Senior Cloud Engineer

AJQ; Canberra; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

AJQ Consulting is seeking a Senior Cloud DevOps Engineer to design, implement and manage Azure-based cloud infrastructure, with a focus on IaC using Terraform and automated CI/CD via Azure DevOps and GitHub Actions.

You will lead hands-on platform engineering, apply DevSecOps principles, and drive secure, scalable solutions across government-regulated environments.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional experience in cloud/infrastructure roles.
• Proven expertise with AWS, Azure or Google Cloud Platform.
• Strong proficiency with terraform and IaC practices.
• Solid knowledge of Docker/Kubernetes and containerised workloads.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps methodologies.
• Demonstrated ability to design secure, compliant cloud solutions.
• Excellent communication and mentoring skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain Azure-based cloud and hybrid infrastructure.
• Manage Kubernetes workloads, deployments, stateful sets, and storage.
• Operate Container Registry, Azure Data services, Key Vault, and related services.
• Develop multi-stage CI/CD pipelines in Azure DevOps and GitHub Actions.
• Incorporate security scanning (SAST/DAST) into pipelines and enforce shift-left security.
• Create modular Terraform configurations with remote state and workspaces.
• Implement GitOps for environment management and automated rollbacks.
• Maintain observability with Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, App Insights, Grafana.

Skills

Cloud platforms

Terraform

Kubernetes

CI/CD

Security & compliance

Mentoring

Communication

Tools

Azure DevOps

GitHub Actions

Terraform

Kubernetes

Azure Monitor

Job description

AJQ Consulting is a leading provider in the delivery of Information Technology & Professional Services.

Our success is built on our team.

About the role

We're seeking experienced Senior Cloud DevOps Engineers to join our team at AJQ on a 12 month contract basis.

AJQ is seeking an experienced Senior Cloud DevOps Engineer to join our team on a 12 months contract basis, with an opportunity to extend.

You will take a leading position in designing, implementing and managing cloud infrastructure solutions that support our organisational objectives. As a Senior Cloud DevOps Engineer, you will lead hands‑on platform engineering across Azure and implement Infrastructure as Code using Terraform and drive CI/CD automation through Azure DevOps.

The role applies DevSecOps principles to embed security controls into pipeline and runtime operations, and ensures all platform configurations align with ISM and Essential Eight maturity requirements. You will provide BAU support, L2/L3 incident triage, and contribute to knowledge transfer to build enduring agency capability.

What you will be doing:

• Design, build, and maintain Azure-based cloud and hybrid platform infrastructure to support program workloads.
• Implement and maintain Kubernetes-native workloads including deployments, stateful sets, config maps, secrets management, and persistent volumes.
• Container Registry, Azure Data services, Storage Accounts, Key Vault, and related services.
• Design and maintain multi-stage CI/CD pipelines in Azure DevOps (YAML-based) and GitHub
• Actions for application build, test, and deployment automation.
• Integrate automated security scanning (SAST, DAST, container image scanning) into pipeline stages to enforce shift-left security.
• Author and maintain modular Terraform configurations for all Azure infrastructure using remote state management and workspaces.
• Implement GitOps workflows for declarative environment management and automated rollback capability.
• Configure and maintain centralised observability tooling - Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Application Insights, and Prometheus/Grafana.
• Implement and maintain RBAC for Azure subscriptions, and CI/CD pipeline access using Entra ID and managed identities.
• Ensure platform configurations align with Essential Eight maturity controls and ISM requirements - patching, hardening, and multi-factor authentication.
• Configure and maintain network security controls: NSGs, Azure Firewall, private endpoints, and VNet integration.
• Provide L2/L3 incident triage and resolution across platform and infrastructure components.
• Produce and maintain infrastructure diagrams, runbooks, and DR/BCP documentation.
• Facilitate knowledge transfer to agency operational teams to build internal platform capability.
• Coach and mentor team members; liaise with Senior Executive Officers on complex platform delivery matters.

What we're looking for

• 7+ years of professional experience in cloud engineering or infrastructure engineering roles
• Proven expertise with major cloud platforms such as AWS, Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud Platform
• Strong proficiency in infrastructure as code tools including Terraform, CloudFormation or similar technologies
• Deep understanding of cloud architecture principles, design patterns and best practices
• Solid knowledge of containerisation technologies, including Docker and Kubernetes
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps methodologies
• Demonstrated ability to design and implement secure, compliant cloud solutions
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to troubleshoot complex technical issues
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
• Experience mentoring or leading junior technical staff is highly valued
• Relevant cloud certifications (AWS Solutions Architect, Azure Administrator or equivalent) are advantageous
• Experience in government or regulated environments is desirable

NV1 Security clearance

AJQ Group strives to be an inclusive workplace for all people. We recognise that we operate in a diverse community and welcome and encourage applications from all ages and genders, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse groups, the LGBTIQ+ community, veterans, refugees and people with disabilities