Senior Azure Cybersecurity Lead

Title: Sr. Azure Cybersecurity Lead

Location California, Arkansas

Remote Work

• Yes

Job Description:

Description

Lead Azure Cloud Security Engineer

Remote Contract | ~ $90/Hour

• No C2C!!- W2 ONLY- Open to GC and USC candidates only

Position OverviewWe are seeking a hands-on Lead Azure Cloud Security Engineer to support a major Azure Cloud Modernization initiative within a highly regulated federal environment. This role will focus on cloud security engineering, monitoring, infrastructure hardening, automated remediation, and compliance readiness within a FedRAMP High and FISMA High environment.

The ideal candidate will have 5-7 years of cybersecurity experience, strong hands-on expertise with Microsoft Azure security tools, and experience supporting federal compliance requirements. This is a technical leadership role requiring deep experience with Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Kusto Query Language (KQL), and Azure security configurations.

Key Responsibilities

• Configure and maintain Microsoft Sentinel and Log Analytics Workspaces for cloud security monitoring.
• Develop and optimize KQL queries and Sentinel analytic rules to identify security threats, vulnerabilities, and configuration issues.
• Build automated incident response workflows using Azure Logic Apps, Sentinel Playbooks, and Automation Rules.
• Configure data connectors, Azure Monitor Agent (AMA), and Data Collection Rules (DCRs) to collect and centralize security logs.
• Utilize Microsoft Defender for Cloud to monitor security posture, identify vulnerabilities, and remediate compliance gaps.
• Implement security hardening standards, including CIS Benchmarks and STIG configurations, across Azure infrastructure and containerized environments.
• Support FedRAMP High, FISMA High, and NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 compliance assessments.
• Gather and analyze security evidence, audit logs, and system configuration data to support third-party audits.
• Identify and remediate vulnerabilities, security findings, and open POA&M items.
• Work within an Agile/Scrum environment to deliver security engineering tasks, participate in sprint planning, and manage technical deliverables.
• Integrate security tooling, vulnerability scanning, and compliance checks into Azure DevOps or GitHub CI/CD pipelines.

Required Qualifications

• 5-7 years of hands-on cybersecurity experience, preferably focused on cloud security engineering, vulnerability management, and security monitoring.
• Strong experience with Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, KQL, and Data Collection Rules (DCRs).
• Hands-on experience with Azure security configurations, including Virtual Networks, RBAC, and Microsoft Entra ID.
• Experience supporting or remediating environments preparing for FedRAMP or FISMA compliance assessments.
• Knowledge of NIST SP 800-53 security controls and federal compliance requirements.
• Experience with Azure Monitor Agent, Log Analytics Workspaces, and cloud log ingestion.
• Experience working in an Agile/Scrum engineering environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Azure Logic Apps, Sentinel Playbooks, and security automation.
• Familiarity with ASIM parsers, Log Analytics Workbooks, and threat hunting.
• Experience implementing CIS Benchmarks and STIG security configurations.
• Knowledge of Azure Policy, PowerShell, Bicep, Terraform, or Ansible.
• Experience integrating security controls into CI/CD pipelines.

Preferred Certifications

• Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate (SC-200)
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate (AZ-500)
• Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect Expert (SC-100)
• Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)
• CompTIA Security+ or SSCP
• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) or SAFe Practitioner

No C2C!!- W2 ONLY- Open to GC and USC candidates only