Infrastructure and Cloud Specialist

City of Welland; Welland; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Welland is seeking an Infrastructure & Cloud Specialist to lead the administration, security, reliability and modernization of its on-premises and cloud infrastructure.

You will provide senior technical leadership for servers, virtualization, storage, backup, Azure, Microsoft 365, Active Directory, Entra ID and related platform services, coordinating with external providers and the Network & Cybersecurity Specialist to ensure secure, resilient technology services.

Qualifications

• Progressive enterprise infrastructure experience required.
• Experience with Azure, Microsoft 365, AD/Entra ID and backup/recovery.
• Ability to design, implement and maintain secure infrastructure and cloud services.
• Strong analytical, communication and governance skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, administer and improve on-premises and cloud infrastructure.
• Lead Azure, M365 and identity platform administration.
• Secure AD/Entra ID and manage access governance.
• Manage backup, disaster recovery and testing.
• Monitor performance, incidents, cost and lifecycle planning.
• Provide guidance and knowledge transfer to staff.
• Participate in after-hours maintenance and on-call.

Skills

Windows Server

Virtualization

Storage & Backup

Azure administration

Active Directory / Entra ID

Microsoft 365 administration

Cloud security

Communication skills

Discretion & confidentiality

Education

Degree in Computer Science / IT

Tools

Exchange Online

Azure Portal

Microsoft 365 Admin Center

VPN/Firewall tools

Job description

Reporting to the Chief Information Officer, the Infrastructure & Cloud Specialist is responsible for the administration, security, reliability and modernization of the City's on-premises and cloud infrastructure.

The position provides senior technical leadership for servers, virtualization, storage, backup and recovery, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Active Directory, Entra ID and related platform services. The role leads infrastructure and cloud lifecycle planning, supports the City's cloud-first and SaaS-first direction, coordinates technical work with external service providers, and works collaboratively with the Network & Cybersecurity Specialist to provide secure, resilient and well-documented technology services.

The role serves as the City's primary technical owner for infrastructure, cloud and identity platforms and provides trained backup support for selected network and cybersecurity functions.

The duties listed are not meant to provide a description of each and every job performed but only those which represent the core functions of the job.

• Design, implement, administer, maintain and continually improve on-premises, hosted and cloud infrastructure, including servers, virtualization, storage, operating systems, platform services and associated management tools.
• Lead the administration, technical design, governance and lifecycle planning of Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365 and other assigned cloud services in alignment with the City's cloud-first and SaaS-first direction.
• Administer and secure Active Directory and Entra ID, including directory services, authentication, synchronization, administrative roles, group and access structures, and collaboration on identity governance.
• Administer Microsoft 365 platform services, including tenant configuration, Exchange Online and assigned collaboration, security and compliance configurations, in coordination with other Information Services roles.
• Design and maintain backup, recovery, retention and technical disaster recovery capabilities for infrastructure and cloud services; coordinate testing, documentation and remediation of identified issues.
• Monitor infrastructure and cloud availability, performance, capacity, configuration and cost; analyze trends; resolve complex incidents; and recommend improvements or lifecycle investments.
• Develop and maintain infrastructure and cloud standards, configurations, inventories, diagrams, operating procedures, recovery runbooks, lifecycle plans and technical roadmaps.
• Implement secure configuration, patching, vulnerability remediation, privileged administration, logging and monitoring for infrastructure, cloud, identity and Microsoft 365 platforms.
• Lead technical integration of SaaS and cloud services, including identity, authentication, provisioning, connectivity, data exchange and vendor technical coordination.
• Collaborate with the Network & Cybersecurity Specialist on Conditional Access, identity security, cloud security, Azure networking, certificates, incident response, security assessments and penetration-test remediation.
• Provide secondary operational coverage for selected network, firewall, VPN, monitoring and security-response functions, supported by documented procedures and cross-training.
• Plan and execute infrastructure migrations, upgrades, consolidations and decommissioning initiatives that reduce technical debt and support service continuity.
• Manage technical relationships with infrastructure, cloud and platform vendors and service providers, including product evaluation, procurement support, licensing input, contract input, escalation and performance oversight.
• Prepare concise reports and recommendations regarding platform health, capacity, cost, risk, lifecycle status, recovery readiness and modernization priorities.
• Provide technical guidance and knowledge transfer to Information Services staff and communicate complex infrastructure and cloud matters to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Maintain current knowledge of emerging infrastructure, cloud, identity and Microsoft 365 technologies and professional practices.
• Participate in after-hours maintenance, on-call coverage and emergency response as required. Perform other duties as assigned.
• Indirect supervision of 2 full-time staff - two (2) Technology Analysts and potential co-op students as required.

Qualifications

• University degree or college diploma in Computer Science, Information Technology, Computer Engineering or a related field, or an approved equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum five (5) years of progressive enterprise experience supporting infrastructure, Microsoft cloud services, identity platforms or related technologies.
• Advanced knowledge of Windows Server, virtualization, storage, backup and recovery, Active Directory, Entra ID, Microsoft 365 and Azure administration.
• Strong practical knowledge of cloud and infrastructure administration, identity and access management, secure administration, monitoring, patching, vulnerability remediation and disaster recovery.
• Experience administering Exchange Online and integrating SaaS or cloud services with identity, authentication, provisioning and connectivity services.
• Working knowledge of enterprise networking, firewalls, VPN, DNS, DHCP, certificates, Azure networking and security operations sufficient to provide coordinated support and backup coverage.
• Experience developing technical standards, diagrams, procedures, inventories, recovery runbooks, lifecycle plans and management reporting.
• Ability to analyze complex, non-routine problems; exercise sound judgment; balance operational risk; and coordinate urgent technical response.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate technical matters for non-technical audiences.
• Ability to exercise discretion and sound judgment when handling confidential, security-sensitive or privileged information.
• Relevant certifications in Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, identity, infrastructure or security technologies are considered an asset.
• Availability to work flexible hours, participate in scheduled after-hours work when required and respond to emergencies or on-call requirements if necessary.