In-Senior Technical Consultant - Cloud - Aks Azure Update Manager Azure Automation Patching Az-104 Az-400

Scope: The Azure Infra Engineer - Patching & Maintenance keeps our Azure platform secure, current, and compliant by owning the end-to-end patch and maintenance lifecycle. This mid-level role runs the weekly patch cycle across compute, containers, and platform services, and proactively tracks every core component against vendor End-of-Life / End-of-Support timelines, upgrading to supported versions before support lapses. It is a hands-on operations role with a strong automation focus and close coordination with service owners, security, and DevOps. Our current technical environment: * **Software:** Azure Update Manager, Azure Automation, Azure Policy (Guest Configuration), PowerShell, Bash, and Azure CLI; ServiceNow for change management / CAB. * **Application Architecture**: Microservices on AKS (Stratosphere), Portal Shell and Portal Collaboration runtimes, the Event Framework (Event Grid / Service Bus), IAM, and API Management (self-hosted gateway). * **Cloud Architecture**: Microsoft Azure - Windows / Linux VMs, AKS node pools, MongoDB (Atlas), Entra ID / IAM, and APIM, with patch compliance and maintenance across every layer. * **Frameworks/Others**: Kubernetes / Helm, Azure Monitor / Log Analytics, vulnerability & CVE remediation workflows, and EOL/EOS lifecycle tracking; WSUS / SCCM, Ansible / Terraform, and ITIL practices; AZ-104 / AZ-400 aligned. What you’ll do: * Plan and execute the weekly patch cycle for Windows/Linux VMs, AKS node pools, and platform middleware using Azure Update Manager and Azure Automation. * Publish and maintain a rolling maintenance calendar, coordinating patch windows with service owners to minimise business disruption. * Track OS, runtime, and dependency versions across IAM, APIM, MongoDB, Stratosphere, Portal Shell/Collaboration, and the Event Framework against vendor EOL/EOS timelines, and plan upgrade paths to supported or LTS versions well ahead of EOL. * Test patches and upgrades in non-production and validate rollback procedures before every production rollout. * Automate patch deployment and compliance reporting using Azure Update Manager, Azure Policy guest configuration, and Automation runbooks; monitor compliance dashboards and remediate non-compliant resources within SLA. * Coordinate emergency, out-of-band patching for critical CVEs and zero-day vulnerabilities with the security team. * Manage AKS cluster and node image upgrades, Helm chart bumps, and container base image refresh cycles; renew TLS certificates, keys, and secrets nearing expiry with the IAM team. * Maintain patch and maintenance documentation (change records, rollback plans, validation checklists) and report weekly patch compliance and EOL risk status to engineering leadership. What we are looking for: * 5-8 years in infrastructure operations, patch management, or SRE roles, with proven ability to plan and execute maintenance windows at minimal service disruption. * Hands-on experience with Azure Update Manager, Azure Automation, and Azure Policy guest configuration; patching Windows Server and Linux VM fleets at scale. * Familiarity with AKS node image upgrades and Kubernetes version lifecycle management, plus EOL/EOS lifecycle tracking for OS, databases, and middleware. * Experience with change management (ServiceNow CAB, scheduled maintenance windows) and vulnerability / CVE remediation workflows. * Scripting skills in PowerShell, Bash, or Azure CLI for patch automation; AZ-104 or AZ-400 certification preferred. * Nice to have: WSUS / SCCM, MongoDB Atlas automated upgrades, Ansible / Terraform, ITIL Foundation, and experience building EOL/EOS dashboards or CMDB integrations. **Our Values** If you want to know the heart of a company, take a look at their values. Ours unite us. They are what drive our success – and the success of our customers. Does your heart beat like ours? Find out here: [Core Values](https://blueyonder.com/about/core-values) All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.