Azure Cloud Architect or Azure Infrastructure Consultant Job Biloxi area,Mississippi USA,IT/Tech

Job Title: Azure Cloud Architect / Azure Infrastructure Consultant

Location: Jackson, MS, Hybrid

Position Overview

The Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services (ITS) serves as the central IT organization for the State of Mississippi, providing technology services and strategic guidance to state agencies. Over the past two years, ITS has successfully implemented both an Azure Landing Zone and an Azure Government Cloud Landing Zone to support enterprise cloud adoption initiatives. As the state continues expanding its Azure footprint, ITS is seeking a highly skilled Azure Cloud Architect/Consultant to support, enhance, and optimize these environments while helping agencies successfully implement cloud-based solutions.

This role will play a critical part in advancing the State's Cloud Center of Excellence by providing technical leadership, architecture guidance, operational support, and mentorship to internal teams and partner agencies.

Key Responsibilities

Azure Environment Management
- Administer and maintain Azure tenants, subscriptions, and Management Groups.
- Ensure cloud environments follow Microsoft and industry best practices for security, scalability, governance, and operational efficiency.
- Monitor and optimize Azure infrastructure performance and availability.
Cloud Architecture & Solution Design
- Design, review, and implement scalable Azure cloud solutions for ITS and partner agencies.
- Provide architecture recommendations aligned with business, compliance, and operational requirements.
- Lead architectural reviews and solution assessments for enterprise cloud initiatives.
Troubleshooting & Technical Support
- Serve as the senior escalation point for complex Azure-related technical issues.
- Troubleshoot networking, compute, storage, and connectivity issues across Azure and hybrid environments.
- Coordinate with internal teams, agencies, and vendors to identify root causes and implement remediation strategies.
Vendor & Stakeholder Collaboration
- Partner with Microsoft and third‑party vendors to integrate cloud technologies into the enterprise ecosystem.
- Work closely with agency stakeholders to support cloud adoption and modernization initiatives.
- Communicate technical concepts effectively to both technical and non‑technical audiences.
Governance, Security & Compliance
- Implement and maintain Azure governance standards using tools such as Azure Policy and Microsoft Defender for Cloud.
- Ensure adherence to security best practices, regulatory standards, and compliance requirements.
- Support identity and access management strategies using Microsoft Entra Azure RBAC.
Mentorship & Knowledge Transfer
- Mentor technical staff and help build internal cloud expertise across ITS.
- Develop and maintain technical documentation, operational procedures, standards, and playbooks.
- Promote a collaborative and learning‑focused engineering culture.

Required Qualifications & Skills

Candidates Must Possess The Following Experience And Technical Expertise
- Strong hands‑on expertise with core Azure services including:
  - Azure Virtual Machines (VMs)
  - Azure Storage
  - Azure SQL / Cosmos DB
  - Virtual Networks (VNet)
  - Microsoft Entra
  - Azure Functions
  - Azure Resource Manager (ARM)
- Proven experience leading enterprise cloud migrations or implementations within complex multi‑tenant or multi‑subscription environments.
- Advanced networking and connectivity troubleshooting skills involving:
  - Express Route
  - VPN connectivity
  - Hybrid cloud networking
  - On‑premises to Azure integrations
- Experience implementing and managing Azure Landing Zones using Microsoft reference architectures and deployment tools.
- Strong experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC):
  - ARM Templates
  - Bicep
  - Terraform
- Experience building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines using:
  - Azure Dev Ops
  - Git Hub Actions
- Deep understanding of Azure security best practices including:
  - Azure RBAC
  - Encryption
  - Network segmentation
  - Azure Policies
- Familiarity with:
  - Docker
  - Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
  - Azure Container Apps
  - Serverless architectures
- Strong troubleshooting and analytical skills across compute, networking, and storage layers.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to explain complex technical concepts clearly.
- Proven leadership, mentoring, and team collaboration experience.
- Strong organizational and multitasking abilities with the capability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.

Preferred Qualifications

The Following Qualifications Are Preferred But Not Required
- Microsoft Azure Expert‑level certifications such as:
  - Azure Solutions Architect Expert
  - Azure Dev Ops Engineer Expert
- Experience working within government or highly regulated environments:
  - HIPAA
  - CJIS
  - IRS 1075
- Familiarity with:
  - ITIL frameworks
  - PMP methodologies
  - Agile project management
  - Enterprise governance frameworks
- Experience with hybrid‑cloud and multi‑cloud environments including Azure Arc.
- Working knowledge of scripting/programming languages such as:
  - Power Shell
  - Python
  - Bash

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