Azure Cloud AI Engineer - Contract – Raleigh, NC – $60.00 - $75.00/hr. The final salary or hourly wage, as applicable, paid to each candidate/applicant for this position is ultimately dependent on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the candidate’s/applicant’s qualifications, skills, and level of experience as well as the geographical location of the position. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Sponsorship not available. Our client is seeking an Azure Cloud AI Engineer in Raleigh, NC. Role Description KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: • Build and maintain integrated Azure OpenAI and Cognitive Services environments, ensuring they are secure, scalable, and ready for use by application and business teams. • Provision and configure secure, policy-compliant Azure subscriptions with baseline networking & components (VNets, NSGs, private endpoints, app gateways) for Application teams using IaC/Bicep. • Implement role-based access control (RBAC) and Azure Policy enforcement • Work with development teams to create and maintain CI/CD pipelines and reusable infrastructure-as-code modules to support repeatable, automated deployments. • Create and support operational monitoring dashboards, logs, and documentation to enable effective management and incident response. • Through cross-team collaboration and knowledge sharing, provide guidance and support to business, infrastructure, and development teams. Skills & Requirements REQUIRED/MUST HAVE SKILLS: 1. 3 years minimum direct experience integrating Azure OpenAI and Cognitive Services into applications or services, including security configuration, API management, and service limits. - (should be in recent 3 years) 1. 3 years experience working with app teams to migrate, modernize, or re-platform workloads in Azure, including supporting legacy integration and business enablement. 1. 3 years Hands-on experience deploying Azure networking and working within a hub-spoke model. 1. 3 years of experience designing and implementing reusable infrastructure using Bicep and building automated pipelines with Azure DevOps, or similar tools. 1. Familiarity with implementing and managing Azure Policies, RBAC, and resource tagging strategies 1. Experience designing Azure environments with a “private-by-default” approach which includes use of Private Endpoints, disabling public IPs, restricting access via NSGs and Azure Firewall, and enforcing policies to prevent public exposure. PREFERRED AI-102, AZ-105, AZ-305, AZ-400 and other azure certifications. Benefits/Other Compensation This position is a contract/temporary role where Hays offers you the opportunity to enroll in full medical benefits, dental benefits, vision benefits, 401K and Life Insurance ($20,000 benefit). Why Hays? You will be working with a professional recruiter who has intimate knowledge of the industry and market trends. Your Hays recruiter will lead you through a thorough screening process in order to understand your skills, experience, needs, and drivers. You will also get support on resume writing, interview tips, and career planning, so when there’s a position you really want, you’re fully prepared to get it. Nervous about an upcoming interview? Unsure how to write a new resume? Visit the Hays Career Advice section to learn top tips to help you stand out from the crowd when job hunting. Hays is committed to building a thriving culture of diversity that embraces people with different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better we serve our candidates, clients, and employees. We are an equal employment opportunity employer, and we comply with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, creed, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, marital status, genetic information, HIV-positive status, as well as any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. One of Hays’ guiding principles is ‘do the right thing’. We also believe that actions speak louder than words. In that regard, we train our staff on ensuring inclusivity throughout the entire recruitment process and counsel our clients on these principles. If you have any questions about Hays or any of our processes, please contact us. In accordance with applicable federal, state, and local law protecting qualified individuals with known disabilities, Hays will attempt to reasonably accommodate those individuals unless doing so would create an undue hardship on the company. Any qualified applicant or consultant with a disability who requires an accommodation in order to perform the essential functions of the job should call or text 813.336.5570. Drug testing may be required; please contact a recruiter for more information.