SME – AWS SME – MS – ITS

Tech Mirrors; Jackson (MS); On-site; USD 95,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Tech Mirrors in Jackson, Mississippi seeks a skilled Azure expert to manage Azure environments and lead cloud solutions. Responsibilities include overseeing Azure tenants, troubleshooting, and mentoring team members.

The ideal candidate will possess deep Azure knowledge, strong troubleshooting skills, and project management abilities. Familiarity with security best practices and effective communication skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Deep knowledge of Azure services like VMs, Azure SQL/CosmosDB, and Azure Functions.
• Experience leading cloud migrations in multi-tenant environments.
• Strong network troubleshooting skills for Azure and on-premises environments.

Responsibilities

• Manage and maintain Azure tenants and ensure adherence to best practices.
• Design and implement Azure solutions for performance and security.
• Act as senior contact for complex Azure issues and troubleshoot effectively.

Skills

Azure services management

Cloud migration experience

Network troubleshooting

Infrastructure as code

Proficiency in CI/CD pipelines

Security best practices implementation

DevOps principles familiarity

Effective communication

Project management skills

Education

Microsoft Azure certification

Tools

Azure DevOps

Terraform

Docker

Job description

3. PositionDescriptionandJobSkillSet Descriptionofthejobfunctionsthecontractorwillbeexpectedtoperform. The Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services (ITS) is the central IT organization for the state of Mississippi, and acts as a service provider and/or service broker for agencies. Over the last two years, ITS has implemented an Azure Landing Zone and an Azure Gov Cloud Landing Zone, and is working to build cloud expertise internallytosupportthis environmentandfuture agencyAzureprojects. ITSisseekingahighlyskilledandwell-rounded Azureexperttoassistin maintainingthisenvironment, working withagencies ontroubleshooting,andhelpingtomentor staff.Thispositionwillbecrucialtothelong-termsuccess of thisprojectforITS as weworkto buildourCloud Center ofExcellence.

Job Functions Overview

• Azure Environment Management–OverseeandmaintaintheexistingAzuretenantsandManagementGroupswhile ensuring adherence to industry best practices.
• Cloud Architecture–For both ITS and agencies, design, review, and implement Azure solutions that meet performance, security, and scalability requirements.
• Troubleshooting and Support–Serve as a senior point of contact for complex Azure-related issues, including network connectivity. Thiswillrequirecoordinationwithinternalteamsandagenciestodeterminerootcauseand remediation strategies.
• Vendor Relationships–WorkwithMicrosoftandotherthird-partyvendorstointegratevariousproductsintothe overall Azure ecosystem.
• Mentorship and Training–Provide knowledge transfer, training, and coaching to staff members to build internal cloud expertise. Help with the creation and maintenance of technical documentation, standards, and playbooks.
• Governance and Security–Work with ITS and agency security teams to ensure industry best practices (such as Azure Policy and Microsoft Defender for Cloud) and various compliance requirements are met.

Required Skills / Experience

• Deep knowledge of key Azure services (VMs, Azure Storage, Azure SQL/CosmosDB, VNet, Microsoft Entra ID, Azure Functions, Azure Resource Manager templates, etc.).
• Experience leading cloud migrations or implementations in a complex multi-tenant/subscription environment.
• Strong network troubleshooting abilities to help resolve connectivity issues both inside the Azure cloud environment and ingress/egress to the State’s on-premises environment (e.g., ExpressRoute, VPN).
• Familiarity with Azure Landing Zone implementations and management using Azure Landing Zone reference architectures or ALZ deployment tools.
• Proficiency within infrastructure as code (ARM templates, Bicep, Terraform) and CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions).
• Experience implementing security best practices (e.g., Azure RBAC, encryption, network segmentation, and Azure Policies).
• Familiarity with DevOps principles, containerization (Docker, AKS, Azure Container Apps), and serverless architectures.
• Strong troubleshooting abilities across networking, storage, and compute layers in Azure.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Proven experience mentoring staff and fostering a collaborative, learning-focused environment.
• Effective problem-solving skills and the ability to remain calm and focused under pressure.
• Strong organizational skills, capable of managing multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
• Ability to lead architectural reviews and navigate ambiguity in designing solutions to complex business problems.

Preferred / Not Required

• Microsoft Azure Expert-level certification (e.g., Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Azure DevOps Engineer Expert).
• Experience in a governance or highly regulated environment (e.g., HIPAA, CJIS, IRS1075 compliance).
• Knowledge of ITIL, project management methodologies (e.g., PMP, Agile), and enterprise IT governance frameworks.
• Familiarity with other public cloud providers and hybrid-cloud environments (e.g., Azure Arc).
• Working knowledge of common scripting/programming languages (Python, Bash, PowerShell).