Cloud Architect

This job was posted by https://illinoisjoblink.illinois.gov : For more information, please see: https://illinoisjoblink.illinois.gov/jobs/13765450 ROLE SUMMARY We are looking for an experienced Cloud Engineer to join our internal infrastructure team. In this role, you will focus on service deployment and operations in our Azure environment, working to streamline how we provision and manage cloud resources. The ideal candidate has 35 years of hands-on Azure experience and is proficient with Azure DevOps, Bicep, and ARM templates for Infrastructure-as-Code. You will be expected to gather requirements from project calls and stakeholders, translate them into service releases, and determine the best course of action. Strong technical expertise in Azure, coupled with excellent communication and problem-solving skills, are essential for success in this role. PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES - Implement Azure infrastructure Plan and build cloud-based infrastructure and services in Microsoft Azure to meet project requirements. Ensure scalability, security, and alignment with best practices in cloud design. - Automate deployments and configurations Develop and maintain Infrastructure-as-Code templates (using Azure Bicep and ARM templates) to automate the provisioning and configuration of Azure resources. Leverage Azure DevOps pipelines to implement CI/CD for infrastructure and application deployments, minimizing manual effort and errors. - Service deployment & management Deploy Azure services (compute, storage, networking, etc.) and integrate them into our environment. Continuously improve deployment processes for efficiency and repeatability, using scripts and automation tools (PowerShell, Azure CLI, etc.). - Monitoring and optimization Use Azure Monitor and related tools to ensure high availability and reliability of services and perform tuning or resizing of resources for cost-effectiveness and performance. - Security and compliance Implement Azure security best practices (network security, identity management, data encryption) across deployments. Ensure compliance with internal policies and industry standards when rolling out new services or changes. - Collaboration and requirements gathering Work closely with architects, developers, and project managers during project calls to gather requirements and clarify objectives. Translate business and technical requirements into Azure solutions and proposals. - Independent decision-making Analyze requirements and constraints discussed in meetings and independently determine the best course of action for cloud implementations. Provide recommendations on Azure services or architecture to meet project goals, drawing on your expertise. - Documentation and knowledge sharing Document designs, deployment processes, and configurations for the solutions you build. Maintain up-to-date technical documentation and architectural diagrams for operational transparency. Share best practices and learnings with the team, aiding in upskilling team members on Azure automation techniques. - Committed to exploring and supporting additional Microsoft platforms that integrate with Azure and cloud services, e.g., Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Power Platform, Microsoft Entra ID. QUALIFICATIONS Azure Cloud Expertise 3 to 5 years of experience in Azure cloud engineering, with a strong focus on deploying and managing Azure services. Deep understanding of core Azure components (compute, storage, networking, databases, etc.) and cloud principles. Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Proven experience creating and managing Azure infrastructure using ARM templates and/or Bicep. Ability to define Azure resources in code for automated deployments. Familiarity with source control (Git) and template repositorie for managing IaC. Azure DevOps & CI/CD Proficiency with Azure DevOps (or similar CI/CD platforms) for automating build and release pipelines. Experience building CI/CD pipelines that deploy Azure resources using IaC (Bicep/ARM) and integrating automated tests or validations. Scripting and Automation Strong scripting skills in PowerShell, Azure CLI, or Python for automation of routine tasks and custom deployment needs. Ability to write scripts to handle Azure service management, monitoring, and automation beyond IaC templates. Troubleshooting and Optimization Ability to troubleshoot Azure environment issues (networking, performance bottlenecks, deployment failures) and perform root-cause analysis. Experience with monitoring tools and diagnostics to optimize performance and costs. Security & Networking Knowledge Good understanding of Azure security (NSGs, IAM, Key Vault, etc.) and networking concepts (VNETs, subnets, VPN/ExpressRoute, DNS) in a cloud context. Capable of designing with security and compliance in mind. DevOps and Agile Principles Experience working in an Agile environment and applying DevOps practices. Comfortable use of infrastructure automation tools and configuration management. Knowledge of containerization (Azure Functions) is a plus, though not required. Certification Micro