Cloud Engineer

Job Description: Cloud SME Role Overview We are seeking an experienced Azure Cloud Administrator to manage, optimize, and secure our hybrid and cloud-native environments. The role requires expertise across Azure infrastructure services, identity and access management, virtualization technologies (VMware, Hyper-V), and datacenter operations. The candidate will play a pivotal role in designing, implementing, and maintaining scalable, resilient, and secure solutions aligned with business requirements. Required Skills & Qualifications Must have worked on cloud netwking -VPNs, express router, virtual nw, load balancers - these are the main skills to be focused. • Proven experience as an Azure Administrator/Engineer with knowledge of AZ-104 concepts. • Strong architectural understanding of AZ-305 concepts for designing cloud solutions. • Hands-on expertise with VMware vSphere, ESXi, vCenter, and Microsoft Hyper-V. • Deep understanding of hybrid cloud models, datacenter infrastructure, and virtualization technologies. • Solid knowledge of networking, security, and identity management across cloud and on prem environments. • Experience with infrastructure automation (PowerShell, ARM, Bicep, Terraform). • Familiarity with monitoring, backup, and disaster recovery tools in Azure and on-prem. • Strong troubleshooting, documentation, and communication skill Key Responsibilities Azure Cloud Administration (AZ-104 Focus) • Manage Azure subscriptions, resource groups, and role-based access control (RBAC). • Implement and monitor Azure networking (VNets, NSGs, VPN Gateway, ExpressRoute, Application Gateway, Load Balancers). • Deploy and manage compute services including Azure Virtual Machines, VM Scale Sets, and Availability Sets/Zones. • Implement and maintain Azure Storage accounts, blob containers, and Azure Files with replication strategies. • Administer Azure Active Directory (AAD), hybrid identities (Azure AD Connect), and conditional access policies. • Configure and monitor Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, and Application Insights for performance and health. • Ensure governance using Azure Policy, Blueprints, and cost management tools. • Implement and maintain backup and disaster recovery using Azure Backup and Site  Recovery (ASR). Azure Solution Architecture (AZ-305 Focus) • Translate business requirements into secure, scalable, and cost-optimized Azure architecture designs. • Define strategies for hybrid cloud integration, connectivity, and identity management. • Design and implement Azure governance models, compliance, and security controls. • Collaborate with stakeholders to define migration and modernization roadmaps (on premises to Azure). • Provide architectural guidance for IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS workloads. • Optimize Azure solutions for performance, availability, and cost. Datacenter & Virtualization (VMware, Hyper-V) • Manage and support on-premises datacenter operations (compute, storage, networking). • Administer VMware vSphere/ESXi clusters and Hyper-V hosts, including provisioning, snapshots, and resource management. • Plan and execute workload migrations from VMware/Hyper-V to Azure (rehost, refactor, or modernize). • Implement hybrid cloud integration with Azure Arc, Azure Stack HCI, and VMware/Hyper-V hybrid models. • Ensure business continuity by integrating datacenter DR strategies with Azure services. • Perform capacity planning, performance tuning, and patch management for virtualization platforms. Preferred Certifications • Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) • Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305) • VMware Certified Professional (VCP) or Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid  Administrator Associate