Senior Azure Cloud Engineer New Washington, DC

LightFeather is seeking a Senior Cloud Engineer specializing in Microsoft Azure to design, implement, and manage secure cloud solutions for federal IT environments. You'll play a key role in supporting Azure infrastructure, automation, and security, applying DevOps best practices to drive performance, strengthen compliance, and improve operational efficiency.Location: Hybrid, On‐site 4 days/week in Washington, D.C. 20036 and 1 day TeleworkJob Type: Full‐timeClearance Requirement: Active Secret or higher clearanceKey ResponsibilitiesDesign, deploy, and maintain Azure cloud infrastructure including VMs, VNets, Storage, Azure AD, and PaaS services.Manage and optimize Azure networking components (VNets, NSGs, Load Balancers, VPN/ExpressRoute connectivity).Develop and maintain Terraform templates as the primary IaC tool (critical requirement emphasized by hiring managers).Support automation via PowerShell, Bash, YAML/JSON, and GitLab pipelines.Deploy, configure, and manage AVD environments including host pools, session hosts, FSLogix profile containers, and Azure AD/M365 integrations.Provide troubleshooting and performance optimization for AVD users (explicit customer requirement).Build, maintain, and troubleshoot CI/CD pipelines in GitLab.Automate cloud operations, system configuration, and monitoring tasks.Implement secure cloud practices aligned with federal requirements (RBAC, Key Vault, IAM, encryption standards).Ensure compliance with NIST, RMF, FedRAMP, and agency‐specific controls.Use Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, and related tools to analyze system health, diagnose issues, and enforce SLAs.Work with engineering, security, and program staff to support ongoing cloud modernization efforts.Support onsite collaboration with customer stakeholders (note: role cannot be performed remotely long‐term).Required QualificationsActive Secret or higher clearance3+ years of experience with Azure Cloud Engineering3+ years of experience with CI/CD pipelines3+ years of experience using Terraform for IaC3+ years of experience using GitLabMinimum of 4 years experience with PowerShell scripting5+ years of experience in Cloud Engineering, DevOps, or Systems Engineering (mid‐level target).Strong hands‐on experience with Microsoft Azure core services and architecture.Proficiency with Terraform (high priority), PowerShell, and GitLab CI/CD.Hands‐on experience with Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) in production environments.Understanding of federal cloud security frameworks (FedRAMP, NIST, RMF).Ability to work on‐site in Washington, DC four days per week.Preferred QualificationsExperience supporting DoD or federal agency cloud environments.Experience with Docker/Kubernetes (AKS).Azure serverless tools (Functions, Logic Apps, Event Grid).Why Join LightFeather?At LightFeather, you're not just taking a job—you're joining a purpose‐driven team that delivers innovative, mission‐critical solutions to make a real difference. You'll work on diverse, meaningful projects that challenge and inspire you, alongside some of the best minds in the industry.As set forth in LIGHTFEATHER IO LLC's Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:"Disabled veteran": one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service‐connected disability."Recently separated veteran": any veteran during the three‐year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service."Active‐duty wartime or campaign badge veteran": a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense."Armed forces service medal veteran": a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.#J-18808-Ljbffr