Role : Azure Technical Lead
Location : 8181 Communications Pkwy Building F, Plano, TX 75024 / 600 Travis St, Floor 16 , Houston, TX, 77002
Type : Contract to Hire
About the Role
Experience : 18+ years total, with at least 5+ years in Azure-focused architecture and implementation
We are seeking a hands-on Azure Technical Lead with deep expertise in Azure governance, security, policies, and infrastructure automation. This role requires a technology leader who can architect, design, and implement Azure solutions-not a people manager or scrum master. The ideal candidate will be comfortable driving technical discussions, writing Terraform code, setting up Azure Policies, and guiding teams through implementation.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead design and implementation of Azure Governance, Security, and Policy frameworks across multiple environments.
- Develop and enforce Azure Policy, RBAC, and compliance baselines aligned with enterprise standards.
- Architect and build Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform for Azure resources.
- Drive automation and DevOps enablement, including pipelines (Azure DevOps, Jenkins, or GitHub Actions) and scripting (PowerShell / Python).
- Define and implement Azure landing zones, network security models, and tagging standards.
- Collaborate with platform and security teams to integrate monitoring, identity, and access controls.
- Troubleshoot and optimize Azure workloads for performance, cost, and security.
- Provide technical mentorship to engineers - leading by doing, not by managing.
- Stay current on Azure innovations and proactively recommend improvements to cloud architecture and governance practices.
Required Skills & Experience
18+ years of overall IT experience, with at least 5+ years hands-on in Azure.Proven expertise in Azure Governance, Azure Security, Policy creation / testing, and Compliance enforcement.Strong hands-on experience with Terraform (IaC) and managing Azure infrastructure at scale.In-depth understanding of Azure AD, RBAC, Resource Locks, Blueprints, and ARM templates.Strong scripting skills in PowerShell and / or Python.Experience with CI / CD tools such as Azure DevOps, Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or Spinnaker.Excellent understanding of Azure Networking (VNETs, Private Links, Firewalls) and Storage / Compute services.Practical exposure to Azure Monitor, Defender for Cloud, Key Vault, and Security Center.Demonstrated ability to design and review architectures and enforce governance policies in a large enterprise.Preferred Qualifications
Azure certification (AZ-305, AZ-500, or similar).Experience implementing Azure Landing Zones and Policy-as-Code frameworks.Familiarity with Kubernetes, Container Security, and Azure AI services.Strong understanding of enterprise cloud governance frameworks and best practices.