Azure Operations Engineer

Job#: 3058765
Job Description:
Azure Operations Engineer
Microsoft | Azure Infrastructure Launch Operations
Role Overview
Microsoft is seeking an Azure Operations Engineer to support the GGRO Azure Infrastructure Launch Operations team. This team manages the operational launch pipeline for Azure infrastructure products, including new product introductions, pricing changes, geographic expansions, lifecycle transitions, consumption meters, and SKUs.
The team supports 100+ launches per month, where accuracy and disciplined execution are critical. Errors in meter, SKU, or pricing information can create downstream customer, billing, and financial impact.
As an Azure Operations Engineer, you will own operational launch requests from initial intake through validation, execution, downstream monitoring, issue resolution, and closure. You will work across Azure, operational systems, launch artifacts, and data to ensure requests are complete, accurate, executable, and delivered on time.
This is a hands-on operations role for someone who enjoys investigating problems, managing a high-volume ticket or request queue, and driving individual requests to resolution.
Key Responsibilities

• Own Azure infrastructure launch requests end to end, from intake and validation through launch preparation, submission, downstream monitoring, issue resolution, and closure.
• Manage a high-volume queue of concurrent tickets and operational requests with varying priorities, dependencies, deadlines, and levels of complexity.
• Validate launch requests for accuracy, completeness, and operational readiness before submission.
• Investigate and reconcile discrepancies across request data, operational systems, Azure launch artifacts, SKU and meter information, and downstream requirements.
• Use Kusto Query Language (KQL), SQL, and other technical tools as needed to validate data, investigate unexpected results, diagnose problems, and determine next steps.
• Partner with Engineering, Business Planning, Operations, Commerce, and other stakeholders to resolve incomplete, conflicting, or unclear requirements.
• Clearly communicate when a request cannot proceed as submitted and work with requestors to identify what is needed to move forward.
• Monitor downstream launch execution, identify stalled activity or unexpected outcomes, and resolve or escalate issues appropriately.
• Track launch deadlines and dependencies, proactively following up on outstanding actions and identifying risks before they result in missed milestones.
• Exercise independent judgment within established processes to determine what can be resolved directly, what requires clarification, and what should be escalated.
• Identify recurring upstream or downstream issues and distinguish isolated incidents from emerging operational patterns.
• Document recurring issues, supporting evidence, and operational impact and raise systemic concerns to GGRO Operations leadership.
• Contribute operational insight to postmortems, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and continuous-improvement efforts.
• Maintain accurate request histories, decisions, status updates, and supporting evidence so work can be easily understood and audited.
• Handle confidential product, pricing, launch, and business information with appropriate discretion.

Top 3 Required Technical Skills
1. Kusto / SQL Query Skills
Working knowledge of Kusto Query Language (KQL), SQL, or similar query languages, including the ability to run and modify existing queries to investigate discrepancies or unexpected results.
Important: This is not a dedicated data analyst or query-development position. Candidates should be comfortable using queries as an investigative and troubleshooting tool when needed, rather than expecting to spend the majority of the day writing queries.
2. Ticket and Queue Management
Demonstrated experience independently working through a high-volume operational queue, including tickets, requests, incidents, records, or other work items.
Candidates should be comfortable prioritizing competing requests, investigating problems, following up on dependencies, documenting decisions, and driving individual items through closure.
3. Microsoft Azure
Hands-on familiarity with Microsoft Azure and an understanding of cloud services, infrastructure products, or related product and commerce concepts.
Experience supporting Azure product launches, SKUs, consumption meters, pricing, billing, commerce, or monetization is especially valuable.
Required Qualifications

• 3+ years of hands-on experience working in complex technical or operational environments.
• Experience personally owning and resolving individual requests, tickets, records, or operational work items.
• Experience in one or more relevant operational areas such as:
  • Cloud or Azure operations
  • Product or catalog operations
  • SKU management
  • Pricing
  • Billing
  • Commerce or monetization
  • Data quality
  • Supply chain or similarly complex operational environments
• Working knowledge of SQL, Kusto/KQL, or similar query languages.
• Demonstrated ability to investigate problems end to end by identifying the cause, determining the appropriate action, implementing or coordinating the fix, and validating the outcome.
• Experience using data, queries, technical systems, or operational tooling to investigate discrepancies.
• Strong attention to detail and demonstrated ability to reconcile information across multiple systems and data sources.
• Ability to manage numerous concurrent, time-sensitive requests without sacrificing accuracy.
• Ability to work through incomplete, inconsistent, or conflicting information and determine when to proceed, clarify, or escalate.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with both technical and business stakeholders.
• Ability to remain composed and execute accurately when multiple urgent issues arise simultaneously.
• Demonstrated curiosity and ability to learn unfamiliar systems, processes, and documentation independently.
• Sound judgment when working with confidential product, pricing, and business information.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience with Microsoft Azure infrastructure, Azure Commerce, or Azure monetization.
• Experience supporting pricing, billing, SKU, meter, catalog, or commerce operations.
• Experience in operational environments where data errors can create direct customer or financial impact.
• Familiarity with Kusto Query Language (KQL) and Azure-based datasets.
• Experience contributing to SOPs, operational documentation, incident reviews, or postmortems.
• Experience coordinating work across Engineering, Business Planning, Operations, Finance, Commerce, or Product teams.
• Experience supporting product launches or other deadline-driven operational processes at scale.

What Makes Someone Successful in This Role
The strongest candidate is an operator first and a technical investigator second.
They should be someone who can take ownership of an ambiguous request and methodically determine:

Is the request complete and accurate?

Does the data across the relevant systems reconcile?

Can this request proceed safely?

If something is wrong, what is causing it?

Can I resolve it myself, do I need clarification, or should I escalate it?

Did the downstream execution actually produce the expected outcome?

The ideal candidate is comfortable moving between operational execution, technical investigation, stakeholder coordination, and documentation without losing ownership of the request.
Best Candidate vs. Average Candidate
An average candidate can follow an established process, execute assigned tickets, and run queries when instructed.
A strong candidate can independently take an imperfect or ambiguous request, identify what is missing, investigate discrepancies across systems, use Kusto/SQL as needed, coordinate with the appropriate stakeholders, drive the request through the launch pipeline, validate the downstream result, and document the resolution.
The role is not responsible for redesigning the overall operating model or tooling strategy. GGRO Operations leadership owns those decisions. The Operations Engineer's responsibility is to execute effectively within the operating model while recognizing recurring operational problems and surfacing them with clear evidence.
EEO Employer
Apex Systems is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate or allow discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, genetic information, registered domestic partner status, marital status, disability, status as a crime victim, protected veteran status, political affiliation, union membership, or any other characteristic protected by law. Apex will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable law. If you have visited our website in search of information on employment opportunities or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation in using our website for a search or application, please contact our Employee Services Department at or .
EEO Employer
Apex Systems is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate or allow discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, genetic information, registered domestic partner status, marital status, disability, status as a crime victim, protected veteran status, political affiliation, union membership, or any other characteristic protected by law. Apex will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable law. If you have visited our website in search of information on employment opportunities or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation in using our website for a search or application, please contact our Employee Services Department at or .
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Everforth Apex Systems is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate or allow discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, genetic information, registered domestic partner status, marital status, disability, status as a crime victim, protected veteran status, political affiliation, union membership, or any other characteristic protected by law. Everforth Apex will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable law.
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