Lead Azure DevOps Engineer

We're looking for a Lead Azure DevOps Engineer to join our team in Abu Dhabi, UAE in a hybrid working mode. In this role, you will act as a senior hands-on DevOps and platform engineering lead, leveraging deep production-level Microsoft Azure expertise. You will design, implement and govern the cloud platform, deployment architecture and DevSecOps practices for enterprise AI solutions.

This is a high-impact position requiring an expert capable of independently architecting and troubleshooting complex Azure environments while collaborating directly with enterprise infrastructure, cybersecurity and Microsoft teams.

Responsibilities

• Own Azure DevOps and platform engineering activities across the project
• Design and implement Azure infrastructure for enterprise AI and application workloads
• Define deployment architecture and environment strategy across DEV, TEST, UAT and PROD
• Design and maintain CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps and/or GitHub Actions
• Implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform
• Design and operate containerized workloads on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Own Azure networking and connectivity, including VNets, subnets, Private Endpoints, DNS, routing, firewalls and integration with enterprise networks
• Implement identity and access management using Microsoft Entra ID, Managed Identities, Service Principals and Azure RBAC
• Manage secrets, certificates and credentials using Azure Key Vault
• Establish monitoring, logging and alerting using Azure Monitor, Application Insights and Log Analytics
• Implement DevSecOps controls, vulnerability scanning and security automation
• Define release, rollback, backup, disaster recovery and production support procedures
• Troubleshoot complex Azure infrastructure, deployment, networking, security and performance issues
• Provide technical leadership and standards for DevOps engineers
• Collaborate closely with infrastructure, cybersecurity, engineering and Microsoft teams on platform readiness and production onboarding

Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Statistics or a related field
• Proven track record in designing, building and supporting production-grade, enterprise-scale Azure platforms
• Expert-level knowledge of Microsoft Azure services and platform engineering
• Strong hands-on experience with AKS, Docker and Kubernetes ecosystem tools
• High proficiency in Azure DevOps pipelines and writing Infrastructure as Code using Terraform and/or Bicep
• Practical knowledge of enterprise Azure networking (VNets, Private Endpoints, DNS, routing, firewalls)
• Solid understanding of Microsoft Entra ID, Managed Identities, RBAC and secrets management via Azure Key Vault
• Experience configuring monitoring stacks using Azure Monitor, Application Insights and Log Analytics
• Strong Linux administration and automation scripting skills in Python, Bash and/or PowerShell
• Excellent communication and leadership skills with ability to work directly with enterprise clients and security teams
• English proficiency at B2/C1 level or higher

Nice to have

• Experience establishing Azure AI Services and Azure OpenAI infrastructure
• Familiarity with Azure API Management gateways
• Understanding of AI/ML workload deployment (MLOps) and Databricks on Azure
• Experience with PostgreSQL and Azure managed database services
• Familiarity with Helm, Argo CD and GitOps workflows
• Hands-on exposure to Red Hat OpenShift and hybrid Azure/on-prem environments
• Knowledge of SAST/DAST tools (e.g., SonarQube) and container vulnerability scanning
• Experience with regulated industries such as Finance, Energy or Healthcare