Cloud Specialist
Job Title: Cloud Specialist
Number of Positions: 1
Agency: Mississippi Department of Archives & History (MDAH)
Project: Cloud Migration
Location: 200 North Street, Jackson, MS 39201
Work Arrangement:100% Onsite Remote candidates will not be considered
Contract Duration: November 1, 2026 June 30, 2027
Schedule: Monday Friday, 8:00 AM 5:00 PM
Hours: 40 hours/week
Overtime: Yes, as needed
On-Call: No
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Career Level: Advanced
Position Overview
The State of Mississippi is seeking an experienced Cloud Specialist to support the Cloud Migration project for the Mississippi Department of Archives & History (MDAH). The Cloud Specialist will design, implement, maintain, and optimize scalable cloud infrastructure and support the migration of existing on-premises applications, workloads, and databases to public cloud platforms.
The ideal candidate will have strong experience with AWS and/or Microsoft Azure, cloud networking, virtualization, Windows Server, Active Directory, Linux administration, automation, security, and cloud migration. This position will work closely with infrastructure, application, security, and other cross-functional teams to ensure cloud environments are secure, scalable, reliable, and cost-effective.
Key Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and modify scalable cloud architectures supporting Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) environments.
- Plan and execute migration of on-premises applications, workloads, servers, and databases to AWS and/or Microsoft Azure.
- Ensure cloud infrastructure meets organizational security, compliance, data protection, and privacy requirements.
- Configure and manage cloud networking components, including Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs), VNets, subnets, firewalls, routing, and security controls.
- Manage and maintain Windows Server environments, Active Directory, virtual machines, and cloud infrastructure.
- Perform Linux administration and support where required.
- Monitor cloud infrastructure performance, availability, capacity, and utilization.
- Troubleshoot and proactively resolve infrastructure and cloud-related issues.
- Develop automation and operational scripts using PowerShell, Python, and/or Bash.
- Implement processes and controls using available cloud auditing and monitoring tools.
- Optimize cloud environments for performance, scalability, reliability, security, and cost-effectiveness.
- Support virtualization technologies, including VMware vSphere, as needed.
- Assist with Microsoft 365 administration and integration with cloud environments.
- Collaborate with application developers, infrastructure teams, security teams, database teams, and other stakeholders.
- Maintain documentation related to cloud architecture, configurations, migration activities, processes, and procedures.
- Stay current with emerging cloud technologies, services, security practices, and industry standards.
- Provide technical recommendations for improving cloud infrastructure and migration strategies.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field.
- 5 6+ years of experience working with AWS and/or Microsoft Azure.
- Advanced experience with Microsoft Windows Server administration.
- Strong knowledge of cloud networking, including VPC/VNet, subnets, routing, firewalls, and security controls.
- Experience managing cloud-based infrastructure and virtual machines.
- Experience with Microsoft 365 environments.
- Strong understanding of cloud architecture and IaaS/PaaS platforms.
- Experience with PowerShell scripting and automation.
- Experience supporting cloud migration initiatives.
- Understanding of cloud security, compliance, data protection, and privacy.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with Linux administration.
- Experience with Python and/or Bash scripting.
- Experience with VMware vSphere.
- Experience with cloud storage technologies.
- Experience in government, public-sector, healthcare, financial services, or another regulated environment.
- Experience with cloud monitoring, auditing, and security tools.
- Relevant AWS or Azure certifications.
Technical Skills
| Skill | Level | Requirement |
|---|
| Microsoft Windows Server | Advanced | Required |
| AWS / Azure | SME | Required |
| Microsoft 365 | Intermediate | Required |
| Networking | Advanced | Required |
| PowerShell | Intermediate | Required |
| Linux | Advanced | Preferred |
| Python | Intermediate | Preferred |
| Bash | Intermediate | Preferred |
| VMware vSphere | Intermediate | Preferred |
| Storage | Advanced | Preferred |
| Hardware | Intermediate | Preferred |
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is a senior-level cloud professional with hands-on experience designing and supporting AWS and/or Azure environments, migrating workloads from on-premises infrastructure to the cloud, managing Windows/Linux systems, and implementing cloud networking and security controls. The candidate should also be comfortable with automation, troubleshooting, infrastructure optimization, and working with cross-functional technical teams.
Important: This is a 100% onsite position in Jackson, Mississippi. Remote candidates should not be submitted.