Data Operations Specilaist

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Data Operations Specialist to augment our team on a 1-year contract. The Data Operations Specialist is a key technical resource responsible for implementing and operationalizing data solutions on Microsoft's Azure platform. The University is migrating from on-premise 2019 SQL Server to the Azure Data environment. This role must have hands-on expertise in Data Lakes, Azure Synapse Dedicated SQL Pool, Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse Pipelines, Security and Cost management. The Data Operations Specialist collaborates with data architects, data engineers, and other data professionals to deliver scalable, efficient, and robust data solutions that cater to the University's analytical and operational needs. This role needs strong hands-on experience and a strong understanding of Azure Administration, RBAC, and Security across all Azure services, including security, governance, and compliance. Advocate for strong security measures that protect the privacy and data of all users. This role should have subject matter expertise in implementing, managing, and monitoring the Microsoft Azure environment, and should have experience with PowerShell, Azure CLI, The Azure portal, Azure Resource Management templates, and Microsoft Entra ID.

• Skills and Experience Needed Experience in the Azure cloud computing environment.
• Proven experience with Azure data services: Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Data Lake, Azure Dedicated SQL Pool, Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse Pipelines.
• Practical experience in deploying, managing, and operating Azure-based solutions.
• Experience in migrating to cloud-based projects.
• Experience in Azure DevOps CI/CD pipelines.
• Proficiency in scripting languages such as Python or PowerShell for automation.
• Strong knowledge of SQL and experience with other query languages.
• Familiarity with Azure security practices, including data encryption and access controls
• Advantageous to have certifications such as Microsoft Certified Azure Fundamentals, Azure Administrator Associate, Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Azure DevOps Engineer Expert.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Detail-oriented with a commitment to accuracy.
• Self-motivated with the ability to prioritize and manage workloads. Team player with a collaborative approach.
• The ability to adapt to the rapid cloud landscape changes.

What You'll Be Doing

• Design the Security framework for the Institutional Data Warehouse Azure data platform. Create custom RBAC roles, design, setup, and configure security groups to allow teams to perform their work based on their roles in the Units, with the ability to create a special setup for custom projects and activities.

• Use Azure policy to ensure resource compliance. Create policy definitions and policy assignments, and configure Azure Policy to implement compliance requirements.

• Develop and refine Azure cloud architecture solutions for the modernization of the University's Institutional Data Warehouse, including development, code review, deployment, and operational processes and procedures.

• Executing the hands-on implementation of Azure data services, such as Storage account, Azure SQL DW, Azure Data Lake, ADF, and Azure Synapse Analytics.

• Configure Azure Resources through Azure tools and Azure APIs automatically. Use Azure Resource Manager to deploy, manage, and monitor all the resources for each solution as a group. Using ARM model and Bicep template to deploy and manage automated infrastructure/services.

• Consistently deploy resources, and make sure to keep the management and configuration of resource groups consistent to easily organize Azure resources and identify the owner and usage of each resource.

• Integrate ARM templates into CI/CD Azure DevOps Pipelines, automate release pipelines, and continuously build and deploy data warehouse projects. Establish the workflows and procedures to deploy that work for different environments such as development, QA, and production.

• Cost Management Responsibilities include closely monitoring Azure resources usages and expenditures, producing daily cost reports, optimizing resource utilization cost-effectively, preventing overspending, and making informed decisions to achieve cost savings. Be able to apply Azure resource tags and determine which project or person is consuming what resource and at what cost.

• Monitoring activities and jobs as well as overall orchestration workflow. Automate common, repeated operational tasks.

• Keep up practices for operational efficiency with all Azure objects. Use tools to monitor system health, and proactively identify and fix any issues or anomalies.

• Process performance metrics are regularly assessed and reviewed to ensure that Azure Services Measures meet the expectations. Necessary tuning and testing are conducted to optimize performance.

• Collaborate on creating effective disaster recovery and business continuity plans that prioritize inclusivity and accessibility for all team members.

• As the Azure Data expert closely works with other teams to offer Azure-related guidance and technical support. Create and maintain comprehensive technical documentation covering Azure architecture and diagrams, deployment guides, and standard operating procedures to facilitate knowledge transfer and smooth ongoing operations.

Job 69886