Citrix & Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) Architect

Lever, Inc.; Gurugram District; Hybrid; INR 3,000,000 - 5,400,000; Full time

Job summary

AHEAD is seeking an experienced Citrix & Azure Virtual Desktop Architect to lead enterprise EUC initiatives. You will design, implement, and migrate Citrix and AVD environments, leveraging Nerdio Manager, FSLogix and PowerShell automation to drive performance and cost efficiency.

Lead architecture across Azure networking, security, monitoring and high availability, partnering with global stakeholders in EST time zones.

Qualifications

• 12–15 years of IT Infrastructure / EUC / VDI experience.

Responsibilities

• Design and architect enterprise-grade Citrix VDI environments.
• Architect and manage Citrix DaaS / Citrix Cloud solutions.
• Design AVD host pools, session hosts, application groups, and workspaces.
• Lead Citrix-to-AVD migration programs and cloud transformation projects.
• Implement Nerdio Manager for Enterprise for automated scaling and management.
• Coordinate Azure infrastructure design and security controls.
• Develop monitoring, cost optimization, and automation strategies.
• Provide technical leadership and mentoring to engineering teams.

Skills

Citrix

Azure Virtual Desktop

Nerdio Manager

FSLogix

PowerShell

Azure Infrastructure

Networking

Security

Automation

Monitoring

Tools

Nerdio Manager for Enterprise

PowerShell

Terraform

Citrix ADC/NetScaler

Azure Monitor

Job description

AHEAD builds platforms for digital business. By weaving together advances in cloud infrastructure, automation and analytics, and software delivery, we help enterprises deliver on the promise of digital transformation.

At AHEAD, we prioritize creating a culture of belonging,where all perspectives and voices are represented, valued, respected and heard. We create spaces to empower everyone to speak up, make change, and drive the culture at AHEAD.

We are an equal opportunity employer,anddo not discriminatebased onan individual's race, national origin, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, maritalstatus,or any other protected characteristic under applicable law, whether actual or perceived.

We embraceall candidatesthatwillcontribute to the diversification and enrichment of ideas andperspectives atAHEAD.

We are looking for an experienced Citrix & Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) Architect with 12–15 years of experience in enterprise infrastructure, EUC, virtualization, Citrix and Microsoft Azure.The candidate must have strong hands-on experience with Citrix, Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD), Nerdio Manager for Enterprise, FSLogix, Azure infrastructure, Citrix ADC/NetScaler and PowerShell automation.The role will be responsible for architecture, design, implementation, migration, optimization, security, automation, monitoring and technical leadership across enterprise Citrix and AVD environments.The candidate should have proven experience leading Citrix-to-AVD migration and cloud transformation projects and should be comfortable working with global stakeholders in an EST time-zone shift.

Key Responsibilities

1. Citrix Architecture & Engineering

• Design and architect enterprise-grade Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops environments.
• Architect and manage Citrix DaaS / Citrix Cloud solutions.
• Design Citrix Delivery Controllers, StoreFront and related components.
• Strong experience with Citrix ADC / NetScaler.
• Design HA, DR and business-continuity solutions.
• Lead Citrix upgrades, migrations and modernization initiatives.
• Perform capacity planning and performance optimization.
• Troubleshoot complex Citrix infrastructure issues.
• Define Citrix architecture standards and best practices.

2. Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD)

• Architect and implement enterprise-scale Azure Virtual Desktop environments.
• Design AVD host pools, session hosts, application groups and workspaces.
• Design pooled and personal desktop environments.
• Design and implement FSLogix Profile Containers.
• Lead Citrix-to-AVD migration projects.
• Develop AVD image-management strategies.
• Design AVD scaling and capacity-management solutions.
• Optimize AVD performance, availability and user experience.
• Perform Azure and AVD cost optimization.
• Implement AVD security, monitoring, HA and DR.

3. Nerdio Manager for Enterprise – Mandatory

• Hands-on experience with Nerdio Manager for Enterprise is mandatory.
• Design and manage AVD environments using Nerdio Manager.
• Configure and manage AVD host pools, session hosts and images through Nerdio.
• Implement automated AVD scaling and scheduling.
• Use Nerdio for AVD provisioning, management and operational automation.
• Configure and optimize AVD environments for cost and performance.
• Troubleshoot AVD infrastructure and session-host issues using Nerdio.
• Implement image management and host-pool lifecycle management.
• Develop operational processes using Nerdio automation capabilities.
• Use Nerdio capabilities for Azure resource management and cost optimization.
• Experience designing enterprise AVD architecture using Nerdio is highly preferred.

4. Microsoft Azure Infrastructure

• Azure Virtual Networks
• Subnets
• Network Security Groups (NSG)
• Azure Firewall
• VPN Gateway
• ExpressRoute
• Azure Load Balancer
• Application Gateway
• Azure Virtual Machines
• Azure Storage
• Azure Monitor
• Log Analytics
• Azure Backup
• Azure Site Recovery
• Azure Policy
• Azure RBAC
• Azure Key Vault
• Azure Cost Management

Responsibilities include:

• Design secure, scalable and highly available Azure infrastructure.
• Design Azure architecture for Citrix and AVD workloads.
• Define Azure networking and connectivity requirements.
• Implement Azure governance and security controls.
• Perform Azure capacity planning and infrastructure sizing.
• Identify and implement Azure cost-optimization opportunities.

5. FSLogix & Profile Architecture

• Design and implement FSLogix Profile Containers.
• Design profile-storage architecture for AVD and Citrix.
• Troubleshoot profile, login and user-session issues.
• Optimize profile performance and storage utilization.
• Design highly available profile-storage solutions.
• Develop profile migration and management strategies.
• Analyze login and profile performance.

6. Networking & Security

• Strong understanding of networking concepts required for Citrix and AVD.
• Design secure connectivity between on-premises infrastructure and Azure.
• Experience with VPN, ExpressRoute, routing and DNS.
• Design network segmentation and security controls.
• Experience with NSGs, Azure Firewall and Azure networking.
• Design secure Citrix Gateway / NetScaler solutions.
• Work with security teams on enterprise security standards.
• Support vulnerability remediation and security assessments.
• Implement appropriate Azure RBAC and least-privilege access.

7. Automation & PowerShell

• Strong hands‑on PowerShell scripting and automation experience.
• Automate Citrix and AVD administration.
• Develop infrastructure health‑check scripts.
• Automate session‑host provisioning and management.
• Automate operational and repetitive infrastructure tasks.
• Develop troubleshooting and reporting scripts.
• Integrate automation with Nerdio and Azure where applicable.
• Knowledge of Terraform / Infrastructure as Code is an advantage.

8. Monitoring & Performance

Experience with:

• Nerdio Manager for Enterprise
• Azure Monitor
• Log Analytics
• Citrix Director
• Citrix Analytics
• ControlUp

Responsibilities include:

• Monitor Citrix and AVD platform health and availability.
• Analyze user‑session and application performance.
• Troubleshoot login, session and resource‑performance issues.
• Monitor Azure infrastructure utilization.
• Develop health‑check mechanisms and operational dashboards.
• Identify performance bottlenecks and recommend corrective actions.
• Implement proactive monitoring and automated remediation.

9. Citrix‑to‑AVD Migration & Transformation

• Lead enterprise Citrix‑to‑AVD migration programs.
• Assess existing Citrix/VDI environments.
• Develop migration roadmaps and technical strategies.
• Define migration waves and application dependencies.
• Perform Azure sizing and capacity planning.
• Design pilot, testing and production migration strategies.
• Define cutover and rollback procedures.
• Ensure minimal business disruption.
• Optimize the AVD environment after migration.
• Use Nerdio Manager to accelerate AVD deployment, management and automation.

10. High Availability & Disaster Recovery

• Design HA architecture for Citrix and AVD.
• Develop DR strategies for critical EUC workloads.
• Design backup and recovery solutions.
• Define RPO/RTO requirements.
• Implement Azure Site Recovery where applicable.
• Conduct DR testing and validation.
• Document recovery procedures and runbooks.

11. Architecture & Technical Leadership

• Create HLD and LLD documentation.
• Prepare architecture diagrams and technical documentation.
• Conduct technical workshops with customers and stakeholders.
• Translate business requirements into scalable technical solutions.
• Provide technical leadership to Citrix, AVD and Azure engineering teams.
• Mentor engineers and provide technical guidance.
• Review technical designs and implementation plans.
• Participate in architecture reviews and technology assessments.
• Support RFP/RFI and technical presales activities when required.

Required Technical Skills

Mandatory Skills:

• 12–15 years of IT Infrastructure / EUC / VDI experience.
• Strong