Role: Senior Cloud Infrastructure Engineer
Location: Houston, TX
Duration: Long Term
Work Time Zone: CST
We are seeking a highly experienced and strategic Senior Cloud Infrastructure Engineer with a minimum of 10+ years of extensive, hands-on experience in architecting, implementing, and administering scalable, secure, and automated cloud infrastructure solutions. The ideal candidate is a hands-on technical lead with a proven track record in designing multi-cloud solutions and driving modernization through advanced Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and DevOps methodologies. This role requires expertise in building reliable, efficient platforms across multi-cloud environments, specifically Microsoft Azure.
1. Core Competencies & Key Responsibilities
Cloud Architecture & Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
Design & Provisioning: Lead the design and provision of complex, scalable multi-cloud infrastructure (Azure), including VMs, AKS clusters, VNets, and various storage solutions (Blob Storage).
IaC Expertise: Develop, implement, and maintain advanced Infrastructure as Code (IaC) templates using Terraform modules and ARM Templates (or Bicep).
Secure State Management: Implement secure backend state management practices for Terraform.
Optimization: Configure and optimize Azure services (e.g., Load Balancers, Key Vault) for performance, cost, and reliability.
DevOps, CI/CD, and Containerization
Automation Frameworks: Design, develop, and lead CI/CD automation frameworks and multi-stage pipelines utilizing tools such as Azure DevOps, GitLab, GitHub Actions, or Jenkins.
Advanced CI/CD: Automate critical tasks, such as AKS cluster version upgrades with near-zero downtime.
Container Orchestration: Expertly orchestrate and manage containerized workloads using Docker and Kubernetes (AKS) to support mission-critical operations.
Scripting & Automation: Maintain proficiency in scripting and system automation using Python, PowerShell, and Bash.
Security, Governance, and Compliance
Governance Leadership: Lead the design and implementation of enterprise-wide cloud governance initiatives, including enforcing Azure tagging policies, naming conventions, and policy-driven compliance reporting using Azure Policy.
Security Implementation: Implement and enforce robust security protocols, including RBAC, SSO, and data access controls.
Secrets Management: Establish and maintain secure code pipelines and manage secrets using enterprise-grade tools like HashiCorp Vault and Sentinel.
Network Security: Configure and manage advanced network security solutions, including Azure Application Gateway (with WAF) and third-party firewalls (e.g., FortiGate).
Compliance: Ensure infrastructure security and compliance with organizational
standards and regulations.
Cloud Optimization & Operations
Cost Optimization: Proactively identify and execute significant cost savings measures (target 35%+ reduction), including VM right-sizing, Reserved Instance planning, and idle resource cleanup.
Resource Hygiene: Develop scripts and automated processes to audit and clean up unused or orphaned resources (vnet, disks, public IPs, compute, storage).
Monitoring & Alerting: Configure and maintain enterprise monitoring solutions, including Azure Monitor and Log Analytics (or Application Insights) for proactive alerting, performance insights, and operational dashboards.
3. Required Qualifications & Competencies
Experience: Proven experience as a Senior Cloud/DevOps Engineer (or similar roles like Senior Cloud Developer or Cloud Systems Engineer) with 10+ years of hands-on experience.
Core Technical Stack: Expertise in Multi-Cloud Architecture (Azure expert level competency), Terraform, CI/CD Automation (Azure DevOps/GitHub Actions), and Virtualisation, Storage concepts, Containerization & Orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes).
Proficiency:
Hands-on experience with any of the development languages Python, Bash,
and PowerShell.
Domain: Oil & Gas (Preferred)
Leadership: Demonstrated commitment to mentorship and collaboration to cultivate a
high-performing culture.
Mindset: A strong focus on delivering reliable, scalable, and efficient platforms.: Configure and optimize Azure services (e.g., Load Balancers, Key Vault) for performance, cost, and reliability.
DevOps, CI/CD, and Containerization
Automation Frameworks: Design, develop, and lead CI/CD automation frameworks and multi-stage pipelines utilizing tools such as Azure DevOps, GitLab, GitHub Actions, or Jenkins.
Advanced CI/CD: Automate critical tasks, such as AKS cluster version upgrades with near-zero downtime.
Container Orchestration: Expertly orchestrate and manage containerized workloads using Docker and Kubernetes (AKS) to support mission-critical operations.
Scripting & Automation: Maintain proficiency in scripting and system automation using Python, PowerShell, and Bash.
Security, Governance, and Compliance
Governance Leadership: Lead the design and implementation of enterprise-wide cloud governance initiatives, including enforcing Azure tagging policies, naming conventions, and policy-driven compliance reporting using Azure Policy.
Security Implementation: Implement and enforce robust security protocols, including RBAC, SSO, and data access controls.
Secrets Management: Establish and maintain secure code pipelines and manage secrets using enterprise-grade tools like HashiCorp Vault and Sentinel.
Network Security: Configure and manage advanced network security solutions, including Azure Application Gateway (with WAF) and third-party firewalls (e.g., FortiGate).
Compliance: Ensure infrastructure security and compliance with organizational
standards and regulations.
Cloud Optimization & Operations
Cost Optimization: Proactively identify and execute significant cost savings measures (target 35%+ reduction), including VM right-sizing, Reserved Instance planning, and idle resource cleanup.
Resource Hygiene: Develop scripts and automated processes to audit and clean up unused or orphaned resources (vnet, disks, public IPs, compute, storage).
Monitoring & Alerting: Configure and maintain enterprise monitoring solutions, including Azure Monitor and Log Analytics (or Application Insights) for proactive alerting, performance insights, and operational dashboards.
3. Required Qualifications & Competencies
Experience: Proven experience as a Senior Cloud/DevOps Engineer (or similar roles like Senior Cloud Developer or Cloud Systems Engineer) with 10+ years of hands-on experience.
Core Technical Stack: Expertise in Multi-Cloud Architecture (Azure expert level competency), Terraform, CI/CD Automation (Azure DevOps/GitHub Actions), and Virtualisation, Storage concepts, Containerization & Orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes).
Proficiency:
Hands-on experience with any of the development languages Python, Bash,
and PowerShell.
Domain: Oil & Gas (Preferred)
Leadership: Demonstrated commitment to mentorship and collaboration to cultivate a
high-performing culture.
Mindset: A strong focus on delivering reliable, scalable, and efficient platforms.
