Cloud Architect

A large organization, located in Long Beach, CA, is seeking a Cloud Architect for a long term contract role. The Information Management Division is seeking to contract with an experienced Cloud Engineer to augment the Infrastructure Operations team and assist with Azure cloud initiatives including Cloud Adoption Roadmap, governance, security, monitoring, automation, and operational activities. Operations, Network Operations, and Cybersecurity teams to establish a secure and scalable Azure platform aligned with Microsoft"s best practices and frameworks. This role requires strong technical expertise across Azure infrastructure, networking, identity, and security domains. Task, Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned. 1. Design, implement, and support Azure infrastructure services in alignment with enterprise architecture and security standards. 2. Azure governance including Azure Policy, Management Groups, compliance guardrails, monitoring 3. Azure identity including Entra ID, hybrid identity, conditional access, MFA, PIM 4. Azure networking solutions including VPN/ExpressRoute, hub-and-spoke topology, NSG, Private DNS zone, VNets 5. Support hybrid cloud connectivity and integration between on-premise and Azure 6. Support Microsoft D365 environments 7. Strong experience of DevOps-driven infrastructure with exposure to tools such as Terraform, Bicep, Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions 8. Drive automation, Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC), and continuous optimization 9. Microservices and containerization including ACS, AKS, Docker, or Kubernetes 10. Coding experience with PowerShell and/or Python 11. Mobile Device Management (MDM), including Intune and Kandji 12. ITSM processes and services 13. Microsoft M365/O365/Purview administration 14. Microsoft security platforms, including Defender suites and Sentinel 15. Cloud patch management and vulnerability management 16. Large scale migrations to cloud 17. Troubleshoot and resolve Azure infrastructure, networking, identity, and security issues 18. Cost management and optimization, budgeting, and forecasting 19. Evaluate cloud technologies, tools, and best practices to continuously improve platform capabilities 20. Backup, Disaster Recovery, and Business Continuity in the cloud 21. Implement and support SDLC processes 22. Develop and maintain technical documentations Skills * 5+ years of experience in Azure * Solid understanding of Azure"s Well-Architected Framework and Cloud Adoption Framework * Strong experience in hybrid architectures * Experience with AI/ML infrastructure and services, including Azure Foundry, AI Search, and APIM * Zero Trust security principles * Understanding of Mobile Device Management * Experience with Serverless, including Azure Functions/Logic Apps