Narala, LLC

Overview

***Please Note: This is a part-time consulting opportunity on a contract basis. Contract-to-hire option available for the right candidate. We are open to considering candidates who are working full-time but can commit to 3-4 hours/ day for part-time consulting.

Only US citizens and permanent residents (green card holders) are eligible to apply for this position. No visa sponsorships available.****

The Azure Infrastructure Architect is a key position responsible for the setup and ongoing management of the cloud data infrastructure on Azure for clients. This role provides strategic direction, operational oversight and in-depth technical expertise to the infrastructure and data engineers for both internal staff and client organizations.

Key Responsibilities

Azure Architecture & Solution Design

• Design cloud architectures covering compute, networking, storage, security, and application layers.
• Build scalable and resilient solutions using Azure App Services, Azure Functions, AKS, APIM, Azure SQL, Cosmos DB, and Storage Accounts.
• Prepare HLD/LLD documentation, reference architectures, and solution design diagrams.
• Support hybrid cloud and on-prem integration scenarios using VPN gateways, VNET peering, and ExpressRoute.

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) – Core Responsibility

• Develop and maintain Azure infrastructure using Terraform, Bicep, and ARM templates.
• Create reusable IaC modules and automated environment provisioning workflows.
• Implement GitOps-driven CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions.
• Enforce policy-as-code frameworks (Azure Policy, OPA) for governance and compliance.
• Ensure reliable environment promotion, rollback strategies, and consistent multi-environment deployments.

Cloud Implementation & Delivery

• Lead and support deployment of Azure-based solutions across Dev, UAT, and Production environments.
• Migrate workloads to Azure, including rehost, replatform, and re-architect approaches.
• Troubleshoot performance, networking, and security issues across cloud components.
• Collaborate with development teams to enable application modernization and cloud-native builds.

Security, Governance & Compliance

• Implement RBAC, NSGs, firewalls, encryption, and identity best practices.
• Use Azure Security Center, Defender, Sentinel, and Key Vault for enterprise security.
• Embed security and governance rules within IaC templates and deployment pipelines.

Data & Analytics Architecture

• Work with data engineering teams to build modern data platforms using Azure Data Lake, Synapse, Databricks, and Data Factory.
• Architect ingestion pipelines (streaming + batch) integrating Event Hub, Storage Queues, and other services.
• Support cost management, performance optimization, and data governance.

Collaboration, Documentation & Support

• Work with business and engineering teams to translate requirements into cloud solutions.
• Prepare architecture documents, deployment guides, and best practices playbooks.
• Mentor junior engineers in Azure fundamentals, IaC, DevOps, and cloud security.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• 4–6 years of hands-on experience in Azure cloud engineering, architecture, or DevOps.
• Strong expertise in IaC (Terraform, Bicep, ARM templates).
• Solid understanding of Azure Networking, Compute, Storage, Identity & Access Management.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions.
• Knowledge of containerization (Docker), Kubernetes/AKS, microservices, and API architectures.
• Good understanding of cloud governance frameworks (Landing Zones, Azure CAF).
• Strong analytical, documentation, and troubleshooting skills.
• Preferred certifications:
• AZ-305 or AZ-305 (working towards Architect Expert)
• AZ-104
• Terraform Associate Certification (added advantage)

Key Capabilities

• Strong problem-solving, analytical, and decision-making abilities.
• Creativity, clear thinking, and excellent communication skills.
• Ability to motivate others to solve challenging technology problems, using a combination of engineering expertise, innovation and leadership.
• Ability to quickly grasp new concepts and to formulate an action plan in a new situation.
• Ability to spearhead and oversee complex projects.
• Excellent leadership and people management skills, with the ability to build and motivate high-performing teams.
• Excellent collaboration, and stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent time management skills to prioritize tasks effectively.

Compensation: Based on experience and skill set; not a limitation for the right candidate.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $65.00 - $100.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Flexible schedule

Application Question(s):

• Do you have hands-on experience setting up and optimizing Databricks on Azure ?

Experience:

• Cloud infrastructure: 5 years (Required)

Work Location: Remote