Looking for Cloud Architect – Azure Platform -Chicago (Mandatory: Work from Clients’ office 4 days a week)

[Contract Roles]

Required Skills & Experience

• Cloud‑Native Architecture: Design and operate resilient, scalable Azure cloud‑native platforms aligned to enterprise standards and RUN SLAs
• DevSecOps & GitOps: Implement secure CI/CD and GitOps pipelines with built‑in security, policy enforcement, and automated controls
• Cloud Landing Zone & Policy Management: Operate and govern Azure Landing Zones using Azure Policy, RBAC, guardrails, and compliance automation
• Platform & COE Tooling: Build and support reusable COE accelerators, golden paths, templates, and automation frameworks
• AIOps & Observability: Enable proactive monitoring, logging, alerting, and AIOps‑driven insights for platform reliability and incident reduction
• FinOps: Embed cost governance, tagging, budgets, and optimization practices into platform operations
• Cloud Architecture (RUN‑focused): Translate client‑approved architectures into operable, supportable, and compliant Azure platforms
• Containers & Kubernetes: Design, deploy, and operate container platforms using Kubernetes, AKS, Docker, and Helm
• Infrastructure as Code: Provision and manage Azure infrastructure using Terraform and automated pipelines
• API & Integration Platforms: Design and support secure APIs and integrations using Azure API Management (APIM)
• Event & Streaming Platforms: Support cloud‑native messaging and streaming solutions using Kafka and managed services
• Scripting & Automation: Develop operational automation using Python and platform SDKs
• Agile & ITSM Alignment: Operate within Agile delivery models while supporting ITSM, incident, change, and problem management processes

 

Certifications:

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ‑305) - Required
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ‑104) – Required
• AZ‑400 (DevOps Engineer Expert)
• AZ‑500 (Azure Security Engineer Associate)
• ITIL 4 Foundation
• Terraform Associate

 

Responsibilities:

Azure Platform RUN Ownership

• Act as L3/L4 escalation point for Azure platform incidents across IaaS, PaaS, landing zones, and Terraform‑based deployments.
• Lead root‑cause analysis (RCA) for P1/P2 incidents and drive permanent fixes through automation and design improvements.
• Ensure platform services meet availability, reliability, and performance SLAs.

Landing Zone & Governance Operations

• Operate and govern Azure Landing Zones, including RBAC models, Azure Policy, network/security baselines, and compliance monitoring.
• Detect and remediate configuration drift using policy‑as‑code and IaC controls.
• Maintain operational RACI alignment across Platform, Security, FinOps, and Network teams.

Infrastructure‑as‑Code & Automation

• Design, maintain, and review Terraform modules, CI/CD pipelines, and reusable “golden paths” used in RUN operations.
• Ensure provisioning, changes, and decommissioning follow approved automated pipelines.
• Perform senior‑level IaC and pipeline conformance reviews.

Service Requests & Change Governance

• Provide architectural oversight for service requests, enhancements, and onboarding of new Azure services.
• Support cloud change governance processes and validate Low‑Level Designs (LLDs) for operational readiness.
• Ensure changes are safe, auditable, and compliant within the managed services model.

Security & Compliance Support

• Implement and operate Azure security controls (Azure Policy, RBAC, Conditional Access, Key Vault).
• Support security incidents, audit evidence requests, and remediation of compliance findings in coordination with Security teams.

FinOps & Continuous Improvement

• Partner with FinOps teams to enforce cost guardrails, tagging standards, and optimization actions.
• Drive continuous service improvement through automation, reliability engineering, and cost efficiency initiatives.

Contineous Service Improvement

• Automation‑Led Optimization: Continuously reduce manual operational effort by automating Azure platform tasks using Python, Azure SDKs, and REST APIs
• Self‑Healing Operations: Implement Agentic AI–driven remediation workflows to auto‑detect, diagnose, and resolve recurring platform issues
• Proactive Incident Reduction: Leverage AIOps and AI‑assisted analytics to identify patterns, predict failures, and prevent incidents before impact
• IaC Drift & Compliance Improvement: Use automation to detect and remediate Terraform drift, configuration non‑compliance, and policy violations
• Operational Observability Enhancement: Improve platform reliability through continuous tuning of logging, metrics, alerts, and telemetry across Azure services
• Agentic Runbook Automation: Convert manual runbooks into agent‑driven workflows for repeatable, zero‑touch execution of common operational tasks
• Cost & Performance Optimization: Drive CSI through FinOps automation, including rightsizing, scheduling, and cost anomaly detection
• API‑First Improvements: Enhance service responsiveness by integrating Azure services using SDK‑based and event‑driven automation
• Intelligent Change Execution: Apply AI‑assisted impact analysis and guardrails to reduce change‑related incidents and improve change success rates
• Continuous Feedback Loop: Use operational data, AI insights, and platform KPIs to prioritize CSI backlog and deliver measurable improvements sprint‑over‑sprint