Key Responsibilities
Architect, implement, and maintain Azure-based infrastructure (networking, compute, storage, identity, security controls) to support business-critical workloads with defined availability and performance targets.
Lead cloud migrations and modernization efforts, including workload assessment, landing zone design, migration planning and execution, and post-migration optimization.
Own Microsoft 365 service operations (Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, Teams) including configuration, governance, lifecycle management, and service health monitoring.
Design and enforce cloud security best practices such as identity hardening (Microsoft Entra ID), Conditional Access, least privilege RBAC, secure network patterns, and policy-based compliance.
Implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and automation using tools such as Terraform, Bicep/ARM, and PowerShell to improve consistency, deployment speed, and auditability.
Monitor, troubleshoot, and resolve complex incidents across Azure and Microsoft 365; perform root cause analysis and implement preventive improvements.
Establish and maintain operational standards including documentation, runbooks, change management, patching strategies, backup and disaster recovery, and service-level reporting.
Optimize cloud costs and performance using tagging strategies, capacity planning, rightsizing, reservations or savings plans, and cost governance processes.
Collaborate cross-functionally with security, networking, application teams, and vendors to deliver integrated cloud solutions; provide technical guidance during planning and implementation.
Mentor and uplift engineers through coaching, peer reviews for automation and IaC, and leadership in adopting cloud best practices and standards.
Required Qualifications
Overall 13+ years of IT infrastructure/engineering experience with 4+ years of hands-on experience in Azure and/or Microsoft 365 in enterprise environments.
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or equivalent practical experience.
One or more current Microsoft certifications such as Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) or equivalent, Microsoft 365 Administrator/Expert-level certification, or Azure Solutions Architect Expert.
Proven Azure engineering experience across core services including networking, compute, storage, identity, monitoring, and governance.
Microsoft 365 administration experience managing tenant configuration, governance, and troubleshooting across key workloads.
Strong identity and access management skills with Microsoft Entra ID, MFA, Conditional Access, SSO integration, and role-based access control (RBAC).
Demonstrated ability to implement cloud security controls and support compliance requirements using Microsoft security capabilities (e.g., Defender, Purview concepts).
Proficiency in PowerShell and at least one Infrastructure as Code approach (Terraform and/or Bicep/ARM) with CI/CD integration exposure.
Strong operational background in incident response, problem management, monitoring, backup/disaster recovery, and change control for production services.
Excellent communication, documentation, and stakeholder management skills; ability to explain complex concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.
Preferred Qualifications
Advanced certifications such as Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Azure Security Engineer Associate (AZ-500), DevOps Engineer Expert (AZ-400), or Microsoft Security (SC-200/SC-300/SC-100).
Hybrid identity experience (Entra Connect or Cloud Sync) and integration of on-premises Active Directory with Microsoft cloud services.
Deep Azure networking design experience (hub-and-spoke, firewalling, private endpoints, ExpressRoute/VPN, DNS, routing).
Hands-on experience implementing Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Defender for Endpoint/Identity/Office 365, and security monitoring workflows (e.g., Microsoft Sentinel).
Experience designing governance at scale (Azure landing zones, management groups, policy/initiative structures, standardized subscription models).
Familiarity with Git-based workflows, Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions pipelines, and automated testing for infrastructure deployments.
Experience working in ITSM/ITIL-aligned environments (e.g., ServiceNow) and driving measurable operational improvements.
Technical Skills and Competencies
Area
Skills / Tools
Microsoft Azure
Virtual Networks, VMs, Storage Accounts, Azure Backup, Azure Monitor/Log Analytics, Key Vault; Azure Policy, Management Groups, RBAC, tagging standards; VPN Gateway, ExpressRoute, Private Link/Private Endpoints, NSGs, Azure Firewall, Application Gateway/WAF, DNS; Microsoft Entra ID, PIM, Conditional Access; Defender for Cloud.
Microsoft 365
Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, Teams; service health management; governance and lifecycle administration; security and compliance concepts (Purview: DLP, retention; Defender for Office 365; Secure Score).
Automation, IaC, and Tooling
PowerShell (advanced), Azure CLI; Terraform and/or Bicep/ARM; CI/CD with Azure DevOps and/or GitHub Actions; monitoring and alerting, dashboards, runbooks, SLO/SLA reporting; documentation and diagramming.
Operational and Leadership Competencies
Technical leadership and mentoring; structured troubleshooting and root cause analysis; cross-team collaboration; requirements translation into scalable designs; ownership mindset for reliability, security, and cost optimization.
Additional Information
Participate in an on-call rotation and occasional after-hours maintenance windows as required for critical changes and incident response.
Partner with security and compliance teams to ensure cloud services meet organizational and regulatory requirements.
Contribute to standards, reference architectures, and continuous improvement initiatives across the cloud platform.
Improved reliability and observability of cloud services through standardized monitoring, runbooks, and operational metrics.
Measurable progress in security posture through identity hardening, policy compliance, and risk reduction initiatives.
Reduced deployment cycle time and configuration drift through increased adoption of Infrastructure as Code and automation.
Demonstrated leadership through mentoring, high-quality documentation, and successful delivery of key cloud initiatives.
Work Environment and Expectations
What Success Looks Like (First 6 to 12 Months)
Equal Opportunity Statement: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs.
Top Skills
What We Do
AHEAD builds platforms for digital business. By weaving together cloud infrastructure, intelligent operations, and modern applications, we help enterprises deliver on the promise of digital transformation.
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