Azure Cloud & Automation Specialist

We are seeking an experienced Azure Cloud & Automation Specialist who will be responsible for designing, implementing, automating, monitoring, and supporting enterprise cloud infrastructure and applications hosted on Microsoft Azure. The role requires expertise in Azure platform services, Linux administration, DevOps practices, infrastructure automation, scripting, monitoring tools, database administration, reporting platforms, and AI-powered solutions such as Microsoft Copilot.

The ideal candidate will work closely with application teams, infrastructure teams, security teams, and business stakeholders to deliver secure, scalable, automated, and highly available solutions while driving operational excellence and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Azure Cloud Infrastructure Management

• Design, deploy, and manage Azure cloud infrastructure and platform services.
• Administer Azure subscriptions, resource groups, virtual networks, subnets, storage accounts, Azure SQL, Key Vault, Application Gateway, Azure API Management (APIM), App Services, and Function Apps.
• Implement secure networking solutions including NSGs, private endpoints, private DNS, firewalls, and WAF policies.
• Ensure high availability, scalability, and security of Azure-hosted applications and services.
• Support production, test, development, and disaster recovery environments.

Azure DevOps & Release Management

• Develop and maintain CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps.
• Automate application and infrastructure deployments across environments.
• Manage source code repositories, branch strategies, pull requests, and release processes.
• Support infrastructure-as-code implementation and deployment through Terraform and Azure DevOps Pipelines.
• Participate in change management and release planning activities.

Linux Administration & Support

• Administer Linux servers including RHEL, CentOS, Ubuntu, and other enterprise distributions.
• Perform system provisioning, patching, upgrades, performance tuning, and troubleshooting.
• Manage user access, permissions, storage, networking, and security configurations.
• Monitor system health and perform capacity planning.
• Ensure compliance with organizational security and operational standards.

Automation & Scripting

• Develop automation solutions using Python, Ansible, PowerShell, Perl, PHP, and Shell scripting.
• Automate infrastructure provisioning, system administration, configuration management, and operational tasks.
• Create reusable automation frameworks, scripts, and runbooks.
• Implement self-healing and event-driven automation solutions.
• Reduce manual effort through process automation and orchestration.

Monitoring & Observability

• Implement and manage monitoring solutions using Azure Monitor, Application Insights, Log Analytics, and Grafana.
• Create dashboards, reports, alerts, and performance metrics.
• Monitor infrastructure, applications, databases, and services to ensure optimal performance.
• Identify, investigate, and resolve incidents and performance bottlenecks.
• Participate in root cause analysis (RCA) and problem management activities.

Database Administration

• Support and administer Microsoft SQL Server and Azure SQL environments.
• Monitor database performance, availability, and capacity.
• Perform backup, recovery, maintenance, and optimization activities.
• Assist application teams in troubleshooting database-related issues.
• Implement security and compliance controls for database platforms.

Reporting & Business Intelligence

• Develop and maintain operational and management dashboards using Power BI.
• Design reports and visualizations to support business and operational decision-making.
• Analyze infrastructure, application, and operational data to generate actionable insights.
• Support data integration and reporting automation initiatives.

AI & Copilot Solutions

• Support and enhance Microsoft Copilot and Copilot Chatbot solutions.
• Develop AI-driven automation and productivity use cases.
• Collaborate with business teams to identify opportunities for Generative AI adoption.
• Design prompts, workflows, and integrations to improve user experience and operational efficiency.
• Ensure responsible and secure implementation of AI solutions.

Security & Compliance

• Implement security best practices across Azure and Linux environments.
• Manage Azure RBAC, managed identities, service principals, and privileged access controls.
• Remediate security vulnerabilities and compliance findings.
• Support audits, governance reviews, and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure infrastructure adheres to organizational security standards.

Documentation & Stakeholder Management

• Maintain technical documentation, architecture diagrams, SOPs, automation runbooks, and operational processes.
• Conduct knowledge transfer sessions and technical workshops.
• Collaborate with infrastructure, development, security, operations, and business teams.
• Provide technical guidance and support during project implementation and production support activities.

Required Technical Skills

Cloud Technologies

• Microsoft Azure
• Azure App Services
• Azure Function Apps
• Azure API Management (APIM)
• Azure Application Gateway & WAF
• Azure SQL Database
• Azure Key Vault
• Azure Monitor
• Log Analytics
• Application Insights
• Azure Networking

DevOps & Automation

• Azure DevOps
• Terraform
• CI/CD Pipelines
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
• GitHub Enterprise
• YAML Pipelines
• Configuration Management

Linux Administration

• RHEL, CentOS, Ubuntu
• Linux Security & Hardening
• System Performance Tuning
• Server Administration & Troubleshooting

Scripting Languages

• Python
• Ansible
• PowerShell
• Perl
• PHP
• Bash/Shell Scripting

Monitoring & Reporting

• Grafana
• Power BI
• Dashboard Development
• Alerting & Monitoring

Database Technologies

• Microsoft SQL Server
• Azure SQL
• Database Performance Tuning

AI Technologies

• Microsoft Copilot
• Copilot Chatbot