Azure Cloud Engineer

GUILFORD COUNTY GOVERNMENT

Empower Successful People to thrive in a Strong Community supported by Quality Government

Transparency & Communication | Equity & Inclusion | Accountability

Service & Outcomes Excellence | Our People Matter

GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES

The Azure Cloud Engineer will help define and deploy enterprise Azure cloud infrastructure architecture, design, and implementation. The Azure Cloud Engineer will be a central resource for Azure cloud architecture, design, implementation, maintenance and cost control.

The Azure Cloud Engineer is an experienced professional reporting to the Chief Technology Officer, working closely with cross-functional teams from various departments/divisions to provide recommendations for optimized cloud infrastructure architecture based on the services, data storage and retrieval needs for Guilford County and within each department. The ideal candidate will have proven experience with Azure Cloud and on-premises infrastructure architecture, design, and implementation. A key function of this position will be to implement best practice for Azure Cloud / O365 and on-premises infrastructure architecture design and implementation. The Azure Cloud Engineer will be responsible for constantly monitoring our enterprise data infrastructure architecture and quickly addressing any issues.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Essential duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Provide Azure architecture, design, implementation, and maintenance of infrastructure environment and systems on-premises systems within the county.
• Deploy, configure, implement and monitor Azure resources, including virtual machines, storage, networking components, security, data, and Azure Active Directory and O365 in a SaaS or IaaS deployment.  
• Analyze cloud infrastructure architecture implementation methods to make sure they are in line with county policies, external regulations, and adopted standards.
• Establish and maintain an understanding for cloud costs and associated reporting. 
• Collaborate with stakeholders to design Azure and on-premises infrastructure solutions that meet business requirements, ensuring scalability, availability, and security.
• Identify, design, and implement internal process improvements for automating manual processes, optimizing delivery, re-designing infrastructure for greater scalability, etc.
• Build / Maintain the infrastructure required for optimal extraction, transformation, and loading of data from a wide variety of data sources using SQL and other related technologies to support data team.
• Create monitoring models for each product and work with our software and application development teams to create models ahead of new releases. 
• Work with cross functional stakeholders to assist with data-related technical issues and support their data infrastructure needs.
• Monitoring and performance optimization for system monitoring of Azure infrastructure performance, identify bottlenecks, and proactively optimize resource utilization.
• Design and implement backup and disaster recovery solutions for on-premises, Azure infrastructure, including backup policies, site recovery, and high availability configurations.
• Create and maintain database and architecture documentation, including infrastructure diagrams, configuration details, storage standards, backup and recovery, disaster recovery, cost analysis, and standard operating procedures.
• Implement and maintain robust security controls, vulnerability assessment and remediation, implement security best practices within on-premises and Azure environments, ensuring compliance with relevant industry regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, CJIS).
• Collaborate with internal teams on design and implementation of backup and disaster recovery solutions for on-premises and Azure infrastructure including backup policies, site recovery, and high availability configurations.
• Other duties as assigned by the Manager / Supervisor.

RECRUITMENT STANDARDS

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• 3+ years of commercial or government experience managing and creating resources in Microsoft Azure, Azure security features, Storage, Networking, Azure Security Center, Azure Active Directory, and Azure RBAC
• 3+ years of commercial or government experience implantation, design and maintain within Azure Data Services with experience in virtual machines, services, Synapse along with experience with SQL Server, Power BI solution delivery experience with different sources (blob storage, data factory, data warehouse, analysis services, structured, semi-structured, unstructured, and streaming).
• 3+ years of experience with IaaS and PaaS solutions
• Experience in troubleshooting Azure infrastructure issues, conducting root cause analysis, and implementing corrective actions.
• Extensive understanding of Microsoft technologies to include Microsoft Server operating systems, services (DNS, DHCP, GPOs, OUs, VPN, etc.)
• Experience designing solutions within Microsoft Azure. 
• Strong understanding with Single Sign On (SSO) and MFA technologies as it applies to Azure. 
• Solid understanding of networking concepts, virtual private networks (VPNs), and firewall configurations in Azure and on-premises.
• Solid understanding of Azure infrastructure with regards to best practices.
• Must possess exceptional analytical and troubleshooting abilities.
• Highly motivated, self-starter individual with strong sense of ownership
• Must be proactive with solid organizational and time management skills.
• Good written and verbal skills
• Strong project management and organizational skills.
• Ability to solve complex design problems. 
• Implement monitoring solutions, set up alerts, and conduct performance tuning for optimal efficiency.
• Knowledge of technology governance and best practices around cloud and on-premises architecture.
• Experience supporting and working with cross-functional teams in a dynamic environment.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Information Systems or another quantitative field with 3 years of experience in a Cloud Administration role OR 

Associate Degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Information Systems or another quantitative field with 5 years of experience in System Administration and/or Cloud Infrastructure Administration role.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Azure Administrator Associate certification
• Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK CONDITIONS

Must be able to physically perform the basic life operational functions of fingering and talking.

Must be able to perform light work exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. Must possess visual acuity to prepare and analyze data and figures, accounting, operate a computer terminal, and do extensive reading.

May Require Driving 

This position may require driving for this position whether driving a County owned or personal vehicle to conduct county business such as but not limited to attending conferences, meetings, or any other county related functions.   Motor Vehicle Reports may be verified for valid driver’s license and that the driving record is compatible with the county’s driving criteria.

If a personal vehicle is operated for county business proper insurance is maintained as per Guilford County’s vehicle use policy.

Special Note: This generic class description gives an overview of the job class, its essential job functions, and recommended job requirements.  However, for each individual position assigned to this class, there is available a completed job questionnaire with a physical abilities checklist which can give further details about that one specific position.   Those documents should be reviewed before initiating a selection process.  They can provide additional detailed information on which to base various personnel actions and can assist management in making legal and defensible personnel.

Guilford County is committed to providing Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) to employees and applicants for employment regardless of color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation or political affiliation.  The County is committed to complying with all applicable federal, state and local laws that pertain to employment, and to providing a work environment that is free from discrimination of any kind. If you need an auxiliary aide, make the request forty-eight (48) hours in advance of the time the accommodation is needed by calling 336-641-3324.