GLO - Principal Cloud Systems Administrator (Systems Administrator VI)

Job Description

The Texas General Land Office is seeking a Principal Cloud Systems Administrator (Systems Administrator VI) within the Information Technology Services Department of the agency.

Performs highly advanced (senior-level) systems administration work with agency-wide scope and impact. This position serves as a senior technical authority responsible for defining enterprise infrastructure approaches, advancing operational maturity, and addressing the most complex, novel, or mission-critical systems challenges.

Work involves planning and advancing infrastructure strategies, designing resilient and scalable system architectures, establishing enterprise standards and best practices, and providing expert technical consultation across the organization. While this role retains hands-on involvement, work is focused on the most complex troubleshooting, architectural initiatives, and high-risk changes rather than routine operational tasks.

Works under minimal supervision, with extensive latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment. Influences enterprise technical direction, standards, and long-term infrastructure practices through expertise, consultation, and leadership rather than formal people management.

About the Information Technology Services Department

The Information Technology Services (ITS) team advances the mission of the Texas General Land Office through technology. We deliver secure, reliable, and innovative solutions that enable the agency to serve Texans efficiently and transparently. ITS operates with a growth mindset, committed to sustainability, operational excellence, customer service, and safeguarding the agency's information resources. By leveraging modern cloud, automation, and data technologies, ITS drives efficiency, innovation, and resilience across the enterprise.

About the Role

The Principal Cloud Systems Administrator plays a critical role in ensuring the stability, security, and performance of the agency's cloud-based enterprise systems. This position serves as the senior administrator responsible for supporting and optimizing Microsoft Azure environments, with primary ownership of Dynamics 365 and related cloud-hosted workloads.

In this role, you will lead hands-on administration, configuration, monitoring, and optimization of Azure infrastructure and D365 platforms while supporting secure integrations with other enterprise and hybrid systems. The position is responsible for strengthening operational reliability, improving deployment consistency, and ensuring cloud services are configured to support evolving business needs. While Azure and Dynamics 365 are the immediate focus, this role also contributes to broader cloud operations, including collaboration across multi-cloud environments such as AWS.

Operating as a senior individual contributor, the Principal Cloud Systems Administrator exercises sound technical judgment and leads complex cloud initiatives with minimal supervision. The ideal candidate brings deep Azure expertise, strong D365 administration experience, and the ability to enhance cloud operations through hands-on configuration, automation, and continuous improvement practices.

Our Mission:

The Texas General Land Office primarily serves the schoolchildren, veterans, and the environment of Texas. The agency does so by preserving our history, maximizing state revenue through innovative administration, and through the prudent stewardship of state lands and natural resources.

What Your Contributions to the GLO Will be:

• Systems Administration & Advanced Operational Support - Performs hands-on systems administration for the most complex, novel, or mission-critical infrastructure issues and changes.

• Enterprise Incident Response & Problem Management - Serves as the highest-level technical escalation point for enterprise-impact incidents and systemic issues, leading advanced troubleshooting and root cause analysis.

• Enterprise Monitoring, Resilience & Recovery Strategy - Defines and advances enterprise-wide monitoring, resilience, and recovery frameworks to improve reliability, scalability, and operational maturity.

• Automation, Optimization & Operational Maturity - Establishes advanced automation strategies and operational practices that improve efficiency, consistency, and long-term sustainability.

• Enterprise Security, Standards & Infrastructure Governance - Defines and advances enterprise security architecture, operational standards, and compliance frameworks across infrastructure services.

Infrastructure Architecture & Technical Authority - Serves as a senior technical authority by defining infrastructure architecture, maintaining enterprise documentation, and providing expert consultation across departments without formal supervisory responsibility.


Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in computer science, information systems, computer engineering, or a related field. Equivalent professional experience may substitute for the degree requirement at a rate of one year of relevant experience for each year of education.


Location Requirements: This position is based in Austin, TX. Candidates must be currently located in the Austin area or willing to relocate at their own expense. Relocation assistance is not provided.


Preferred Qualifications:

• 8 years of progressively responsible experience in enterprise systems administration, including at least 3 years supporting Microsoft Azure and cloud-hosted business applications.

• Demonstrated experience serving as a senior administrator for Microsoft Azure environments, with direct responsibility for managing Azure-hosted applications and services.

• Experience administering and supporting Dynamics 365 environments, including environment configuration, identity integration, security roles, performance monitoring, and release management.

• Experience managing Azure infrastructure components such as virtual machines, networking, storage, identity services, and platform-based resources supporting enterprise applications.

• Experience troubleshooting complex application and infrastructure issues within Azure-based or hybrid cloud environments.

• Experience integrating Azure-hosted systems with on-premises infrastructure and other enterprise platforms.

• Experience supporting or administering AWS environments is strongly preferred, particularly in hybrid or multi-cloud operational models.

• Experience serving as technical lead or subject matter expert for enterprise Dynamics 365 architecture, including governance, environment strategy, and customization oversight.

• Strong background in enterprise network engineering principles, including redundancy across connectivity paths ("pipe"), perimeter security architecture, and resilient infrastructure design.

• Experience developing and enforcing cloud governance standards, including resource organization, policy enforcement, cost controls, and operational maturity frameworks.

• Experience planning and executing regional failover and business continuity strategies for mission-critical cloud workloads.

• Demonstrated proficiency in automation and administrative scripting using PowerShell, CLI tools, or infrastructure-as-code approaches.

• Experience implementing cloud security configurations, backup strategies, and disaster recovery practices within Azure environments.

• Relevant Azure or cloud certifications are preferred; AWS certifications are a plus.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Knowledge:

• Microsoft Azure architecture principles, including compute, storage, networking, and identity services.

• Dynamics 365 administration models, environment management, and security configuration.

• Hybrid cloud integration practices connecting cloud platforms with on-premises systems.

• Advanced knowledge of Dynamics 365 solution architecture, Dataverse configuration, role-based security modeling, and integration with Azure AD/Entra ID.

• Enterprise cloud resiliency architecture principles, including network redundancy, perimeter defense, geo-redundant storage, identity federation, and business continuity planning.

• Cloud monitoring, backup, and disaster recovery methodologies.

• Multi-cloud operational concepts, including workload portability and service reliability considerations.

Skill:

• Administering and optimizing Azure-based infrastructure and platform services.

• Supporting and maintaining Dynamics 365 environments in production settings.

• Designing and administering highly available Azure network and application architectures with redundancy across compute, storage, identity, and connectivity layers.

• Engineering secure integrations between Dynamics 365, Azure services, on-premises systems, and third-party platforms using APIs, middleware, and identity federation.

• Diagnosing and resolving complex cloud performance, identity, and integration issues.

• Implementing automation and scripting to improve operational efficiency and consistency.

• Managing access controls, role assignments, and secure configurations within Azure environments.

• Supporting cloud-based applications across Azure and, when applicable, AWS environments.

Ability:

• Serve as the senior Azure and Dynamics 365 administrator while remaining hands-on in daily cloud operations.

• Exercise independent judgment in resolving high-impact cloud infrastructure and application issues.

• Take ownership of critical cloud workloads and expand support capabilities across additional platforms.

• Lead enterprise-level cloud architecture decisions for Dynamics 365 and Azure environments, ensuring scalability, security, and operational resilience.

• Evaluate and strengthen infrastructure resilience across storage, network, power, and perimeter security domains to minimize single points of failure.

• Balance modernization initiatives with operational stability and business continuity.

• Support multi-cloud growth while maintaining strong focus on immediate Azure responsibilities.

• Manage multiple high-priority cloud initiatives in a dynamic enterprise environment.

Physical Requirements:

This position requires the employee to primarily perform sedentary office work; however, mobility (moving around the worksite) is routinely required to carry out some duties. This position requires extensive computer, telephone and client/ customer contact and communication. It requires the ability to move and position oneself as needed for filing and similar routine office duties. The job also requires normal cognitive abilities requiring the ability to learn, recall, and apply certain practices and policies. It requires the stamina to maintain attention to detail despite interruptions. Ability to read printed materials and computer screens. The individual must be able to move and transport records, documents, boxes, and all related information and materials, weighing up to 20 pounds when required.

Compensation and Benefits:

• Free Parking

• Defined Retirement Benefit Plan Optional 401(k) and 457 accounts

• Medical Insurance - State pays 100% of the health plan premium for eligible full-time employees and 50% of the premium for their eligible dependents. The State pays 50% of the eligible part-time employees' premium and 25% for eligible dependents.

• Optional Benefits such as dental, vision, and life insurance.

• Minimum of 96+ Hours of Annual Leave a year Annual leave increases with length of service.

• Professional Development Opportunities: The GLO offers numerous courses to help our employees grow using resources through LinkedIn Learning and our EAP provider.

Veterans:

Use your military skills to qualify for this position or other jobs! Go to to translate your military work experience and training courses into civilian job terms, qualifications and skill sets. Also, you can compare this position to military occupations (MOS) at the Texas State Auditor's Office by pasting this link into your browser:

Military Crosswalk for Occupational Category - Information Technology

How to Apply:

• To be considered, please complete a State of Texas Application for Employment and apply online at or in the CAPPS Career Section.

• You may apply for the job directly through the CAPPS Career Section. It is not necessary to apply both through Work in Texas and the CAPPS Career Section.

• Applications must be fully completed with a detailed job history, including job title, employment dates, employer name, supervisor's name and phone number, and a summary of responsibilities. Incomplete applications may lead to disqualification. Please be aware that resumes will not be accepted in place of a completed application.

• In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.


• A position utilizing this classification will be designated as security sensitive according to the Texas Labor Code, Section 301.042.


• Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa.