settings are better equipped to build resilient systems.
• Basic data engineering understanding: Cloud applications increasingly intersect with data pipelines and AI services. Developers who understand event-driven architecture or tools like Kafka can work more effectively in data-heavy environments.
• AI and AIaaS familiarity: As more businesses adopt AI-as-a-Service platforms to power automation, personalization, and predictive analytics, developers who know how to support these tools in the cloud bring added value. This trend is being driven by the rapid rise of AIaaS (AI as a Service), cloud computing, big data, and AI adoption across industries.
• Experience in your industry: Developers who’ve worked in finance, healthcare, or SaaS may already understand key compliance concerns or customer needs.

Where Can You Find and Hire Great Cloud Developers?

Hiring a cloud developer starts with two important decisions:

1. Where your developer will be located (local, remote in the US, or international)
2. Which sourcing channel you’ll use to find qualified candidates

Below, we go into each part of that decision in more detail.

Choosing the right location

Your first choice is whether to hire an in-office employee, a remote employee within the US, or a developer based internationally.

Cloud development doesn’t require a physical presence. Most of the work, such as writing infrastructure as code, deploying services, and debugging environments, can be done remotely. That gives you the flexibility to build a broader candidate pool based on your budget, collaboration needs, and timeline.

Here’s how the main options compare:

In-office/local developers:

• Face-to-face collaboration and easier onboarding
• Direct involvement in sprint planning, product discussions, and internal culture
• Higher compensation and overhead costs due to US location

Remote US-based developers:

• Access to talent beyond your local area
• Familiarity with US workplace standards and security compliance
• Typically similar salary expectations to in-office roles

International developers:

• Larger talent pool and potential cost savings (30–70% compared to US rates)
• Opportunities to hire senior talent on a mid-level budget
• It may require navigating time zone overlap and international onboarding

One effective strategy for US companies is nearshoring, which means hiring from neighboring regions that offer similar time zones and business hours. 

In practice, that often means looking to Latin America. Developers in countries like Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia often bring strong technical skills, real-time collaboration, and cultural compatibility—all while offering more affordable salary expectations.

If your top priority is budget over real-time collaboration, South and Southeast Asia (e.g., India, Vietnam, Philippines) and Eastern Europe (e.g., Romania, Poland, Serbia) also have strong cloud development communities.

Choosing the right sourcing channel

Once you know where to search, the next step is deciding how you’ll connect with qualified candidates. There are several common sourcing channels, each with different pros, cons, and use cases.

Here’s how they compare:

Each approach has its strengths. For example, freelance platforms offer more flexibility than a development company and can help you move quickly. However, you may end up spending more time managing quality. 

Job boards offer great visibility but require strong internal hiring processes. Recruitment partners can be especially helpful when outsourcing cloud development since they already know how to identify talent with the right skills and mindset.

If you're hiring across borders, a recruitment partner can also help you avoid compliance headaches, coordinate across time zones, and move faster overall. Later in this guide, we’ll explore working with a recruitment partner and explain when it makes the most sense to use one.

How to Hire the Best Cloud Developers: Best Practices

Hiring a cloud developer takes more than posting a job and hoping the right candidate applies. Without a clear process, it’s easy to waste time on poor matches or lose strong candidates to faster-moving companies. A structured approach helps you define what you need, evaluate candidates effectively, and make competitive offers that get accepted.

Here’s how to approach each stage of the process, with specific best practices for hiring cloud developers.

Stage 1: Set clear expectations before you start sourcing

Define what you actually need

Cloud roles vary widely. Are you hiring someone to manage a single cloud environment or someone who can design for a multi-cloud architecture? Do you need someone who specializes in AWS, or should they be comfortable working across platforms like Azure and GCP?

Get specific about your priorities and avoid the trap of expecting one person to do it all. A clear, realistic scope saves time during the hiring process and helps you identify who’s actually a fit for the role.

Write a job description that attracts the right people

Your job post should be more than a tech-stack list. Be explicit about what kind of cloud infrastructure your team uses today and where it’s headed. Are you using Terraform or CloudFormation? What kinds of services will they be deploying? Will they own CI/CD? These are the details that top cloud developers look for.

Our guide to writing job descriptions for software developers offers more practical tips for crafting job posts that will attract serious candidates.

Stage 2: Screen and evaluate the right way

Test real-world thinking, not just coding skills

A solid GitHub repo is great, but it doesn’t tell you how someone handles business challenges. We recommend giving candidates a short, paid task like debugging a cloud-based app, refactoring an existing IaC template, or implementing an API with a test suite. The goal here isn’t complexity but context.

Ask them to walk you through their decisions. What trade-offs did they make? How would they scale it? Can they explain it in plain language? In our experience, great candidates can explain what they built, why they built it that way, and how it impacted the business.

This approach reveals far more than a resume ever could.

Watch for signals of ownership and communication

A strong cloud developer deploys code only after they’ve thought ahead. Look for candidates who take responsibility for uptime, performance, and incident response. Ask about a time they received critical feedback or ran into deployment issues and how they responded.

Candidates who avoid talking about mistakes or can't clearly define their past role in a team project are worth a second look. Those red flags often indicate a lack of real-world experience or self-awareness.

Stage 3: Close the deal with confidence

Move fast and treat your offer like a pitch

Cloud developers with strong experience are in high demand. If your interview process takes too long, you risk losing great candidates to faster-moving companies.

Your offer should be more than a number. If your team has invested in strong DevOps practices or built a culture where engineers get quick support and real ownership, make that part of the conversation. 

Developers care about how they’ll work day to day. In fact, more than half of developers surveyed report that delays in getting answers slow down their productivity, even when they have access to the right resources. If your team is structured to avoid those delays, highlight that during the offer process.

Make sure you're clear about what success looks like in the role. Talk about ownership, learning opportunities, and what the developer will be responsible for in their first few months. Include a brief but specific onboarding plan so they know what to expect.

Avoid surprises later by being transparent about where your tech stack is today and how it might evolve. If a migration or shift is coming, say so early. The right candidates will appreciate the honesty and be more confident in their decision to join.

For more tips on crafting strong offers that lead to long-term retention, see our guide on how to make a good job offer and retain top talent.

Top Interview Questions for Hiring Cloud Developers That Reveal the Right Fit

Interviewing cloud developers goes far beyond “Tell me about your last job.” You need to uncover how they think about architecture, how they make decisions under pressure, and how they communicate complex systems to different audiences.

Here are five questions that reveal whether a candidate is truly ready to build and maintain cloud infrastructure at scale.

“Walk me through a recent cloud project you worked on. What problem did it solve?”

This question tests whether the candidate can explain a project from start to finish while staying focused on the business outcome and not just the tech. You’ll learn what role they played, which services they used, and how they approached design and deployment.

Strong answers describe a real use case, how they solved a specific problem (such as latency or reliability), and how the project made an impact.

Red flags: Vague descriptions of their involvement, focusing only on tools used without context, or an inability to articulate why the project mattered.

“How would you design a cloud-native application that needs to scale quickly and handle user data securely?”

This question reveals architectural thinking and how well the candidate balances performance, scalability, and security. It’s also a good indicator of how up-to-date they are with current best practices.

Strong answers walk through trade-offs like choosing managed services vs containerized solutions, integrating identity access management (IAM), handling data encryption, and planning for sudden traffic spikes.

Red flags: Overly simplified solutions, skipping over security, or suggesting tools without explaining why they would be a good fit.

“What’s a mistake you made in a cloud project, and what did you learn from it?”

This surfaces humility, accountability, and the ability to grow from real-world experience. Cloud environments are complex, and mistakes happen. What matters is how developers respond to them.

Strong answers share specific issues like misconfigured permissions, poor resource planning, or flawed deployment pipelines. Look for candidates who can explain what they changed after the fact and how it improved their approach.

Red flags: Blaming others, being vague, or saying they haven’t made any mistakes.

“How do you stay current with cloud tools and services?”

Cloud platforms evolve rapidly. This question helps you evaluate whether the candidate is proactive about learning and knows how to stay up to speed without waiting for formal training.

Strong answers reference trusted resources like vendor documentation, official certifications, changelogs, or hands-on experimentation. Bonus points if they talk about following specific release notes or testing new tools in personal projects.

Red flags: Outdated references, vague answers, or relying entirely on others to stay informed.

“How would you explain a complex cloud architecture decision to a non-technical stakeholder?”

This is a practical way to evaluate communication clarity. Cloud developers often need to explain their decisions to product managers, executives, or clients who don’t have a technical background.

Strong answers break down the decision into clear trade-offs, focus on the business impact, and avoid jargon. The candidate should be able to explain why a choice was made without oversimplifying or overwhelming the listener.

Red flags: Confusing explanations, too much technical detail, or signs that they struggle to adjust their communication style based on the audience.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring Cloud Developers

Even with a well-defined hiring process, it’s easy to slip into mistakes that create mismatches or slow down your projects. These are some of the most common pitfalls companies run into when hiring cloud developers, and how to avoid them.

Prioritizing cost over long-term value

When hiring offshore, it’s tempting to focus entirely on hourly rates. However, many factors influence offshore developer rates, including experience, specialization, time zone alignment, and communication ability.

A lower rate does not always mean a lower total cost. Some developers take longer to deliver or require more oversight, which offsets the savings. The best approach is to evaluate total value, not just price. This becomes even more important if you're working with cloud systems that need to scale reliably or integrate with other platforms.

Overvaluing degrees instead of practical experience

Plenty of top-tier cloud developers, particularly in Latin America and Eastern Europe, built their careers through boot camps, certifications, or self-teaching. Others gained experience through freelance projects or open-source contributions.

Cloud development moves fast, and real-world problem-solving skills often matter more than a traditional computer science degree. Focus on what candidates have actually built, how they built it, and what they learned—not just where they went to school.

Being vague about your tech stack’s future

Strong candidates want to know what they’re signing up for. For example, if you’re shifting to multi-cloud, rebuilding with containers, or phasing out legacy tools, then say so early in the process.

Being upfront helps avoid surprises during onboarding and makes sure that your new hire is equipped for what’s ahead. It also signals that your team is thoughtful about planning and transparency.

Expecting one person to handle everything

Cloud development often overlaps with DevOps, security, and backend infrastructure. However, that doesn’t mean you should hire one person to cover it all.

Clarify what success looks like for this role and what other support will be in place. If you’re scaling rapidly or moving to a new cloud platform, you may also need to hire or outsource a DevOps specialist to complement this hire. When expectations are realistic, everyone wins.

Ignoring collaboration and communication skills

A developer who builds great infrastructure but struggles to communicate will slow your team down. Cloud engineers need to document clearly, explain trade-offs, and align with stakeholders across technical and non-technical roles.

This is especially important when your organization is growing or trying to improve cross-team efficiency. If collaboration gaps appear during the interview stage, you’ll need to decide between hiring a developer or outsourcing the work, especially for projects with high cross-functional dependencies.

Why Working With a Recruiting Partner Makes a Difference

Hiring on your own can work, especially if you’ve got a clear process, time to spare, and experience sourcing technical talent. However, when you’re scaling fast, juggling multiple roles, or navigating international hiring for the first time, DIY hiring often turns into a bottleneck.

Cloud developers face high demand and low margins for error. A recruiter who specializes in cloud and DevOps talent can save weeks by pre-vetting candidates, filtering for fit, and offering guidance on salary expectations and onboarding.

It also matters more as your company grows. Startups, for example, need technical hires who can wear multiple hats and adapt fast. If you need to hire an offshore developer for your startup, a recruiter can help you avoid missteps by aligning talent choices with business priorities. 

If outsourcing your cloud development ends up being the better fit, working with a dedicated remote developer recruitment company means you’re not stuck managing overseas contracts or compliance on your own.

Yes, recruitment partners come with a fee. But that investment often pays off by:

• Saving time on sourcing and evaluation
• Reducing the chance of costly hiring mistakes
• Getting expert input on crafting strong offers
• Increasing retention by providing cultural and team alignment

The right recruiting partner doesn’t just fill a role. We’ve seen time and time again how they help businesses hire smarter, faster, and with a lot less stress when teams can’t afford to slow down.

Final Thoughts

Hiring the right cloud developer takes more than scanning resumes. It means evaluating how candidates think through problems, communicate across teams, and deliver impact in real-world scenarios. Whether you're building out infrastructure for the first time or scaling an existing platform, a thoughtful hiring process pays off.

If working with a recruitment partner seems like the right move, consider a firm that understands both cloud hiring and the value of time zone-aligned teams.

At Near, we get to know your cloud development needs and help you hire pre-vetted cloud developers from across Latin America. Our talent pool brings deep technical experience, strong communication skills, and alignment with US work hours, often at a significantly lower cost than hiring locally.

You don’t need to compromise on quality or culture fit to stay on budget.

Book a free consultation with our team today, and we’ll help you find the right cloud developer within 21 days.