[Hiring] Senior Azure Cloud Administrator @Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Role Description

We are seeking a highly skilled Azure Cloud Engineer with strong FinOps expertise and infrastructure operations experience to support a managed services operating model. This role will act as a technical execution lead for Azure infrastructure, responsible for maintaining platform health, optimizing cost, and executing operational tasks within a structured governance framework. The engineer will partner with internal stakeholders who retain accountability for governance, compliance, and application ownership, while this role focuses on hands-on infrastructure execution, monitoring, and continuous improvement.

(Note: This role is open to remote work from most US locations)

Key Responsibilities

• Infrastructure Operations & Managed Services Execution
  • Perform day-to-day Azure infrastructure operations, acting as the technical executor for platform stability, performance, and maintenance.
  • Provide Tier-3 infrastructure support, troubleshooting complex cloud issues and restoring service during critical incidents.
  • Execute infrastructure changes and maintain detailed change logs, ensuring traceability and compliance with change management processes.
  • Maintain accurate infrastructure documentation, including architecture diagrams, system inventories, and operational procedures.
• Monitoring, Incident Management & Reliability
  • Deliver 24x7 Azure infrastructure monitoring, proactively identifying issues and initiating remediation actions.
  • Support incident response and escalation, including security-related events, ensuring rapid triage and resolution.
  • Conduct root cause analysis (RCA) and contribute to continuous improvement of reliability practices.
  • Perform periodic infrastructure log reviews, identifying anomalies and supporting operational and security insights.
• Patching, Security & Compliance Support
  • Execute periodic and emergency patching across Azure infrastructure to ensure systems remain secure and compliant.
  • Support security operations by reviewing logs, escalating findings, and assisting with remediation activities.
  • Provide technical support for compliance and audit activities, including PHI-related log collection and reporting.
  • Assist in implementing and maintaining security controls aligned to governance policies (Azure Policy, Defender for Cloud, identity controls).
• FinOps & Cost Optimization
  • Lead cloud cost optimization initiatives, including:
    • VM and disk right-sizing
    • Reserved instances / savings plans
    • Storage lifecycle and backup optimization
  • Develop and maintain cost visibility and reporting mechanisms, including anomaly detection and budget tracking.
  • Support FinOps governance, including tagging standards, KPI tracking, and cost optimization recommendations aligned to organizational objectives.
• Infrastructure Engineering & Automation
  • Provision and manage Azure resources using Terraform and PowerShell-based automation.
  • Support Infrastructure as Code (IaC) practices while maintaining flexibility for operational (“click-ops”) activities when required.
  • Manage:
    • Virtual machines (Windows/Linux)
    • Storage accounts and backup solutions
    • Azure networking (VNets, NSGs, load balancers, app gateways)
  • Contribute to automation improvements for operational efficiency and repeatability.
• Backup, Disaster Recovery & Continuity
  • Implement and maintain backup and disaster recovery strategies using Azure-native services.
  • Monitor backup health and failure conditions, ensuring timely remediation and reliability improvements.
  • Support recovery testing and ensure alignment with business continuity requirements.
• Collaboration & Governance Alignment
  • Work within a shared responsibility model, where:
    • This role executes infrastructure operations.
    • Internal teams retain accountability for governance, compliance, and application ownership.
  • Collaborate with:
    • SRE and DevOps teams
    • Security and compliance stakeholders
    • Application and platform owners
  • Support change advisory processes (CAB), incident communication, and audit readiness activities.

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years of experience working in Azure cloud engineering or infrastructure roles.
• Proven experience with Azure cost optimization / FinOps practices, including measurable savings outcomes.
• Hands-on experience managing virtual machines (Windows & Linux) at scale.
• Experience with Terraform and/or PowerShell for infrastructure automation.
• Strong understanding of:
  • Azure compute, storage, and networking
  • Backup and disaster recovery solutions
  • SSL/TLS certificate management
• Experience with Azure AD / Entra ID, identity management, and access control.
• Familiarity with monitoring, alerting, and performance tuning in Azure.
• Strong troubleshooting and operational support skills in production environments.

Preferred Skills

• Experience working in a managed services or shared-responsibility model.
• Familiarity with:
  • Change management processes (CAB)
  • Compliance frameworks (HIPAA, SOC2)
  • Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Application Insights
• Exposure to:
  • CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions)
  • Security tooling (Defender for Cloud, Sentinel)
• Azure certifications such as:
  • AZ-104 (Administrator)
  • AZ-305 (Solutions Architect)
  • FinOps Certified Practitioner
  • CompTIA Cloud+/Security+

Technical Capabilities

• Server Security (Advanced) : Has led security initiatives that have resulted in the design of security interfaces and/or facilities to support company-wide security systems and products.
• Server Installation and Upgrade (Intermediate) : Has the ability to install software using vendor-supplied and company-developed procedures.
• Server Monitoring and Tuning (Intermediate) : Demonstrates knowledge of what metrics are available, understands their meaning, and can produce sophisticated reports.
• Server Administration (Intermediate) : Demonstrates mastery of the skill in practical applications of a difficult nature.
• Network Operating Systems (Intermediate) : Knows all commands of the network operating system and can help others in resolving general operating system issues.

Core Accountabilities

• Organizational Impact : Independently delivers on objectives with understanding of how they impact the results of own area/team and other related teams.
• Problem Solving/ Complexity of work : Utilizes multiple sources of data to analyze and resolve complex problems; may take a new perspective on existing solution.
• Breadth of Knowledge : Has advanced knowledge within a professional area and basic knowledge across related areas.
• Team Interaction : Acts as a "go-to" resource for colleagues with less experience; may lead small project teams.

Core Capabilities

• Supporting Colleagues :
  • Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance and gain knowledge in new areas.
  • Builds and Maintains Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships.
  • Communicates Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies one's own communication style to suit different situations and audiences.
• Delivering Excellent Services :
  • Serves Others with Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them.
  • Solves Complex Problems: Approaches problems from different angles; identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions.
  • Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees' effectiveness.
• Ensuring High Quality :
  • Performs Excellent Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly.
  • Ensures Continuous Improvement: Applies various learning experiences by looking beyond symptoms to uncover underlying causes of problems and identifies ways to resolve them.
  • Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring.
• Managing Resources Effectively :
  • Demonstrates Accountability: Demonstrates a sense of ownership, focusing on and driving critical issues to closure.
  • Stewards Organizational Resources: Applies understanding of the departmental work to effectively manage resources for a department/area.
  • Makes Data Driven Decisions: Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities.
• Fostering Innovation :
  • Generates New Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches.
  • Applies Technology: Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short-term challenges.
  • Adapts to Change: Views difficult situations and/or problems as opportunities for improvement; actively embraces change instead of emphasizing negative elements.

Position Qualifications

• Relevant Work Experience: 5 years
• Education: Bachelor's

Benefits

This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within Vanderbilt Health, supported by a comprehensive benefits package which may include health, disability, retirement and/or wellness offerings to enhance your well-being and professional growth.

Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity. EOE/Vets/Disabled.