beBee background
Professionals
>
Buford
Kiara McRae

Kiara McRae

Cloud & DevOps Engineer | AWS & Kubernetes

Technology / Internet

Buford, Gwinnett

Social


About Kiara McRae:

I’m a project and operations leader transitioning into Cloud & DevOps engineering. Over the past 7+ years, I’ve managed multimillion-dollar operations at Starbucks, leading technology rollouts, new store openings, and cross-functional teams of 30+. My background has given me deep skills in process optimization, automation, and people leadership.

Currently, I’m pursuing the AWS Solutions Architect certification while building a Spotify-style cloud app (Aurora) to sharpen my skills in Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, and CI/CD pipelines on AWS and Google Cloud. This hands-on project demonstrates my ability to design, deploy, and scale cloud-native systems.

I combine leadership, technical expertise, and a growth mindset to deliver scalable solutions and continuous improvement. My goal is to grow into a Cloud/DevOps Engineer role where I can help organizations innovate, automate, and scale with confidence.

Experience

Store Manager / Project Manager — Starbucks Coffee Company (2018–2025)

Led Southeast’s #1 volume store with $3M+ annual revenue and 33 direct reports.

Directed technology rollouts (POS systems, scheduling automation, mobile ordering) across multiple locations.

Managed multimillion-dollar budgets, risk, and compliance while delivering remodels and new store openings.

Implemented process improvements leveraging data and automation, cutting wait times by 20% and boosting satisfaction to 95%.

Mentored and promoted leaders into senior roles, improving retention by 15%.

Assistant Manager / Project Coordinator — Fine Dining & Banquets (2016–2018)

Managed logistics, vendor contracts, and budgets for weddings and corporate events (200+ guests).

Coordinated cross-functional teams to deliver premium guest experiences, achieving 98% satisfaction.

Shift Supervisor / Operations Lead — Starbucks Coffee Company (2014–2016)

Supported district pilots of new technology platforms and product launches.

Facilitated training and communication across store teams for smooth adoption.

Education

Arizona State University — Tempe, AZ

Candidate for B.S. in Human Systems Engineering (User Experience), Expected 2026

Georgia State University — Atlanta, GA

Candidate for B.S. in Computer Science, Expected 2026

Business Administration (A.S.) — Graduated 2024

Professionals in the same Technology / Internet sector as Kiara McRae

Professionals from different sectors near Buford, Gwinnett

Other users who are called Kiara

Jobs near Buford, Gwinnett

  • Work in company

    Lead AWS Cloud Engineer –

    Nexwave

    We are looking for a Lead AWS Cloud Engineer to drive architectural excellence and lead the design and delivery of cloud-native solutions using OpenShift, · Kubernetes, · and AWS services.A architect · and lead the implementation of cloud-native applications on AWS using OpenShif ...

    Atlanta

    1 month ago

  • Work in company

    Golang Architect

    Jobs via Dice

    We are seeking a highly experienced Golang Architect to lead the design and evolution of our large scale, cloud native backend platforms. This role goes beyond hands on development and focuses on defining architecture, guiding engineering teams, and ensuring scalability, reliabil ...

    Atlanta, GA

    1 month ago

  • Work in company

    Lead Cloud Platform Engineer

    Chick-fil-A Corporate Support Center

    Interested in building one of the largest Kubernetes deployments in the industry supporting Edge Computing use cases including Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence in our 2,600+ North American restaurants? We are looking for an experienced, passionate, distributed syste ...

    Atlanta, GA

    6 days ago