Ian Knighton

About Ian Knighton

I’m a Senior Platform Engineer and Cloud Architect who specializes in modernizing legacy systems, building scalable cloud platforms, and improving the way engineering teams work. Over the past six years, I’ve led major transformations across multiple organizations — from migrating on-premise stacks into AWS and GCP, to implementing CI/CD pipelines, Kubernetes platforms, Terraform standards, observability systems, and reliability-focused engineering practices.I enjoy solving complex technical problems, but what motivates me most is helping people and teams grow. Much of my work has involved collaborating across engineering groups, guiding process improvements, mentoring developers, and building frameworks that make teams more effective and confident. I’m drawn to roles where I can combine hands-on technical depth with systems thinking, long-term planning, and cross-functional leadership.Outside of my core engineering work, I’m the Head Coach for the Bonneville High School Girls Soccer program and a Grassroots Coach Educator for U.S. Soccer. Coaching gives me a different avenue to apply the same principles I value in engineering — clarity, development, communication, structure, and culture. Whether I’m coaching players or mentoring engineers, I care deeply about helping people grow into their potential.I’m currently exploring senior engineering, platform, cloud architecture, and reliability roles where I can contribute to impactful technical decisions, raise engineering maturity, and help build systems and teams that scale.

Experience

1. Coach Educator

   U.S. Soccer Federation

   Jan 2025 — Present · US

   As a Grassroots Coach Educator with U.S. Soccer, I support the development of youth coaches nationwide by helping deliver education, mentorship, and best practices rooted in modern coaching standards. I leverage experience in structured instruction, systems thinking, and program development to help coaches create safe, positive, and effective learning environments.Key Contributions • Facilitate Grassroots coaching courses, helping new and developing coaches build confidence, technical understanding, and player-centered methodologies. • Collaborate with fellow Coach Educators on improving the delivery and quality of U.S. Soccer’s education programs. • Apply process-driven teaching approaches, clear communication, and structured frameworks to improve the learning experience for coaches. • Provide mentorship, feedback, and guidance to coaches to help strengthen youth development pathways across local and regional communities. • Bring leadership, communication, and program-building experience from my engineering background into coaching education settings, enhancing clarity and consistency in curriculum delivery.