Sr. Cloud Systems Administrator

Five Rivers IT, Inc.•New York, NY

1d•$140,000 - $180,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Cloud Systems Administrator will be responsible for designing, deploying, maintaining, and continuously improving Cipriani’s Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure. This role involves supporting enterprise-scale Azure architecture, managing various Azure services, and defining compute and platform patterns. The administrator will also design and configure Azure networking, implement scalable and secure cloud architectures, and maintain comprehensive documentation. Additionally, the position supports cloud migration and modernization efforts, participates in discovery and assessment activities, and assists with cutover execution and post-migration hypercare. The role also involves administering Microsoft Entra ID/Azure AD, configuring Azure security services, and supporting compliance requirements. Automation through Infrastructure as Code and CI/CD pipelines is a key aspect, as is building and maintaining observability solutions for monitoring and incident response. Cost management and optimization within Azure are also critical functions. The role extends to supporting Azure Virtual Desktop and Microsoft 365 services, as well as leading technical discussions, mentoring junior staff, and managing third-party vendors.

Requirements

Minimum of 7 years of experience in Azure Cloud Engineering, Cloud Infrastructure, Systems Engineering, DevOps, Site Reliability Engineering, Platform Engineering, or a related technology role.
Deep hands-on expertise with Microsoft Azure cloud environments, including infrastructure, networking, identity, security, governance, monitoring, and operations.
Strong experience with Azure Landing Zones, Azure Policy, Management Groups, subscriptions, RBAC, tagging, naming conventions, security baselines, and automated remediation.
Strong Azure networking knowledge including DNS, load balancing, routing, firewalls, private networking, VPNs, peering, hybrid cloud connectivity, ExpressRoute/VPN, and secure network architecture.
Strong Microsoft Entra ID/Azure AD experience, including Conditional Access, PIM, hybrid identity, app registrations, enterprise applications, and Zero Trust concepts.
Hands-on experience with Infrastructure as Code, including Terraform, Bicep, or ARM templates; Terraform is preferred.
Experience building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps and/or GitHub Actions.
Strong scripting ability using PowerShell, Azure CLI, Bash, Python, or similar languages.
Experience implementing monitoring and observability using Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Application Insights, Datadog, Workbooks, dashboards, or similar platforms.
Experience supporting cloud migration, modernization, and transformation of legacy, on-premises, hybrid, or multi-cloud environments.
Experience serving as a senior escalation point for business-critical incidents, including mitigation, root cause analysis, stakeholder communication, and post-incident reporting.
Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders while maintaining a service-oriented approach.

Nice To Haves

Microsoft certifications such as Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305), Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104), Azure Security Engineer Associate (AZ-500), Cybersecurity Architect Expert (SC-100), DevOps Engineer Expert (AZ-400), Azure Network Engineer Associate (AZ-700), or Microsoft 365 certifications.
Experience with Azure Virtual Desktop, FSLogix, Azure Files or Azure NetApp Files, Scaling Plans, AVD Insights, remote desktop infrastructure, or cloud-based end-user computing environments.
Experience with Docker, Azure Container Registry, Kubernetes, AKS, Azure Functions, Event Grid, Azure Front Door, Cloudflare, or similar modern cloud services.
Experience with Azure Databricks, Azure Data Factory, Azure SQL, SQL Managed Instance, Synapse Analytics, Fabric, Cosmos DB, analytics workloads, data science, machine learning, AI, or business intelligence platforms.
Experience with Microsoft 365 tenant-to-tenant migrations, Exchange Online, SharePoint/OneDrive, Teams, Purview, Intune, Copilot readiness/governance, Copilot Studio, or Microsoft Foundry.
Experience supporting hospitality, restaurant, private club, hotel, retail, luxury, or multi-site operating environments.
Familiarity with hospitality technology platforms such as POS, PMS, reservation systems, event management systems, access control, guest Wi-Fi, AV systems, and related integrations.
Experience supporting enterprise or regulated environments with strong security, compliance, governance, and audit requirements.

Responsibilities

Design, deploy, maintain, and continuously improve Cipriani’s Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure across corporate and property environments.
Support enterprise-scale Azure architecture aligned with Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework and Well-Architected principles, including Management Groups, subscriptions, Azure Policy, RBAC, naming standards, tagging, resource organization, and platform automation.
Manage and optimize Azure services including Azure App Services, Azure Functions, Azure SQL, Azure Storage, Azure Redis, Azure Service Bus, Azure Key Vault, Azure Monitor, Application Insights, Log Analytics, and related services.
Define and support compute and platform patterns including virtual machines, VM scale sets, App Services, Functions, Azure Container Registry, and AKS/Kubernetes where applicable.
Design, configure, and maintain Azure networking, including Virtual Networks, Private Endpoints, Network Security Groups, DNS, peering, routing, gateways, firewalls, VPNs, and hybrid connectivity.
Support secure network topologies such as hub-and-spoke or Virtual WAN, including Azure Firewall, Application Gateway/WAF, Private Link, ExpressRoute/VPN, and DDoS Protection where needed.
Implement scalable, resilient, secure, and cost-effective cloud architectures aligned with business, security, and operational requirements.
Maintain clear architecture documentation, cloud diagrams, technical standards, support runbooks, and knowledge base materials.
Support cloud migration and modernization efforts across on-premises-to-Azure, cloud-to-cloud, hybrid, and legacy application environments.
Participate in discovery and assessment activities including workload inventory, dependency mapping, application readiness, rehost/replatform/refactor recommendations, and migration wave planning.
Support cutover execution and post-migration hypercare, including replication monitoring, test migrations, rollback planning, stakeholder communication, and stabilization.
Support Azure data and analytics workloads, including Azure Data Factory, Azure Databricks, Azure SQL, and related data movement or processing platforms.
Support emerging Microsoft cloud initiatives, including Azure OpenAI, Copilot readiness/governance, automation, analytics, and business intelligence workloads where applicable.
Implement and maintain cloud security best practices, least-privilege access, secure infrastructure patterns, and identity-based access models.
Administer Microsoft Entra ID/Azure AD, including Conditional Access, Privileged Identity Management, RBAC, app registrations, enterprise applications, hybrid identity, Entra Connect/Cloud Sync, and access governance.
Support Zero Trust models and security baselines across users, devices, applications, and cloud resources.
Configure and support Azure security services such as Azure Policy, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Microsoft Sentinel, Defender XDR integrations, Key Vault, and secure score improvement initiatives.
Support vulnerability remediation, security monitoring, patching, access reviews, audit evidence collection, and compliance initiatives.
Support compliance requirements related to hospitality, payments, privacy, and enterprise technology, including PCI-DSS, SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIST, GDPR, HIPAA, HITRUST, or similar standards where applicable.
Build, maintain, and improve Infrastructure as Code using Terraform, Bicep, ARM templates, or similar tools; Terraform experience is preferred.
Create reusable modules, policy-as-code, deployment standards, and coding practices that improve consistency and reduce manual work.
Build, maintain, and enhance CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps and/or GitHub Actions, including environment gates, drift detection, rollback support, and pre-deployment compliance checks.
Automate recurring operational tasks through PowerShell, Azure CLI, Bash, Python, Azure Automation, or similar tools.
Partner with technology teams to improve deployment velocity, release reliability, operational consistency, and platform efficiency.
Serve as a senior technical escalation point for critical Azure platform, infrastructure, application, networking, performance, and security incidents.
Support high-priority incident response, including triage, mitigation, stakeholder communication, root cause analysis, corrective action, and post-incident review.
Implement and maintain observability solutions using tools such as Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Application Insights, Datadog, Workbooks, dashboards, alerting, and related platforms.
Build and maintain dashboards, alerts, performance metrics, service-level objectives, operational reports, and recurring health checks.
Support business continuity and disaster recovery solutions using Azure Backup, Azure Site Recovery, cross-region design, replication, recovery testing, and RTO/RPO validation.
Partner with Finance and business stakeholders to support Azure cost visibility, usage reporting, budget controls, resource optimization, and cloud spend accountability.
Implement tagging standards, cost allocation practices, budget alerts, consumption reporting, rightsizing, reservations/Savings Plans strategy, and optimization roadmaps.
Identify recurring platform, cost, performance, or governance issues and lead corrective actions that improve long-term stability and efficiency.
Design, deploy, support, and optimize Azure Virtual Desktop and related remote access solutions, including host pool design, FSLogix profile strategy, Scaling Plans, and AVD Insights monitoring where applicable.
Support Microsoft 365 cloud services including Intune, Exchange Online, SharePoint/OneDrive, Teams, Purview, and related administration as needed.
Package, deploy, and maintain applications using Intune and other endpoint/cloud management platforms.
Support tenant-to-tenant Microsoft 365 migrations, coexistence planning, and cutover activities where applicable.
Support enterprise cloud services that improve secure access, business continuity, and operational efficiency across Cipriani’s corporate and property locations.
Lead technical discovery sessions, design discussions, proof-of-concept builds, and Well-Architected Reviews with clear recommendations and trade-offs.
Produce Architecture Decision Records, design documentation, implementation plans, runbooks, and support handoff materials.
Mentor junior IT team members, delivery partners, and help desk staff through design reviews, technical guidance, troubleshooting support, and knowledge sharing.
Manage escalated technical issues while remaining calm, professional, service-oriented, and focused on business impact.
Communicate complex technical concepts clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders, including leadership, Finance, vendors, security partners, and business teams.
Manage third-party IT vendors, MSPs, cloud providers, security partners, software vendors, and infrastructure vendors as needed.