Azure Stack Hub and Azure Stack Edge

Non-negotiable technical spine (both roles)

• Azure Stack Hub and Azure Stack Edge — real operational exposure, not slideware
• Azure Local / Azure Stack HCI
• Azure Arc
• Hybrid networking + Azure networking
• Identity (Entra ID, AD FS in disconnected mode)
• Compute / storage / backup / DR
• PowerShell — debugging someone else's migration workflows, not just writing scripts
• Migration mechanics: readiness assessment, dependency checks, cutover, rollback/runback, post-migration validation

How to screen profiles

Strong signals

• Actually operated an ASH stamp — mentions PEP/ERCS, scale units, update packages, marketplace syndication, capacity/N‑1 planning, Test-AzureStack, Get-AzureStackLog
• ASE Pro/Pro GPU field deployments, not just "familiar with"
• Named Azure Local / HCI cluster deployments with Arc onboarding
• Migration/cutover war stories with rollback executed
• Worked alongside Microsoft engineering/support (escalation, pilot/TAP programs)
• Enterprise customer-facing delivery across time zones

Red flags / disqualifiers

• Only public Azure cloud migration (Azure Migrate, lift-and-shift VMware→Azure) with no Stack Hub/Edge exposure — this is the most common false positive
• Pure VMware or on-prem Hyper-V admin with Azure certs but no hybrid/edge platform work
• "Azure Stack" listed once in a skills blob with nothing in the experience bullets
• Script authors only, with no evidence of debugging/validating others' automation
• Backend-only engineers with no customer-facing track record — 30% of this job is workshops and exec conversations

Differentiators between the two

• Lead: look for design authority, sequencing/dependency planning across a portfolio of customers, RCA ownership, exec presence, and reusable-artifact creation.
• Engineer: look for execution volume — how many migrations, how many environments, depth in log analysis and troubleshooting.

JD:

10+ Years Experience

Technical Focus (70%)

Migration Architecture & Technical Leadership

• Serve as the technical authority for migrations from Azure Stack Hub (ASH) and Azure Stack Edge (ASE) to Azure and Azure Local.
• Assess customer environments and determine optimal migration patterns, sequencing, dependencies, and technical readiness.
• Provide inputs to design, team migration approaches covering compute, storage, networking, identity, security, monitoring, backup, and disaster recovery considerations.
• Lead technical discovery workshops to identify migration risks, unsupported configurations, hardware constraints, and integration dependencies.
• Review and seek approval for migration runbooks, engineering procedures, rollback strategies, and operational readiness plans.
• Validate migration methodologies developed by Microsoft engineering teams and ensure field applicability.

Azure Infrastructure Engineering

• Provide deep technical guidance on:
• Azure Stack Hub infrastructure
• Azure Stack Edge deployments
• Azure Local architecture
• Azure Arc integration
• Hybrid cloud connectivity
• Azure networking
• Identity and access management
• Evaluate customer environments for migration readiness and recommend remediation activities.
• Guide engineers through complex troubleshooting scenarios involving hybrid infrastructure and edge environments.

Migration Automation & Tool Validation

• Review and validate migration scripts, automation frameworks, and deployment tooling produced by engineering teams.
• Troubleshoot PowerShell-based migration workflows and identify execution failures.
• Validate migration prerequisites, dependency checks, and operational controls.
• Ensure migration automation is repeatable, scalable, and production-ready.

Technical Escalation Management

• Act as Tier-3/Tier-4 technical escalation point for complex migration issues.
• Coordinate directly with Microsoft Product Engineering teams on defects, product limitations, and feature gaps.
• Lead root cause analysis activities for failed or delayed migrations.
• Develop mitigation and recovery plans for high-risk migration scenarios.

Documentation & Knowledge Engineering

• Own technical migration guidance and operational documentation.
• Review Microsoft Learn content for technical accuracy.
• Develop migration decision trees, troubleshooting guides, and technical best practices.
• Create reusable engineering artifacts to improve migration consistency across customers.

Customer & Stakeholder Focus (30%)

• Lead technical discussions with strategic and high-touch customers.
• Present migration architecture recommendations and technical roadmaps.
• Communicate migration risks, technical blockers, and remediation options.
• Conduct executive-level technical briefings.
• Support customer escalations and critical migration events.
• Partner with Microsoft Account Teams, CSA teams, Product Engineering, and Support organizations.