Senior Azure Platform & DevOps Engineer in Plano, TX (Onsite)-Contract

Title : Senior Azure Platform & DevOps Engineer

Location: Plano, TX

Hybrid work

Job Type: Contract

Project description

We are seeking a Senior Azure Platform & DevOps Engineer to design, implement, automate, and support enterprise cloud infrastructure and platform services within Microsoft Azure. This role is responsible for managing Azure-based infrastructure, Kubernetes platforms, CI/CD pipelines, GitOps workflows, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), observability solutions, and cloud security controls. The ideal candidate combines deep Azure expertise with strong DevOps, automation, and platform engineering experience to drive scalable, secure, and highly available cloud solutions.

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

• Azure Cloud Infrastructure
• Design, deploy, and manage Azure cloud infrastructure and platform services.
• Administer Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Storage Accounts, Azure Cache services, Key Vault, and networking components.
• Ensure cloud environments are secure, scalable, resilient, and aligned with enterprise standards.
• Kubernetes Platform Engineering
• Manage the full lifecycle of Kubernetes clusters, including provisioning, configuration, upgrades, patching, scaling, and decommissioning.
• Support production workloads running on AKS and troubleshoot complex platform issues.
• Enhance platform reliability, availability, and operational efficiency.
• GitOps & Container Management
• Implement and maintain GitOps deployment methodologies using ArgoCD.
• Develop and manage Helm charts and container deployment standards.
• Support Docker image management and release processes.
• DevOps & CI/CD Automation
• Build, maintain, and optimize CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions and Azure DevOps.
• Standardize build, test, and deployment processes across environments.
• Improve deployment quality, consistency, and release velocity.
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
• Provision and manage cloud infrastructure using Terraform and Terragrunt.
• Develop reusable and version-controlled infrastructure modules.
• Implement automation to ensure consistent deployments across environments.
• Databricks Platform Support
• Support Azure Databricks platform administration and infrastructure operations.
• Manage platform integrations, access controls, networking connectivity, and environment configurations.
• Assist application and data teams with infrastructure-related Databricks requirements.
• Automation & Scripting
• Develop automation tools and operational scripts using Python and Bash.
• Automate infrastructure deployment, maintenance, monitoring, and operational tasks.
• Reduce manual effort through scalable automation solutions.
• Cloud Security & Networking
• Design and implement Azure networking solutions including VNets, NSGs, firewalls, private endpoints, and routing.
• Configure and maintain role-based access controls (RBAC) and security policies.
• Ensure compliance with organizational security and governance requirements.
• Monitoring, Observability & Optimization
• Implement and maintain cloud monitoring solutions using Azure Monitor and Application Insights.
• Develop performance monitoring and alerting strategies.
• Optimize cloud resource utilization and cost efficiency.
• Build and support enterprise observability platforms for metrics, logging, and alerting.

Skills

Must have

Required Skills

• Cloud & Infrastructure
• Microsoft Azure
• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Virtual Machines
• Azure Storage
• Azure Networking
• Azure Cache Services
• Azure Key Vault
• Azure Databricks
• Container & Platform Technologies
• Kubernetes
• Docker
• Helm
• ArgoCD
• GitOps methodologies
• DevOps & Automation
• Azure DevOps
• GitHub Actions
• CI/CD pipeline development
• Source control and release management
• Infrastructure as Code
• Terraform
• Terragrunt
• Infrastructure automation
• Monitoring & Observability
• Azure Monitor
• Application Insights
• kube-prometheus
• Loki
• Promtail
• Grafana Alloy
• Fluentd
• Programming & Scripting
• Python
• Bash/Shell scripting
• Security & Networking
• Azure RBAC
• Network Security Groups (NSGs)
• Virtual Networks (VNets)
• Private Endpoints
• Firewall configuration
• Cloud security best practices

Required Experience

• 8+ years of experience designing and supporting Azure infrastructure platforms.
• 8+ years of Kubernetes platform administration and engineering experience.
• 8+ years working with cloud networking, security, and enterprise infrastructure.
• 8+ years supporting containerized application platforms.
• 6+ years implementing DevOps practices and CI/CD automation.
• 6+ years developing automation solutions with Python, Bash, or similar scripting languages.
• 5+ years implementing Infrastructure as Code using Terraform and Terragrunt.
• 5+ years supporting observability and monitoring platforms.
• 5+ years administering or supporting Azure Databricks environments.
• Experience supporting production systems in large-scale enterprise environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Microsoft Azure certifications (Azure Administrator, Azure Solutions Architect, Azure DevOps Engineer).
• Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) and/or Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD).
• Experience supporting multi-region and highly available cloud architectures.
• Experience implementing site reliability engineering (SRE) practices.
• Familiarity with FinOps and cloud cost optimization methodologies.
• Experience with enterprise governance, compliance, and security frameworks.
• Experience supporting data and analytics platforms.

Education Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or related field.
• Equivalent combination of education and professional experience may be considered.

Success Measures

The successful candidate will:

• Maintain highly available and secure Azure and Kubernetes platforms.
• Improve deployment reliability through automated CI/CD and GitOps processes.
• Reduce operational overhead through automation and Infrastructure as Code.
• Optimize cloud performance, observability, and cost efficiency.
• Provide rapid resolution of production incidents and platform issues.
• Drive continuous improvement across cloud, DevOps, security, and platform engineering practices.

Nice to have

Preferred Qualifications

• Microsoft Azure certifications (Azure Administrator, Azure Solutions Architect, Azure DevOps Engineer).
• Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) and/or Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD).
• Experience supporting multi-region and highly available cloud architectures.
• Experience implementing site reliability engineering (SRE) practices.
• Familiarity with FinOps and cloud cost optimization methodologies.
• Experience with enterprise governance, compliance, and security frameworks.
• Experience supporting data and analytics platforms.