Contract Azure Infrastructure Engineer Jobs in Washington

Overview

The Work

The Azure Infrastructure Engineer will be responsible for designing, implementing, and managing secure, scalable, and highly available cloud infrastructure solutions on the Microsoft Azure platform to support mission‑critical systems for federal customers. This role will focus on building and maintaining robust Azure environments that align with organizational business objectives and federal security/compliance requirements.

The Azure Infrastructure Engineer will work closely with software development teams, IT operations, security, and other stakeholder groups to ensure seamless deployment, operation, and optimization of Azure‑hosted services. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in cloud architecture, networking, and security, and will be instrumental in driving performance optimization, reliability, and cost efficiency across the cloud infrastructure landscape.

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and manage cloud infrastructure solutions on Microsoft Azure that meet functional, performance, security, and compliance requirements.
• Develop reference architectures and patterns for Azure environments (IaaS, PaaS, and related services) that can be reused across projects and programs.
• Provision and configure Azure resources including, but not limited to, virtual machines, storage accounts, managed identities, service principals, and associated role‑based access controls (RBAC).
• Implement tagging, resource grouping, and governance policies to support cost management, security, and operational consistency.
• Automate deployment and management processes using Azure DevOps, ARM/Bicep templates, PowerShell, and other Infrastructure‑as‑Code (IaC) tools.
• Execute deployment and release activities entirely through CI/CD pipelines, ensuring all components of the system are deployed using established automated workflows and remain consistent across development, test, staging, and production environments.
• Develop, maintain, and automate operational tasks using PowerShell to support repeatable builds, environment configuration, and long‑term system operations.
• Design and implement Azure networking components, including Virtual Networks (VNets), Network Security Groups (NSGs), subnets, and routing configurations.
• Create and configure private endpoints in production environments and coordinate DNS registration and related activities with appropriate teams to ensure secure and reliable connectivity.
• Support hybrid connectivity patterns (e.g., VPN, ExpressRoute) in coordination with network and security teams, as applicable.
• Coordinate cross‑team tasks such as DNS registration requests, production‑level integration steps, environment cutovers, and architecture clarifications to ensure regulated processes are followed and supporting teams are aligned.
• Collaborate with development and IT operations teams to support application deployment, environment readiness, and ongoing maintenance activities.
• Monitor and optimize the performance, scalability, and availability of Azure environments using native tools (e.g., Azure Monitor, Application Insights, Log Analytics) and third‑party solutions as needed.
• Implement alerting, logging, and observability best practices to support proactive operations and incident response.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex cloud‑related issues and incidents, including performance degradations, deployment failures, connectivity problems, and security events.
• Implement Azure security best practices, including least‑privilege access, network segmentation, encryption, and secure configuration baselines.
• Ensure compliance with applicable industry standards and regulations (e.g., NIST, FedRAMP, DoS and National Security requirements, and agency‑specific policies as applicable).
• Collaborate with security and compliance stakeholders to support audits, assessments, and continuous monitoring activities.
• Provide guidance, coaching, and training to teams on Azure services, cloud adoption strategies, and best practices for secure and efficient use of cloud resources.
• Stay current with the latest Azure technologies, features, and trends; evaluate applicability to customer environments and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Contribute to the development of standards, documentation, runbooks, and knowledge articles to mature the organization’s cloud capabilities.

• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Qualifications – Here’s What You Need

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Technology, or a related field, with a strong foundation in IT principles and practices.
• Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in IT infrastructure, cloud engineering, or related technical roles, with a significant portion focused on Microsoft Azure.
• Active Top Secret security clearance is required.
• Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, and managing Azure infrastructure, including compute, storage, networking, identity, and security services.
• Hands‑on experience with Azure DevOps, ARM templates (or Bicep), and PowerShell for automation and Infrastructure‑as‑Code.
• Must be able to pass a background check. May require additional background checks as required by projects and/or clients at any time during employment.

Minimum Skills Required:

• Strong leadership skills with the ability to lead and manage cross-functional teams of diverse individuals.
• Self-starter with demonstrated ability to quickly learn new tasks, technologies, and business domains.
• Proven ability to lead and manage a team of diverse individuals, providing technical direction, mentorship, and performance oversight as required by project needs.
• Willingness to work non‑traditional schedules/shifts to support mission requirements, deployments, and critical incident response.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to interact effectively with technical and non‑technical stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Extremely detail‑oriented and well organized, with the requisite skills, expertise, and experience to perform the requirements of each assigned task.
• Proficiency with productivity tools such as Microsoft Office and Google Suite (Word/Docs, Excel/Sheets, PowerPoint/Slides) and the ability to quickly learn new software tools and platforms as the situation dictates.

Desired Qualifications:

• Prior experience in a consulting role with a consulting‑focused company, delivering solutions to federal or national security customers.
• Certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP) or equivalent project/program management certification.
• Prior experience supporting software projects within the U.S. Department of State (DoS), National Security community, or other federal agencies, with a deep understanding of their unique operational environments and challenges.
• Familiarity with the specific IT systems, protocols, and security measures employed by DoS or similar federal agencies.
• Outstanding problem‑solving, analytical, and decision‑making skills, with a proven ability to navigate complex technical and organizational situations and deliver results under time and resource constraints.
• Experience in computer science/technology or related disciplines, including modern software delivery practices (DevOps), containerization, and microservices (e.g., AKS), is highly desirable.

Our Commitment to you / overview of benefits

• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance; Wellness Program
• Flexible Spending Accounts (Healthcare, Dependent Care, Commuter)
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability options
• Basic Life and AD&D Insurance (Company Provided)
• Voluntary Life and AD&D options
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan with matching after one year
• Paid Time Off

Reports to: Program Manager

Working Conditions

• Professional office environment with the ability to work on-site.
• Must be physically and mentally able to perform duties extended periods of time.
• Ability to use a computer and other office productivity tools with sufficient speed to meet the demands of this position.
• Must be able to establish a productive and professional workspace.
• Must be able to sit for long periods of time looking at computer screen.

• May be asked to work a flexible schedule which may include holidays.
• May be asked to travel for business or professional development purposes.
• May be asked to work hours outside of normal business hours.

Other Duties: Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Cayuse is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, skills, and abilities. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment in accordance with any applicable federal, state, or local law.