Azure Infra Support - Lead Engineer

Azure Infrastructure Support Engineer

Experience: 10+ Years
Location: Hyderabad
Shift: US Pacific Business Hours (Night Shift)
Employment Type: 2-3 months contract, Freelancing/Remote will work

Role Overview

We are looking for an experienced Azure Infrastructure Support Engineer with 10+ years of experience in infrastructure operations and cloud engineering, including strong hands-on expertise in Microsoft Azure. The candidate will be responsible for managing and maintaining Azure infrastructure, ensuring high availability, security, performance, and operational reliability while working closely with US-based stakeholders.

The ideal candidate should demonstrate strong technical ownership, advanced troubleshooting capabilities, and the ability to independently manage critical infrastructure operations and incidents.

Key Responsibilities

• Identity and Access Management: Manage Microsoft Entra ID, users, groups, licenses, MFA, Conditional Access, Privileged Identity Management (PIM), and access reviews.
• Azure Networking: Configure and troubleshoot VNets, subnets, VNet peering, hub-and-spoke architecture, NSGs, Azure Firewall, VPN gateways, and DNS.
• Azure Infrastructure Management: Administer Azure Virtual Machines, storage accounts, App Services, and other Azure infrastructure and PaaS services.
• Patching and Maintenance: Manage OS patching through Azure Update Manager, monitor compliance, troubleshoot patch failures, and coordinate maintenance activities.
• Cloud Security: Monitor security posture using Microsoft Defender for Cloud, investigate security alerts, manage Key Vault secrets and certificates, and implement least-privilege access.
• Monitoring and Backup: Configure Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, alerts, Azure Backup, restore testing, and Azure Site Recovery for disaster recovery.
• Incident and Problem Management: Lead troubleshooting for complex infrastructure incidents, perform root cause analysis, implement corrective actions, and escalate critical issues when required.
• Automation and Optimization: Use PowerShell and Azure CLI to automate routine tasks and improve operational efficiency.
• Documentation and Reporting: Maintain operational runbooks, architecture diagrams, infrastructure inventories, and reports covering incidents, patching, security, availability, and cloud costs.
• Stakeholder Management: Work directly with US-based stakeholders, communicate technical issues clearly, and ensure timely resolution of infrastructure requests and incidents.
• Operational Ownership: Proactively identify risks, recommend improvements, and maintain reliable, secure, and compliant Azure environments.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in IT infrastructure, cloud operations, infrastructure engineering, or systems administration.
• Strong hands-on experience administering Microsoft Azure environments.
• Expertise in Microsoft Entra ID, MFA, Conditional Access, PIM, and identity governance.
• Strong knowledge of Azure networking, including VNets, subnets, NSGs, peering, VPN, DNS, and Azure Firewall.
• Experience managing Windows and Linux servers, Azure Virtual Machines, and storage services.
• Hands-on experience with Azure Update Manager, Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Azure Backup, and Azure Site Recovery.
• Experience with Microsoft Defender for Cloud and cloud security best practices.
• Strong scripting skills in PowerShell and/or Azure CLI.
• Proven ability to troubleshoot complex infrastructure and networking issues.
• Experience with incident management, root cause analysis, change management, and operational documentation.
• Ability to independently manage day-to-day infrastructure operations and prioritize critical incidents.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to work directly with international stakeholders.

Good to Have

• Experience with Infrastructure as Code tools such as Terraform or Bicep.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Intune and Microsoft 365 administration.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Sentinel or other SIEM platforms.
• Experience with ServiceNow or Jira Service Management.
• Knowledge of Azure governance, cost optimization, and compliance frameworks.
• Experience designing and improving enterprise cloud infrastructure.

Certifications

• Mandatory: Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104).
• Preferred: Azure Security Engineer Associate (AZ-500) or Azure Network Engineer Associate (AZ-700).

Work Location and Shift

• Work from Hyderabad.
• Monday to Friday, aligned with US Pacific business hours.
• Expected shift: approximately 9 PM-6:00 AM IST during Pacific Daylight Time
• Availability for critical incident support as per the agreed support arrangement.

What We re Looking For

A technically strong and proactive Azure Infrastructure Engineer who can take ownership of enterprise cloud operations, resolve complex issues, strengthen security and availability, automate operational processes, and deliver reliable infrastructure support for a US-based customer.