Senior Cloud Operations Engineer

Azure Infrastructure & Cloud Operations

• Administer and optimize Azure environments across IaaS and PaaS services, ensuring scalability, reliability, and performance.
• Deploy and manage Azure services including computer, networking, storage, and platform services.
• Maintain SLAs and ensure systems meet uptime and resiliency requirements.
• Own operational lifecycle management for Azure app registrations, enterprise applications, service principals, client secrets, certificates, Key Vault integrations, and related monitoring/alerting to prevent expiration-related outages.
• Deploy and operate Azure SQL Database / Azure SQL Managed Instance services, including secure connectivity, backups, performance monitoring, availability options, and recovery validation.
• Create and maintain technical documentation, architecture diagrams, operational runbooks, and support handoff materials for Azure, identity, automation, and application platform services.

Cloud-Centric Application Design

• Collaborate with application teams to design cloud-native and cloud-optimized solutions.
• Leverage Azure PaaS services such as: Azure App Service, Azure Functions, Azure Logic Apps, Azure API Management.
• Implement patterns such as microservices, event-driven architecture, and API-first integration.

DevOps & Azure DevOps Enablement

• Partner with development teams to implement and manage CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps and enforce DevOps best practices.
• Support infrastructure provisioning.
• Automate deployment, configuration, and scaling processes.
• Ensure consistent environments across development, staging, and production.

Identity, Access & Okta Integration

• Integrate and manage identity across Azure Entra ID and Okta.
• Design and maintain SSO, MFA, and federation between platforms.
• Implement role-based access control (RBAC) and least privilege principles.
• Manage user access provisioning, deprovisioning, and periodic access reviews.
• Support identity lifecycle governance and audit readiness.

Security & Compliance

• Implement and maintain a security-first architecture, aligned with Zero Trust principles.
• Enforce policies for endpoint, network, and cloud workload protection.
• Utilize tools such as: Crowdstrike Falcon Platform, Netskope, Azure Policies, Conditional Access.
• Support regulatory compliance initiatives (e.g., SEC, NIST-aligned controls).
• Participate in security assessments, vulnerability management, and incident response.

High Availability & Resiliency

• Design and maintain highly available and fault-tolerant systems across regions and availability zones.
• Implement backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity strategies.
• Validate recovery objectives (RTO/RPO) through regular testing.
• Ensure redundancy across critical systems and services.

AI Enablement in Azure (Ops-focused)

• Support the deployment and operationalization of AI solutions including Copilot technologies, Azure OpenAI, and other modern LLM options (e.g., Claude) where appropriate.
• Implement secure-by-design AI patterns: access controls, data boundary protections, logging, monitoring, cost governance, and safe experimentation environments.

Cost Management & Optimization

• Monitor and optimize Azure spending through: Resource right-sizing, Reserved Instances and Savings Plans, Auto-scaling configurations, ongoing audits of existing deployments.
• Implement tagging and cost allocation strategies.
• Provide regular reporting and recommendations to leadership.
• Balance performance, reliability, and cost efficiency.

Integration & Enterprise Systems

• Support API-based integrations and hybrid connectivity.
• Collaborate with vendors and internal teams to deliver secure and scalable solutions.

Qualifications

• 4–7+ years of experience in IT infrastructure, cloud administration, or systems engineering.
• Extensive hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure (IaaS, PaaS, networking, identity).
• Experience with Azure DevOps and CI/CD pipelines.
• Strong knowledge of identity management (Entra ID / Okta integration).
• Experience with scripting/automation (PowerShell, Python, or similar).
• Solid understanding of networking concepts (DNS, TCP/IP, firewalls, VPNs).

Preferred Qualifications

• Azure certifications (Administrator, Security Engineer, or DevOps Engineer).
• Experience implementing Zero Trust architecture.
• Familiarity with Infrastructure as Code.
• Experience supporting regulated environments (financial services, healthcare, etc.).
• Knowledge of monitoring and observability tools (Azure Monitor, LogicMonitor).
• Bachelor’s degree in information technology related field.

Key Competencies

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Effective cross-functional collaboration and communication.
• Ability to translate business requirements into technical solutions.
• Detail-oriented with a focus on security and compliance.
• Continuous improvement mindset with a focus on automation and efficiency.

Pay Transparency

Pathstone’s expected starting base compensation range for the position as of the time of this posting is $120,000 - $140,000 per year. The actual base compensation selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including (but not limited to) experience, education, specialty and training. The successful candidate(s) may also be eligible for a discretionary bonus award.