AZURE SME

Azure SME

Jackson, MS

Hybrid, must be willing to report onsite once per month. NOT 100% REMOTE.

Description of the job functions the contractor will be expected to perform

ITS is seeking a highly skilledand well-rounded Azure expert to assistin maintaining this environment, working with agencies on troubleshooting, and helpingto mentor staff. This position will be crucialto the long-term success of this project for ITS as we work to build our Cloud Center of Excellence.

Job Functions Overview:

Azure Environment Management – Oversee and maintain the existing Azure tenants and Management Groups while ensuring adherence to industry best practices.

Cloud Architecture – For both ITS and agencies,design, review, and implement Azure solutions that meet performance, security, and scalability requirements.

Troubleshooting and Support – Serve as a senior point of contact for complex Azure-related issues, including network connectivity. This will requirecoordination with internalteams and agenciesto determine root cause and remediation strategies.

Vendor Relationships – Work with Microsoftand other third-party vendors to integratevarious products into the overall Azure ecosystem.

Mentorship and Training – Provideknowledge transfer, training,and coaching to staff membersto build internalcloud expertise. Help with the creation and maintenance of technical documentation, standards, and playbooks.

Governance and Security – Work with ITS and agency securityteams to ensureindustry best practices(such as Azure Policy and Microsoft Defender for Cloud) and various compliance requirements are met.

Required Skills/Experience

Provide the minimum required skills and/or experience the contractor must possess to qualify for this position. These requirements will be transferred to the Score Sheet and candidates withoutthese requirements reflected on their resumewill NOT be presented to the manager for consideration

• Deep knowledge of key Azure services (VMs, Azure Storage, Azure SQL/Cosmos DB, VNet, Microsoft Entra ID, Azure Functions, Azure Resource Manager templates, etc.).
• Experience leading cloud migrations or implementations in a complex multi-tenant/subscription environment.
• Strong network troubleshooting abilities to help resolve connectivity issues both inside the Azure cloud environment and ingressing/egressing to the State's on-premises environment (e.g., ExpressRoute, VPN).
• Familiarity with Azure Landing Zone implementations and management using Azure Landing Zone reference architectures or ALZ deployment tools.
• Proficiency with infrastructure as code (ARM templates, Bicep, Terraform) and CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions).
• Experience implementing security best practices (e.g., Azure RBAC, encryption, network segmentation, and Azure Policies).
• Familiarity with DevOps principles, containerization (Docker, AKS, Azure Container Apps), and serverless architectures.
• Strong troubleshooting abilities across networking, storage, and compute layers in Azure.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Proven experience mentoring staff and fostering a collaborative, learning-focused environment.
• Effective problem-solving skills and the ability to remain calm and focused under pressure.
• Strong organizational skills, capable of managing multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
• Ability to lead architectural reviews and navigate ambiguity in designing solutions to complex business problems.

Preferred/Not Required

• Microsoft Azure Expert-level certification (e.g., Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Azure DevOps Engineer Expert).
• Experience in a government or highly regulated environment (e.g., HIPAA,CJIS, IRS 1075 compliance).
• Knowledge of ITIL, projectmanagement methodologies (e.g.,PMP, Agile), and enterprise IT governance frameworks.
• Familiarity with other publiccloud providers and hybrid-cloud environments (e.g., Azure Arc).
• Working knowledgeof common scripting/programming languages(Python, Bash, Powerhell).