Senior Cloud Engineer - Las Colinas (Dallas), TX

Job Summary:
We are seeking an experienced Senior Cloud Engineer with 10 14 years of IT experience and deep expertise in Microsoft Azure Cloud Infrastructure to join a leading nationwide financial services organization. This is a 6-month Contract-to-Hire (CTH) opportunity based in Las Colinas, TX with a hybrid work schedule.
The ideal candidate will design, implement, secure, and manage enterprise-scale Azure and hybrid cloud environments while driving cloud modernization, automation, operational excellence, and infrastructure reliability. The role requires close collaboration with application, security, compliance, and operations teams to deliver secure, scalable, and compliant cloud solutions.

Key Responsibilities:
Design, implement, and manage secure, scalable, and highly available Microsoft Azure infrastructure.
Build and maintain enterprise cloud architectures following Azure best practices. Develop Infrastructure as Code (IaC) solutions using Terraform and Azure Bicep.
Automate cloud provisioning and administration using PowerShell, Python, and Azure CLI.
Design and support CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps and GitHub Actions.
Support cloud-native and hybrid workloads across Development, QA, and Production environments.
Implement Azure security controls including Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Azure Sentinel, Key Vault, RBAC, and Azure Policy.
Manage identity and access using OAuth, OpenID Connect (OIDC), and Azure Identity services.
Deploy and manage container platforms including Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Azure Container Apps, and Docker.
Design and support hybrid networking using ExpressRoute, VPN, Private Endpoints, and DNS.
Implement backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity strategies to meet RPO/RTO objectives.
Monitor infrastructure using Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Application Insights, and Kusto Query Language (KQL).
Troubleshoot infrastructure, performance, availability, and security issues.
Support incident response, root cause analysis, and infrastructure optimization initiatives.
Create technical documentation, cloud standards, and operational procedures.
Mentor junior cloud engineers and promote cloud engineering best practices.

Required Skills:
10 14 years of overall IT experience.
Minimum 5+ years of hands-on Microsoft Azure Cloud Engineering experience.
Strong expertise across Azure Compute, Storage, Networking, Identity, Containers, and Serverless services.
Minimum 3+ years of production experience with Terraform and Azure Bicep.
Strong scripting and automation skills using PowerShell, Python, and Azure CLI.
Experience designing and managing Azure DevOps and GitHub Actions CI/CD pipelines.
Strong knowledge of Azure security and governance services.
Experience with Defender for Cloud, Azure Sentinel, Azure Key Vault, RBAC, and Azure Policy.
Expertise in AKS, Azure Container Apps, and Docker.
Strong experience with hybrid networking technologies including ExpressRoute, VPN, DNS, and Private Endpoints.
Experience with backup and disaster recovery solutions.
Strong monitoring experience using Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Application Insights, and KQL.
Experience supporting highly available enterprise cloud environments.
Understanding of financial industry compliance standards including:
o PCI-DSS
o SOX
o GLBA
o FFIEC
o SOC 2
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field (or equivalent experience).

Preferred Qualifications:
Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104)
Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305)
Experience supporting enterprise financial services or banking environments.
Experience designing secure hybrid cloud architectures.
Experience mentoring engineering teams and driving cloud modernization initiatives.