Cloud Engineer (AKS Specialist)

Job Title:

Senior Azure Cloud Engineer (AKS Specialist)

Location:

Dallas, Texas ( Locals Only ) Role Overview We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Azure Cloud Engineer with deep, hands-on expertise in Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) . This role is designed for a platform-focused engineer who takes true ownership of the container ecosystem from initial cluster deployment and complex networking to long-term operational excellence. You will be a key player in managing our cloud infrastructure, with a specific focus on supporting high-demand AI/ML workloads running within Kubernetes. The ideal candidate is a Dallas-based professional who thrives on optimizing performance, ensuring seamless scaling, and maintaining the "day-to-day" health of a mission-critical Azure environment.

Key Responsibilities AKS Lifecycle Management:

Lead the end-to-end deployment, configuration, and management of production-grade AKS clusters.

Networking & Ingress:

Design and maintain robust Azure networking architectures, including VNet integration, Azure CNI, and sophisticated Ingress controllers (Nginx, AGIC).

Scaling & Optimization:

Implement and manage auto-scaling strategies (HPA, VPA, and Cluster Autoscaler) to handle fluctuating workloads efficiently.

AI/ML Support:

Provide platform-level support for AI/ML workloads, ensuring GPU node pools and specialized compute resources are optimized for model training and inference.

Operational Excellence:

Drive "Day 2" operations, including patch management, cluster upgrades, observability (Azure Monitor/Log Analytics), and proactive troubleshooting. Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Automate all infrastructure provisioning using Terraform or Bicep to ensure repeatable and consistent environments.

Security & Governance:

Enforce Azure Policy, RBAC, and Secret Management (Azure Key Vault) to maintain a secure and compliant container platform.

Required Skills & Qualifications Azure Mastery:

Extensive experience with the Azure ecosystem (Compute, Storage, Networking, Identity).

AKS Specialist:

Deep technical knowledge of Kubernetes internals, including scheduling, storage classes, and service mesh (Istio/Linkerd).

Advanced Networking:

Hands-on experience with Azure Load Balancers, Application Gateways, Private Links, and DNS resolution within AKS.

Automation:

Strong proficiency in Terraform and CI/CD workflows (GitHub Actions or Azure DevOps).

Scripting:

Fluent in Python or Bash for operational automation and custom tooling.

Education:

Bachelor s Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technology field.

Preferred / Nice

to

Have AI/ML Exposure:

Familiarity with running MLOps frameworks or AI platforms (like Azure Machine Learning) on Kubernetes.

Certifications:

Microsoft Certified:

Azure Solutions Architect Expert or CKA (Certified Kubernetes Administrator).

Monitoring:

Experience with Prometheus, Grafana, or Azure Managed Grafana.