Cloud Engineer

Overview

We are looking for an experienced Cloud Engineer specialising in Microsoft Azure to join the team on a short-term engagement. The role will support the hands-on build and deployment of cloud capabilities required for an initial Azure AI Search use case and the wider platform foundations around it.

This is a delivery-focused position. The successful candidate will translate solution requirements into secure, scalable and repeatable Azure infrastructure, with particular ownership of the physical build, configuration, automation and Terraform-based deployment pipeline. You will work closely with architects, AI specialists, application developers and platform teams to establish production-ready cloud services and leave clear documentation and handover materials.

The ideal candidate is a practical, delivery-oriented Azure engineer who can become productive quickly and work with a high degree of autonomy. You will be comfortable moving from architecture and requirements into a working implementation, while maintaining a strong focus on security, automation, repeatability, supportability and clear documentation.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, configure and deploy Azure cloud infrastructure supporting AI-enabled search and associated application services.
• Implement and manage Azure AI Search, Azure SQL serverless capabilities, Azure Service Bus and containerised .NET workloads.
• Create and maintain Infrastructure as Code using Terraform, including reusable modules and environment-specific configuration.
• Build and configure CI/CD pipelines for automated infrastructure and application deployment.
• Configure Azure networking, identity, access controls, secrets management, monitoring and logging in line with cloud engineering best practice.
• Support the establishment of development, test and production environments, including repeatable deployment patterns.
• Collaborate with solution architects, software engineers, AI specialists and security stakeholders to integrate services into the wider architecture.
• Troubleshoot deployment and integration issues, improving reliability, performance, security and cost efficiency.
• Produce clear technical documentation, deployment guides, operational runbooks and support materials.
• Provide structured knowledge transfer and handover at the end of the assignment.

Essential skills

• Microsoft Azure
• Terraform
• Azure AI Search
• Azure SQL serverless capabilities
• Azure Service Bus
• CI/CD pipelines
• Git
• Docker and containers
• Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions
• Azure OpenAI
• Azure Kubernetes Service
• C# / .NET engineering knowledge

Experience

• Azure Platform Engineering
  • Strong hands-on experience designing, building and deploying cloud-native solutions in Microsoft Azure.
  • Practical experience with Azure AI Search, including service deployment, indexing and integration with application or data services.
  • Experience deploying and managing Azure SQL serverless capabilities and Azure Service Bus.
  • Experience deploying .NET applications using Azure container services, such as Azure Container Apps, or an equivalent Azure hosting service.
  • Experience with Azure Storage Accounts, Azure Key Vault, Azure Monitor and Log Analytics.
  • Good understanding of Azure networking, including virtual networks, private endpoints and network security controls.
  • Experience implementing identity and access controls using Microsoft Entra ID, role-based access control and managed identities.
  • Infrastructure as Code
  • Proven experience using Terraform to provision and manage Azure infrastructure.
  • Experience developing reusable Terraform modules, remote state patterns and repeatable environment deployments.
  • Ability to structure Infrastructure-as-Code repositories and apply appropriate validation, review and release controls.
• DevOps and CI/CD
  • Experience creating CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions.
  • Experience automating infrastructure and application deployments across multiple environments.
  • Confident use of Git, branching strategies, pull requests and code review practices.
  • Containerisation
  • Experience packaging, deploying and supporting containerised .NET applications.
  • Hands-on knowledge of Docker and Azure container hosting services.
  • Understanding of container configuration, secrets, networking, logging, health checks and scaling.
• Desirable Experience
  • Experience delivering AI, generative AI, enterprise search or Retrieval-Augmented Generation solutions.
  • Exposure to Azure OpenAI, vector search, semantic search or document indexing patterns.
  • Experience integrating Azure AI Search with structured and unstructured data sources.
  • Knowledge of Azure Kubernetes Service where it forms part of the wider platform.
  • Experience working in enterprise-scale or regulated environments with established security, governance and compliance controls.
  • Knowledge of cost management, resilience, backup and disaster recovery considerations for Azure workloads.
• Expected Deliverables
  • Azure AI Search infrastructure built, configured and integrated for the initial use case.
  • Azure SQL serverless capabilities and associated data services deployed and configured.
  • Azure Service Bus messaging capability implemented where required by the solution.
  • Containerised .NET workloads deployed using the agreed Azure hosting service.
  • Terraform modules, environment configuration and state management established.
  • Automated deployment pipelines created and tested.
  • Monitoring, logging, security and operational controls configured.
  • Technical documentation, runbooks and deployment guidance completed.
  • Knowledge transfer and final handover delivered to the internal team.
• Success Measures
  • Cloud services can be deployed consistently through the agreed Terraform and pipeline process.
  • The initial AI Search use case has the required Azure platform capabilities available and operational.
  • Infrastructure is appropriately secured, monitored and documented.
  • The internal team can support, maintain and extend the delivered solution following handover.

What do I need before I apply

• To be flexible to travel to, and work at, client sites across the UK as require

Benefits

• Collaborative working environment – we stand shoulder to shoulder with our clients and our peers through good times and challenges  
• We empower all passionate technology loving professionals by allowing them to expand their skills and take part in inspiring projects   
• Expleo Academy - enables you to acquire and develop the right skills by delivering a suite of accredited training courses  
• Competitive company benefits
• Always working as one team, our people are not afraid to think big and challenge the status quo 

 #LI-DS1

• As a Disability Confident Committed Employer we have committed to:
• Ensure our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible
• Communicating and promoting vacancies
• Offering an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job
• Anticipating and providing reasonable adjustments as required
• Supporting any existing employee who acquires a disability or long term health condition, enabling them to stay in work at least one activity that will make a difference for disabled people

“We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age”. 

 

We treat everyone fairly and equitably across the organisation, including providing any additional support and adjustments needed for everyone to thrive