Remote Senior Azure Virtual Desktop Architect

Cognizant; Hartford (CT); Remote; USD 79,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance

Paid holidays + Paid Time Off

401(k) plan and contributions

Long-term/Short-term Disability

Paid Parental Leave

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Job summary

Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation is hiring a Senior Azure Virtual Desktop Engineer to design, deploy, and optimize Azure Virtual Desktop environments. You will lead end-to-end lifecycle management, focusing on scalability, security, and cost efficiency across the Azure estate, collaborating with multiple IT teams.

You will automate provisioning, image management, autoscaling, patching, and decommissioning using PowerShell, Azure CLI, and IaC tools, while ensuring documentation and

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on experience designing, deploying, and supporting Azure Virtual Desktop environments.
• Strong expertise in Azure Virtual Desktop architecture, including Host Pools, Workspaces, Application Groups, Session Hosts, and user assignment models.
• Strong understanding of Azure infrastructure services, including Resource Groups, VNets, Subnets, NSGs, and network security principles.
• Experience optimizing AVD environments for performance, scalability, and cost efficiency.
• Hands-on experience with PowerShell, Azure CLI, Azure Automation, and Infrastructure-as-Code tools such as Terraform, Bicep, or ARM templates.
• Experience managing the full virtual desktop lifecycle, including provisioning, image management, autoscaling, patching, and decommissioning.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and deploy Azure Virtual Desktop environments from resource sizing and architecture through production implementation.
• Define AVD resource specifications, including VM SKUs, session host sizing, image selection, capacity planning, naming conventions, and tagging standards.
• Configure and maintain Azure infrastructure components including Resource Groups, VNets, Subnets, Host Pools, Workspaces, Application Groups, and Session Hosts.
• Design and manage pooled (multi-user) and personal (dedicated) desktop environments, aligning deployment models with business and technical requirements.
• Administer user assignments, application group access, and host pool allocations to ensure an optimal end-user experience.
• Monitor and optimize AVD consumption costs through rightsizing, scaling strategies, deallocation schedules, and monthly cost reviews.
• Develop automation solutions for provisioning, image management, autoscaling, patching, and decommissioning using PowerShell, Azure CLI, and Infrastructure-as-Code.
• Collaborate with identity, networking, security, and endpoint management teams to ensure seamless integration with enterprise platforms.
• Maintain technical documentation, architecture diagrams, operational procedures, and support runbooks.

Skills

Azure Virtual Desktop

PowerShell

Azure CLI

Terraform

Bicep

ARM templates

Tools

Azure Automation

Intune

Terraform

Bicep

ARM templates

Job description

Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation is hiring a Senior Azure Virtual Desktop Engineer to design, deploy, and optimize Azure Virtual Desktop environments. You will lead end-to-end lifecycle management, focusing on scalability, security, and cost efficiency across the Azure estate, collaborating with multiple IT teams.

You will automate provisioning, image management, autoscaling, patching, and decommissioning using PowerShell, Azure CLI, and IaC tools, while ensuring documentation and