Azure Cloud Architect

Bayforce; Richardson (TX); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 170,000; Part time

Job summary

Bayforce seeks a Senior Azure Cloud Architect/Engineer to design, build, secure, and operate Azure infrastructure for a global, multi-site organization. This senior role requires hands-on expertise across the entire Azure stack and the ability to mentor junior cloud engineers.

Responsibilities include multi-region architecture, landing zones, and governance, plus implementing automation and cost optimization. Hybrid onsite in Richardson, TX; contract up to 12 months with potential extensions.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of enterprise infrastructure or cloud engineering experience.
• 5+ years of hands-on Microsoft Azure experience in enterprise environments.
• Deep Azure expertise across networking, compute, identity, security, storage, DR, monitoring, governance, automation and cost optimization.
• Experience designing multi-region Azure Landing Zones, governance, and deployment standards.
• Strong operational security practices including Zero Trust and Defender for Cloud.

Responsibilities

• Design and manage multi-region Azure architecture, Landing Zones, subscriptions, governance, and deployment standards.
• Build and support Windows/Linux compute, storage, backup, and DR solutions.
• Implement and troubleshoot Azure networking (hub-and-spoke, ExpressRoute, private endpoints, VPNs, DNS).
• Administer Entra ID, RBAC, PIM, Conditional Access, managed identities, and Zero Trust controls.
• Establish Azure Policy, monitoring, alerting, and operational guardrails.
• Drive Infrastructure as Code, automation, documentation, and standardized deployment practices.
• Improve resiliency, security, performance, compliance, and cost efficiency across Azure environment.

Skills

Azure architecture

Azure networking

Hybrid cloud operations

Strategic cloud design

Troubleshooting

Mentoring

communication with global teams

Tools

Terraform

Azure DevOps

Azure Monitor

Log Analytics

Entra ID / IAM

ExpressRoute / VPN

Job description

Role Title: Azure Cloud Architect/Engineer

Employment Type: Contract

Duration: Up to 12 months, potential to extend or convert

Preferred Location: Richardson, TX area for hybrid onsite

Role Description:
We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Azure Cloud Engineer / Architect to design, build, secure, operate, and continuously improve Microsoft Azure infrastructure supporting a global, multi-site organization.
This is a senior-level, hands‑on technical role requiring broad expertise across the entire Azure cloud stack, including networking, compute, identity and access management, security, storage, backup and disaster recovery, monitoring, governance, automation, and cost optimization.
The successful candidate will serve as a senior technical authority for Microsoft Azure, capable of both designing enterprise cloud architecture and directly implementing, configuring, troubleshooting, securing, and supporting Azure infrastructure while also being able to mentor junior cloud engineers. The role will collaborate with Network, Security, Server, Application, Database, and IT teams across multiple countries and regions.
Key responsibilities include:

• Design and manage multi-region Azure architecture, Landing Zones, subscriptions, governance, and deployment standards.
• Build and support Windows/Linux compute, storage, backup, and disaster recovery solutions.
• Implement and troubleshoot Azure networking, including hub‑and‑spoke, Virtual WAN, firewalls, private endpoints, ExpressRoute, VPNs, DNS, and hybrid connectivity.
• Administer Entra ID, RBAC, PIM, Conditional Access, managed identities, and Zero Trust security controls.
• Establish Azure Policy, security baselines, monitoring, alerting, and operational guardrails.
• Drive Infrastructure as Code, automation, documentation, and standardized deployment practices.
• Improve resiliency, security, performance, compliance, and cost efficiency across the Azure environment.

The ideal candidate has deep, hands‑on Azure expertise, strong troubleshooting and architecture skills, experience supporting global hybrid environments, and the ability to lead technically and mentor others.

Requirements:
Top 3 requirements:

• Azure Architecture & Infrastructure
• Azure Networking
• Hybrid Global Infrastructure & Cloud Operations
• 8 years of enterprise infrastructure, cloud engineering, systems engineering, or related experience.
• 5 years of hands‑on Microsoft Azure experience supporting enterprise environments.
• Advanced knowledge of Azure networking, including VNets, peering, routing, firewalls, load balancing, private endpoints, VPNs, DNS, and ExpressRoute.
• Advanced knowledge of Azure Virtual Machines, compute, storage, availability, and performance optimization.
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Entra ID, IAM, RBAC, PIM, Conditional Access, Managed Identities, and Service Principals.
• Strong understanding of Azure security architecture, including Defender for Cloud, Azure Firewall, WAF, Key Vault, Azure Policy, and Zero Trust principles.
• Experience with Azure Landing Zones, management groups, subscriptions, resource groups, governance, and enterprise cloud standards.
• Experience with Azure Backup, Site Recovery, Azure Monitor, and Log Analytics.
• Strong understanding of enterprise networking technologies, including TCP/IP, routing, DNS, DHCP, firewalls, VPNs, and load balancing.
• Strong Windows Server knowledge and working knowledge of Linux.
• Demonstrated experience troubleshooting complex, business‑critical production environments.
• Strong communication skills and experience working with globally distributed technical teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Network Engineer Associate
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate
• Terraform Associate or equivalent Infrastructure as Code experience
• Experience with Azure DevOps, Azure SQL, Azure Virtual Desktop, and CI/CD.
• Experience supporting large multinational organizations, manufacturing environments, global data centers, and hybrid cloud architectures.