Principal Cloud Engineer

Work type: Onsite - Chicago IL - Downtown Contract to Hire Primary Responsibilities • Design, create, and maintain Azure cloud infrastructure and services, including virtual machines, storage accounts, networking, security, backup, and disaster recovery at a global level. • Integrate Azure services effectively to meet business needs and improve overall functionality. • Monitor, troubleshoot, and resolve cloud issues, incidents, and alerts, conducting root cause analysis for effective resolution. • Deploy monitoring tools and alerts to proactively detect and address potential issues, resolve bottlenecks, and optimize resource utilization. • Enhance cloud performance, availability, security, and cost-effectiveness by implementing best practices and standards. • Apply Infrastructure as Code (IaC) principles to maintain consistency and reproducibility in cloud infrastructure using tools such as Terraform, Bicep, or ARM templates. • Provide leadership, guidance, and technical support to ensure successful cloud implementation and operation while mentoring junior engineers. • Collaborate with internal teams to align and integrate cloud solutions with business requirements and application development efforts. • Stay current on the latest Azure cloud trends and technologies, evaluating and recommending new tools and services. • Implement and maintain security measures and compliance standards within Azure environments. • Ensure adherence to cloud governance and compliance frameworks, such as Azure Policy and Azure Blueprints. • Automate testing processes to ensure efficient and reliable cloud operations. • Utilize automation and scripting languages (PowerShell, Shell, Python, Terraform) for provisioning and managing cloud resources. • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design hybrid cloud and multi-cloud solutions, ensuring interoperability and seamless data flow. • Support and accelerate application development efforts by collaborating with internal teams to architect and implement cloud infrastructure and services. • Participation in an on-call rotation. • Other tasks as required. Job Qualifications • At least 7 years of experience in cloud engineering, operations, or administration (Azure required; AWS or GCP a plus). • Strong knowledge and skills in cloud infrastructure and services, such as virtual machines, storage accounts, networking, security, backup, and disaster recovery. • Proficiency in scripting languages, such as PowerShell, Bash, Python, etc. • Knowledge of cloud governance and compliance frameworks, such as Azure Policy and Azure Blueprints. • Understanding of networking concepts, including OSI Model, designing topologies, and routing protocols. • Familiarity with cloud architecture patterns and principles, such as microservices, serverless, and container orchestration (e.g., Kubernetes). • Experience in cloud monitoring, troubleshooting, and optimization tools and techniques. • Proficiency in Microsoft Azure services (e.g., Azure SQL Database, Azure VMs, Azure Functions). • Familiarity with DevOps tools and practices (CI/CD pipelines, automation, configuration management, infrastructure test automation, and release automation). • Experience with Active Directory, DNS, and IPAM. • Familiarity with Azure VMware Solutions. • Experience working with hybrid cloud environments and integrating on-premises infrastructure with Azure solutions. • Proficiency in managing identity platforms like Azure AD, role-based access control (RBAC), and privileged identity management (PIM). Preferred Qualifications: • Relevant certifications such as Azure Solutions Architect Expert; Azure DevOps Engineer Expert and other Microsoft certifications. • Experience deploying and managing Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) solutions or other desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) platforms. • Knowledge of cost management and optimization techniques within Azure (e.g., Azure Cost Management and Azure Advisor). • Hands-on experience with Azure private endpoints, service endpoints, and Azure Front Door. • Proficiency in Azure Firewalls and NSX-T is a plus. • Experience with certificate management. • Experience with advanced networking features like ExpressRoute, Azure Traffic Manager, and load balancers. • Experience in disaster recovery design and leveraging Azure Site Recovery for business continuity. • Experience with hybrid cloud environments and on-premises integrations. • Working knowledge of agile methodologies such as Scrum and adopt DevOps practices like CI/CD (e.g., GitHub/GitActions, Azure Pipelines, Jenkins). • Knowledge of cloud security architecture and advanced risk mitigation is a plus Experience Level: Senior