Cloud Engineer

Job Title: Cloud Engineer Location: Chicago, IL 60603 (Onsite) Duration: 3 months Contract We are seeking a skilled developer with exposure to Azure Cloud environment to lead and execute the migration of enterprise applications from on-premises environments to Microsoft Azure. The ideal candidate will possess deep technical expertise in Azure services, cloud migration tools, and infrastructure automation, along with strong collaboration and documentation skills. Key Responsibilities: • Lead end-to-end migration of applications from on-premises to Azure cloud. • Design and implement CI/CD pipelines using GitLab and other DevOps tools. • Develop Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using ARM templates, Bicep, Terraform, and Ansible. • Ensure security and compliance with IAM policies, encryption standards, and regulatory frameworks (NIST, ISO, SOC2). • Perform cloud readiness assessments and identify application dependencies and risks. • Modernize applications through rehosting, refactoring, or rearchitecting strategies. • Optimize performance and cost post-migration, including scaling and resource management. • Collaborate with cross-functional teams including application owners, DBAs, and compliance officers. • Manage change control processes including cutover plans and rollback strategies. Must Have Skills:- • - Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills. • - Experience in structured and unstructured data migration and validation. • - Familiarity with cloud security best practices and compliance requirements. • - Hands-on experience with cloud migration tools and hybrid management using Azure environment. • - Proven experience with Azure infrastructure and services (VMs, SQL, Storage, Networking, AAD). • - Strong knowledge of IaC and automation frameworks. Nice To Have • - Azure certifications (e.g., AZ-104, AZ-305, AZ-500). • - Background in financial services or regulated industries.