Position Summary
We are executing a high-priority, large-scale infrastructure modernization project to migrate our entire virtualized environment off VMware and onto Azure Local (formerly Azure Stack HCI). We are seeking a seasoned engineer who thrives in high-stakes migration environments. You will be responsible for the full lifecycle—from bare-metal cluster deployment to the final weekend cutover of critical application servers. Our mantra is "automate everything"; we need an engineer who treats manual clicks as a failure state.
Key Responsibilities
- Azure Local Deployment: Architect and deploy Azure Local clusters, ensuring proper integration with Azure Arc, identity management, and hybrid networking.
- Network & Security Configuration: Configure VLANs, subnets, routing, and firewall policies to facilitate seamless outbound/inbound connectivity for cluster registration, storage replication, and tenant workloads.
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Design and maintain Terraform modules to automate the provisioning of Azure Local resources, virtual networks, and guest OS configurations. (PowerShell/Bicep scripting is also highly valued).
- Migration Execution (The "Lift & Shift"): Plan and execute the migration of application servers, SQL databases, and legacy VMs from vSphere to the new Azure Local environment.
- Weekend Cutover Leadership: This role requires active availability during scheduled weekend maintenance windows. You will be the technical lead during these periods, executing final syncs, validating application health, and troubleshooting any post-migration issues in real-time.
- Data Protection: Implement and manage backup/recovery workflows using Rubrik, ensuring data integrity before and after each migration batch.
- Performance Tuning: Optimize storage performance (NVMe/SSD tiers) and compute allocation post-migration to ensure applications perform better than they did on-prem.
Required Qualifications
- 5+ years of experience in systems engineering or cloud infrastructure.
- Proven experience managing or migrating from VMware (vCenter, ESXi, vMotion, DRS).
- Strong hands-on experience with Azure Local (or Azure Stack HCI) deployment and lifecycle management.
- Deep understanding of TCP/IP, DNS, load balancing, and enterprise firewall rules (e.g., Palo Alto, Fortinet, or Azure Firewall).
- Advanced scripting ability (PowerShell or Python) for automating pre-migration health checks and post-migration remediation.
Preferred "Nice-to-Haves" (Major Pluses)
- Terraform expertise: Ability to write production-grade modules, manage state files, and integrate with CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions/Azure DevOps).
- Rubrik: Experience deploying Rubrik agents, setting up SLA policies, and performing instant recoveries or export operations during migrations.
- Experience with Azure Migrate or third-party migration tools (e.g., Zerto, Carbonite).
- Familiarity with Windows Server, Active Directory, and SQL Server clustering.
Work Schedule & Logistics
Standard Hours: Monday–Friday (Remote/Hybrid).
Weekend Commitment: You must be willing and able to work every other weekend (or as scheduled) during the 3-month peak migration phase. Weekend shifts are dedicated to application cutovers, as these require minimal business disruption.
Compensation/Time-off: Overtime compensation, bonus differentials, or compensatory time off (PTO) will be provided for weekend hours.
Who You Are
- You get restless when tasks aren't scripted.
- You have a "battle-tested" mindset—calm under pressure when a migration fails over and you have 30 seconds to rollback.
- You are a documentarian; you don't just fix it—you write the runbook so the next migration is fully automated.