Senior Azure Cloud Engineer (Terraform / AKS / Azure DevOps) – Freelance

Sidekick Network is looking for 5 Senior Azure Cloud Engineers for an international enterprise project in the semiconductor and mechanical engineering industries. Hands-on engineers who can independently build, automate, maintain, secure, and troubleshoot complex Microsoft Azure environments.

The project operates within a business-critical enterprise landscape with SAP-related dependencies. Strong production experience, automation expertise, and a structured approach to complex technical incidents are essential.

Project details

• Start: early December 2026
• Duration: end of February 2027
• Workload: full-time (5 positions available)
• Location: primarily remote from within the EU
• On-site requirement: Netherlands, 14 January to 7 February 2027
• Language: English C2 or demonstrably equivalent proficiency
• Contract: freelance

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, operate, and optimize infrastructure and cloud services on Microsoft Azure
• Build and maintain Infrastructure as Code (IaC) solutions using Terraform
• Develop and manage CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps and/or GitHub
• Provision and manage Azure IaaS and PaaS resources: Virtual Machines, Storage Accounts, Key Vault, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Azure Databricks, Application Gateway
• Deploy, administer, and troubleshoot containerized workloads and Kubernetes environments
• Develop and maintain infrastructure automation using PowerShell, Shell scripting, YAML, and Python
• Implement and improve automated infrastructure security checks and security controls
• Establish reliable logging, monitoring, and alerting across cloud infrastructure and applications
• Investigate and resolve complex production incidents in business-critical enterprise environments
• Collaborate with infrastructure, database, SAP, and application teams to ensure stable operations
• Contribute to performance improvements, operational resilience, and cloud engineering best practices

Required qualifications

• Extensive hands-on experience as a Senior Azure Cloud Engineer, Platform Engineer, or DevOps Engineer
• Strong production experience with Microsoft Azure IaaS and PaaS services
• Proven expertise in Infrastructure as Code using Terraform
• Advanced experience with CI/CD pipelines, particularly Azure DevOps and/or GitHub
• Strong practical knowledge of Kubernetes, containers, and Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Experience working with Azure Storage, Virtual Machines, Key Vault, Application Gateway, and Databricks
• Proficiency in PowerShell, Shell scripting, YAML, and Python
• Experience implementing automated infrastructure security controls
• Strong knowledge of logging, monitoring, alerting, and operational troubleshooting
• Ability to resolve complex technical problems independently in business-critical environments
• English at C2 level or demonstrably equivalent
• Residence within the EU and willingness to work on-site in the Netherlands during the specified period
• Availability for a full-time freelance assignment starting in December 2026

Additional advantages

• Experience supporting SAP-related cloud infrastructure or SAP-dependent enterprise environments
• Strong DevSecOps and cloud security expertise
• Experience with high-availability architecture, disaster recovery, and production incident management
• Azure certifications or comparable evidence of advanced Azure engineering expertise
• Previous experience in large international enterprise environments

What we offer

• A technically demanding assignment in a large international enterprise environment
• The opportunity to work on complex Azure infrastructure and automation challenges
• A primarily remote engagement with a defined on-site project phase
• Collaboration with experienced cloud, database, and infrastructure specialists
• An hourly rate aligned with your qualifications and seniority
• Direct communication and ongoing support through Sidekick Network

How to apply

Apply through JOIN with: your current CV or detailed technical profile, your earliest availability, your location and country of residence, your expected hourly rate in EUR, confirmation of your availability for on-site work in the Netherlands from 14 January to 7 February 2027, and a short summary of your hands-on experience with Azure, Terraform, AKS, Azure DevOps/GitHub, and business-critical production environments.

Ce qui te ferait sortir du lot (côté sécurité)

Zeroday : sur un poste comme celui-ci, ce qui fait la différence côté sécurité :

• aucun secret dans les templates ni dans l'état Terraform : clés et mots de passe vivent dans Azure Key Vault, et les services s'authifient par identité managée plutôt que par clé stockée ;
• moindre privilège sur les pipelines : chaque étape Azure DevOps tourne avec un service principal au rôle minimal, limité à la seule portée qu'elle déploie ;
• durcir AKS dès la conception : RBAC Kubernetes, NetworkPolicy entre les espaces de noms, images scannées avant déploiement ;
• brancher un scanner d'IaC (Checkov, tfsec) dans la CI pour signaler les écarts de configuration avant chaque apply.