Cloud Systems Administrator

Title: Cloud Operations & Systems Administrator

Hourly Rate: $50-$60/hour

Duration: 6-month contract (with potential for renewal)

Location: Remote (90%) with occasional on-site support as needed. Candidates must reside within approximately 90 minutes of Clearwater, Florida. While this position is primarily remote, proximity is required to support periodic onsite activities, collaboration sessions, infrastructure initiatives, and operational needs.

Position Overview:

We are seeking an experienced Cloud Operations & Systems Administrator to support and maintain a hybrid enterprise infrastructure spanning both cloud and on-premises environments.

This role is responsible for the day-to-day administration, monitoring, support, and optimization of the organization's Microsoft Azure and local infrastructure. The ideal candidate will possess strong expertise in cloud operations, Windows and Linux server administration, virtualization technologies, Active Directory, Azure Virtual Desktop, storage and backup systems, and automation through scripting.

This position requires a highly technical professional with excellent troubleshooting abilities, strong documentation practices, and a proactive approach to maintaining a secure, reliable, and scalable IT environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Administer, maintain, and support Microsoft Azure cloud services and associated infrastructure.
• Monitor system health, performance, availability, and capacity across cloud and on-premises environments.
• Support and manage Windows Server and Linux Server platforms, ensuring optimal performance and security.
• Configure, manage, and troubleshoot Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) environments, including user access, performance tuning, and connectivity issues.
• Administer Active Directory services, including user provisioning, group policies, DNS, DHCP, authentication, and access management.
• Manage virtualization platforms and associated infrastructure resources.
• Support enterprise storage, backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity solutions.
• Investigate, troubleshoot, and resolve infrastructure incidents, outages, and performance issues.
• Implement and maintain system patches, updates, and security controls across servers and cloud resources.
• Develop and maintain automation scripts using PowerShell, Bash, or similar scripting languages to improve operational efficiency and reduce manual effort.
• Create and maintain technical documentation, operational procedures, system diagrams, and support knowledge articles.
• Collaborate with internal IT teams and business stakeholders to support infrastructure projects, upgrades, and migrations.

Required Qualifications:

• A minimum of three (3) years of experience in cloud system administration, with a focus on virtualized server & desktop environments, or a related role.
• Hands-on experience supporting and administering Microsoft Azure cloud environments.
• Strong experience with Windows Server and Linux Server administration and support.
• Experience managing and troubleshooting Active Directory, including Group Policy and identity management.
• Experience supporting Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) environments.
• Proficiency in scripting and automation using PowerShell, Bash, Python, or similar technologies.
• Experience with infrastructure monitoring, system maintenance, and operational support.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills with the ability to diagnose complex infrastructure issues.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to create and maintain detailed technical documentation.

Highly Desired Qualifications:

• Experience supporting enterprise-scale Azure cloud and Azure Local (formerly Azure Stack HCI) environments.
• Knowledge of virtualization platforms such as VMware, Hyper-V, or similar technologies.
• Experience supporting storage, backup, and disaster recovery solutions.
• Familiarity with infrastructure monitoring and management tools.
• Experience implementing automation and operational efficiencies through scripting and process improvement.

Required Certification

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)