Azure Cloud Engineer

LightFeather is seeking a Cloud Engineer specializing in Microsoft Azure to design, implement, and manage secure cloud solutions for federal IT environments. You'll play a key role in supporting Azure infrastructure, automation, and security, applying DevOps best practices to drive performance, strengthen compliance, and improve operational efficiency.

Location: On-site, 5 days/week in Washington, D.C. 20036

Job Type: Full-time

Citizenship: U.S. Citizenship Required

Clearance Requirement: Active Secret or higher clearance

Key Responsibilities

Design and deploy secure, scalable cloud architectures in Microsoft Azure for federal clients

Automate infrastructure provisioning using Terraform, Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates, or Bicep

Improve continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines using Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, or similar tools

Implement best practices for monitoring, logging, and cloud optimization to improve performance, security, and cost efficiency

Ensure alignment with federal cybersecurity frameworks such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 800-53, the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP), and the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA)

Manage Azure resources, including virtual networks, identity and access management (IAM), virtual machines, and security configurations

Collaborate across teams-security, development, and operations-to continuously enhance cloud environments

Mentor junior engineers and contribute to a culture of innovation, learning, and technical excellence

Required Qualifications

Active Secret or higher clearance

6+ years of experience in Microsoft Azure cloud engineering and DevOps

Proven expertise in Azure infrastructure architecture, deployment, and automation

4+ years of experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform

4+ years of experience with GitLab CI/CD for building and managing pipelines and DevOps workflows

4+ years of experience scripting and automating with PowerShell

Familiarity with federal compliance standards including FedRAMP, NIST 800-53, and FISMA

Experience with Azure networking, identity management (Azure Active Directory), security policies, and monitoring

Strong leadership and mentorship skills

Ability to work on-site in Washington, DC five days per week

Preferred Qualifications

Microsoft Azure certifications such as AZ-104 (Administrator), AZ-400 (DevOps Engineer), or AZ-305 (Solutions Architect)

Experience supporting federal IT systems and secure environments

Understanding of hybrid cloud architectures and on-premise integrations

Experience with cloud financial operations (FinOps) and cost optimization strategies

Why Join LightFeather?

At LightFeather, you're not just taking a job-you're joining a purpose-driven team that delivers innovative, mission-critical solutions to make a real difference. You'll work on diverse, meaningful projects that challenge and inspire you, alongside some of the best minds in the industry.