Azure Sr. Cloud Engineer

Job Summary: The Sr. Azure Cloud Engineer is responsible for spearheading the design, deployment, and management of cloud infrastructure across the organization. As the technical leader of the cloud engineering team, this role involves driving multi-cloud strategy, leading the team in implementing scalable and secure cloud solutions, and ensuring the optimal performance of cloud-based systems. The Sr. Cloud Engineer will work closely with senior leadership, cross-functional teams, and external partners to align cloud initiatives with business goals, making a significant impact to our industry. Key Responsibilities: Cloud Strategy & Leadership: Develop and execute the company's cloud strategy in alignment with business objectives and technological advancements with a focus on Azure. Lead the cloud engineering team, providing direction, mentorship, and support to ensure the successful execution of cloud activities. Collaborate with senior management and stakeholders to define cloud-related goals, priorities, and key performance indicators (KPIs). Cloud Architecture & Design: Architect and design complex, scalable, and highly available cloud infrastructures on platforms such as AWS, Azure, and other SaaS/PaaS platforms. Lead the evaluation and selection of cloud services, tools, and technologies that meet organizational needs. Ensure that cloud architectures adhere to industry best practices, security standards, and regulatory requirements. Implementation & Automation: Oversee the deployment and configuration of cloud environments, ensuring that they are automated, efficient, and resilient. Drive the adoption of infrastructure-as-code (IaC) practices using tools like Terraform, CloudFormation, or Ansible. Implement and refine CI/CD pipelines to streamline the delivery and deployment of cloud services. Security & Compliance: Lead efforts to implement robust cloud security frameworks, ensuring that all systems are secure, compliant, and resilient against threats. Conduct regular security assessments, audits, and reviews to identify and mitigate risks in the cloud environment. Collaborate with the security team to integrate advanced security measures, including encryption, IAM, and network security. Performance Optimization & Cost Management: Monitor and analyze the performance of cloud systems, identifying opportunities for optimization and cost reduction (FinOps). Develop strategies for efficient cloud resource management, ensuring that the cloud infrastructure scales effectively with business growth. Lead efforts and provide hands-on support to optimize cloud spending, working closely with our product teams to optimize their cloud spend. Team Leadership & Development: Provide leadership and guidance to the cloud engineering team, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning. Mentor and develop junior engineers, helping them grow their technical skills and advance their careers. Lead the recruitment and onboarding of new cloud engineers, ensuring that the team has the right mix of skills and experience. Incident Management & Troubleshooting: Serve as the escalation point for complex cloud-related incidents, leading the team in rapid response and resolution efforts. Oversee the development and execution of disaster recovery and business continuity plans for Azure cloud environments. Ensure that post-incident reviews are conducted, with lessons learned applied to improve processes and prevent future issues. Qualifications: Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field. Advanced certifications in cloud platforms (e.g. Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Azure Administrator, Azure Fundamentals, Security Engineer, Network Engineer, etc.) are highly desired. Experience: 7-10 years of hands-on experience in cloud engineering and IT infrastructure, with a portion of that time in a cloud technology and/or governance leadership role. Extensive hands-on experience with cloud platforms (Azure preferred, bonus if experience with other public cloud environments) and a proven track record of leading complex cloud projects. Demonstrated experience in leading and mentoring technical teams, with a strong ability to drive results through others. Skills: Expertise in cloud architecture, including knowledge of cloud-native services, multi-cloud strategies, and hybrid cloud environments. Proficiency in scripting and automation tools, including Python, Bash, Terraform, and Ansible. Hands on experience with technically managing public cloud environments, including Identity & Access Management, development and implementation of security controls, cloud forensics, implementing cost optimization solutions, designing and implementing network solutions including network routing, firewalls, load balancers, bastion hosts and EKS. Strong understanding of cloud security practices, compliance frameworks, and regulatory requirements. Hands-on experience using or integrating with 3 rd party security tools (Defender, Threat Management, Vulnerability Management, Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM), PIM/PAM, SIEM, etc.) Advanced problem-solving and analytical skills, with a focus on performance optimization and cost management. Exceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate across all levels of the organization. Preferred Qualifications: Experience with DevOps practices, including CI/CD, continuous monitoring, and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes). Experience with serverless architectures, microservices, SQL Server, Azure Functions, AKS and cloud-native application development. Knowledge of networking concepts, including Express Route, vNets, VPNs, CDN, load balancers, DDoS Protection and Migration Services, APP Gateway, Traffic Manager, Private Link, and Azure Firewall Manager.