Azure Cloud SME

Job Title: Azure Cloud SME

Job Code: MS 159640

Client: State of Mississippi – Department of Information Technology Services (ITS)

Location: Jackson, MS (Hybrid)

Duration: Initial 1-Year Contract (Likely Extension)

The Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services (ITS) is seeking a highly experienced Azure Cloud SME to support and enhance the State's Azure Landing Zone and Azure Government Cloud environments. This role will serve as a senior cloud architect and technical advisor, helping agencies design, troubleshoot, secure, and optimize Azure solutions while mentoring internal teams and contributing to the State’s Cloud Center of Excellence.

• Azure Environment Management
  • Manage and maintain Azure tenants, subscriptions, and Management Groups
  • Support Azure Landing Zone and Azure Gov Cloud environments
  • Ensure adherence to cloud governance and best practices
• Cloud Architecture & Engineering
  • Design, review, and implement Azure solutions for performance, security, scalability, and reliability
  • Lead architectural reviews and solution design discussions
  • Support agency cloud adoption and modernization initiatives
• Troubleshooting & Support
  • Serve as senior escalation point for Azure infrastructure, networking, storage, and compute issues
  • Troubleshoot Express Route, VPN, VNet, and hybrid connectivity challenges
  • Coordinate resolution efforts across internal teams and agencies
• Security & Governance
  • Implement Azure security best practices including Azure RBAC, Azure Policies, Encryption, Network Segmentation, Microsoft Defender for Cloud
  • Ensure compliance with regulatory and governance requirements
• Dev Ops & Automation
  • Develop Infrastructure as Code solutions using ARM Templates, Bicep, Terraform
  • Support CI/CD pipelines using Azure Dev Ops, Git Hub Actions
  • Implement containerized and serverless solutions using Docker, AKS, Azure Container Apps, Azure Functions
• Mentorship & Documentation
  • Mentor cloud engineers and technical staff
  • Develop cloud standards, playbooks, architecture diagrams, and technical documentation
  • Support knowledge transfer and internal cloud capability development

• Deep expertise with Azure services including Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Storage, Azure SQL, Cosmos DB, Azure Functions, Microsoft Entra , Virtual Networks (VNet), Azure Resource Manager (ARM)
• Experience leading enterprise Azure migrations and implementations in multi-tenant environments
• Strong Azure networking expertise including Express Route, VPN, Hybrid Connectivity, Network Troubleshooting
• Experience with Azure Landing Zones and Azure Landing Zone Reference Architectures
• Strong Infrastructure as Code experience (ARM, Bicep, Terraform)
• Experience implementing CI/CD pipelines using Azure Dev Ops and Git Hub Actions
• Experience implementing Azure security controls and governance frameworks
• Experience with Docker, AKS, Azure Container Apps, and Serverless Architectures
• Strong troubleshooting skills across Azure compute, networking, and storage layers
• Excellent communication, mentoring, leadership, and stakeholder management skills
• Experience leading technical design reviews and architectural discussions

• Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert Certification
• Azure Dev Ops Engineer Expert Certification
• Government or highly regulated industry experience (HIPAA, CJIS, IRS 1075)

• Knowledge of ITIL, PMP, Agile Methodologies, Enterprise Governance Frameworks

• Experience with Hybrid Cloud environments and Azure Arc
• Scripting experience with Python, Bash, Power Shell

• Azure Architecture
• Azure Landing Zones
• Azure Governance & Security
• Azure Networking
• Cloud Migration
• Infrastructure as Code
• Dev Ops & CI/CD
• Hybrid Cloud
• Cloud Operations
• Technical Leadership & Mentoring

Azure, Azure Landing Zone, Azure Gov Cloud, Azure Architecture, Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Storage, Azure SQL, Cosmos DB, Microsoft Entra , Azure Functions, ARM Templates, Bicep, Terraform, Azure Dev Ops, Git Hub Actions, Docker, AKS, Azure Container Apps, Azure RBAC, Azure Policy, Defender for Cloud, Express Route, VPN, Hybrid Cloud, Azure Arc, Python, Bash, Power Shell, Cloud Migration, Cloud Governance, ITIL, Agile