DevOps Architect (Azure & IaC)

Emergent Software is looking for a DevOps Architect to lead the technical direction of our DevOps practice within the cloud infrastructure team. A qualified candidate has deep experience with Azure infrastructure, Infrastructure as Code, and CI/CD, paired with a track record of authoring standards, mentoring engineers from mixed backgrounds, and representing technical practices in client-facing pre-sales conversations. This 100% remote position is for someone who enjoys building the playbook as much as executing on it, and who can move comfortably between writing IaC modules, reviewing a junior engineer's pull request, and leading an architecture discussion with a client's CIO., * Own the technical direction of Emergent's DevOps practice, including the IaC standards, pipeline patterns, code review expectations, and reference architectures that the team applies across client engagements.

• Author and maintain the internal documentation, templates, and modules that the team relies on day to day. This is a core part of the role, not a side task.
• Mentor a team of engineers from mixed backgrounds, including software developers growing into cloud roles and traditional cloud engineers building DevOps fluency. Pair, review pull requests, run office hours, and raise the technical bar across the group.
• Lead the most complex DevOps engagements end to end, from discovery through delivery, with a focus on environments where scale, regulatory requirements, or legacy constraints demand strong technical judgment. This includes grooming backlog work and feature & task assignments to project team as well as influence technical direction across practice areas.
• Represent the DevOps practice in pre-sales. Partner with sales and account teams to scope work, lead technical discovery sessions, contribute to proposals, and build client confidence in Emergent's approach.
• Continuously evolve Emergent's DevOps practice by evaluating new tools, patterns, and approaches, and bringing the right ones into the team's standard playbook.
• Diagnose and improve existing client systems that may be partially implemented or inconsistently managed, balancing pragmatic delivery with long-term maintainability.
• Accurately track time and work performed to support client billing, project planning, and overall project health, as part of a professional services delivery model.
• Strong time management skills to be able to prioritize workload, meet deadlines, and provide technical support and guidance for other DevOps focused team members.
• Share your knowledge at regular talk shop and lunch & learn sessions to help build a stronger team.
• Other related duties as assigned by your manager., At Emergent Software, we work hard to find the best people capable of delivering high quality services to our clients. If you think you're one of those, please understand that the effort put into this by people like yourself helps us be successful in surrounding you with other top-notch people. Here are the steps of our vetting process for this position:
• Application (5 minutes)
• Online Assessment (40-50 minutes)
• Initial Phone Interview (45-60 minutes)
• Hiring Manager Interview (30 minutes)
• Take Home Challenge
• Technical Interview (60 minutes)
• Job Offer

Do you have experience in WAN?, * Microsoft Azure (compute, networking, identity, PaaS)

• Terraform, Bicep, and Ansible for Infrastructure as Code

• Azure DevOps and GitHub Actions for CI/CD

• PowerShell, Bash, and Python for automation and tooling

• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Azure Container Apps (ACA), and Docker where containerization is required

• Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, and Application Insights for observability

• Azure Policy, Defender for Cloud, and Entra ID for governance and security, * 8+ years of hands-on experience with cloud infrastructure, with deep expertise in Microsoft Azure across compute, storage, and governance

• Deep networking expertise in Azure, including designing topologies from the ground up (segmentation strategy, hub-and-spoke or virtual WAN, cross-region connectivity, on-premises integration), as well as working fluently with virtual networks, ExpressRoute, VPN Gateways, and private endpoints. Comfortable diagnosing connectivity issues across hybrid environments.

• Strong identity and security fundamentals, including Entra ID, RBAC, managed identities, and secure access patterns

• Advanced experience authoring production Infrastructure as Code, including modular Terraform or Bicep with strong opinions on idempotency, reuse, environment parity, and safe change management

• Proven track record designing and operating CI/CD pipelines at scale using Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, or comparable tooling

• Experience designing disaster recovery and high availability strategies in Azure, including defining RTO and RPO targets, multi-region patterns, and failover testing

• Experience designing for cost efficiency at scale, including tagging strategies, reservation and savings plan planning, and ongoing FinOps practices

• Demonstrated experience writing and maintaining technical standards and internal documentation that other engineers actively use. Be prepared to share examples.

• Experience mentoring engineers, including those transitioning into cloud or DevOps from adjacent backgrounds

• Comfortable leading client-facing technical conversations, including pre-sales discovery and architecture reviews

• Previous consulting or professional services experience, * Experience leading a DevOps or platform engineering practice at a consulting firm, system integrator, or internal platform team

• Working directly with customer teams of various sizes, from small businesses to enterprise

• Familiarity with the .NET ecosystem and the deployment patterns associated with it

• Experience with AKS and Kubernetes in production

• Experience implementing DevSecOps practices, including secret management, policy as code, and supply chain security

• Familiarity with Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and Global Secure Access patterns

• Familiarity with third-party observability platforms such as Datadog, New Relic, or Grafana, which clients may bring into their environments

• Relevant Microsoft and industry certifications such as AZ-400, AZ-305, Terraform Associate or Professional, GitHub Actions or Copilot, or Certified Kubernetes Administrator

4.84.8 out of 5 stars Minneapolis, MN Remote $160,000 - $190,000 a year - Full-time, Pulled from the full job description

• Referral program
• Paid parental leave
• AD&D insurance
• Parental leave
• Health insurance
• 401(k) matching
• Paid time off, * Flexible work schedule meaning you can work regular hours or choose weekends and evenings
• Work-life balance is essential and highly valued at Emergent Software. If you choose to work more than 40 hours, you'll be compensated for the extra work!
• Shape a growing practice. The demand for our DevOps services is expanding quickly, and this role has direct influence over how the team scales.
• 100 hours per year to focus on your professional development. We invest in your growth!
• Grow your career without leaving the tech track. At Emergent Software, you can advance and be recognized as a technical expert without transitioning into people management. We value deep technical expertise as much as leadership and have established clear career paths for those who want to stay hands-on.
• Profit sharing bonus means as we're successful, you're successful
• Excellent benefits package including medical insurance, dental, vision, 401(k) matching, FSA, disability, life insurance, and paid parental leave, * Medical Insurance: up to 84% of your monthly medical premium (HSA options available)
• HSA Contribution: up to $200/month
• Dental & Vision Insurance: up to 50% of your monthly dental and vision premium costs
• 401(k) plan: company match up to 4% of salary
• Profit sharing bonus: up to 15% of salary paid quarterly
• Extra compensation: get paid extra for work over 40 hours/week
• Employee referral & customer referral bonuses
• Flex Spending Account (FSA) for Dependent Care & Healthcare Costs
• Short Term Disability: $500/week for 12 weeks
• Long Term Disability: up to $6,000/month
• Group term life and AD&D insurance: $50k
• PTO, standard holidays, 2 floating holidays
• Paid parental leave
• Staff development program: 100 hours/year plus training costs

**This is an opportunity to join our growing cloud infrastructure practice and shape how Emergent delivers DevOps to our clients. This position is fully remote (indefinitely). **, Emergent Software is a fast-growing software development, cloud consulting, and data engineering company serving clients across the country. We are regularly adding to our team of talented software engineers, cloud architects, data engineers, UX designers, technical product owners and more who can help us deliver high quality services for our clients. We are a remote-first company Since our inception, we've embraced a remote-friendly culture, promoting work flexibility beyond the norm. When the pandemic struck in 2020, our transition to fully remote work was seamless-just a matter of cleaning out the fridge. Recognizing an opportunity, we adopted a remote-first approach and began hiring talent from anywhere. We continue to offer our signature Minnesota-nice, Midwest-friendly attitude, ensuring everyone feels valued, whether or not they're familiar with the skyway system. Your career grows with us Working with talented people on interesting projects creates an engaging environment for software development enthusiasts. By working directly with our experienced team, participating in our staff development program, and solving complex problems across a variety of projects, you'll find numerous opportunities for long-term career growth. At Emergent Software, your ideas will be heard, you will grow exponentially as a master of your craft, and you will enjoy working other dedicated team members to deliver software solutions for our clients.