Senior Azure Specialist

Job ID

27788402

Location

Charlotte, NC

Other Location

Description

Senior Azure Specialist

Opkalla Microsoft Practice

Full-Time | Microsoft Practice | Reports to: Microsoft Practice Director | 8+ Years Hands-On Azure Experience

Position Summary

Opkalla is looking for a Senior Azure Specialist to join our Microsoft Practice. This role takes ownership of Azure opportunities once the Architecture Team's initial work is complete and the client continues with the sales process: managing the engagement through close, running Azure transfers from other CSP partners or Microsoft Enterprise Agreements (EAs), onboarding the client's Azure to Opkalla, serving as our senior Azure escalation point, and proactively optimizing customer environments and spend.

Our Architecture Team leads Azure discovery and pre-sales. When the opportunity becomes real, you take it from there — keeping the engagement moving through close, managing the transfer request, analyzing with the client what will transfer, running the transfer process, and onboarding the client's Azure to Opkalla, performing or overseeing the technical work along the way. You'll also serve as the escalation point for complex Azure issues from the Microsoft Practice Support team, resolving more issues internally and reducing our reliance on Microsoft escalations, and you'll lead the design of our future real-time FinOps service. This is a senior, hands-on role for someone with deep Azure technical expertise who can work independently with customers, third-party partners, and Microsoft.

Key Responsibilities

Engagement Management

• Take the handoff from the Architecture Team when the client continues with the sales process after the initial work and the opportunity is likely to close.
• Keep the engagement moving, facilitating next steps with the Technical Advisor, Architecture Team, client, third-party partners, and Microsoft.
• Manage the engagement until close, keeping the technical and commercial work on track.

Azure Transfer & Onboarding

• Own the client's Azure transfer to Opkalla once the client commits, whether the client is coming from another CSP partner or from a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement (EA).
• Transfer request — Submit and manage the transfer request, which goes to Microsoft for a Microsoft EA or to the client's current CSP, and follow up consistently until it is complete.
• Transfer analysis — Analyze the client's Azure environment with the client and agree on what will and will not transfer.
• Transfer process — Plan and run the transfer process, performing or overseeing the technical steps and tracking non-technical items such as quote updates and terms and conditions to completion.
• Onboarding — Onboard the client's Azure to Opkalla, from the completed transfer through to ongoing support and optimization.
• Explain the transfer and onboarding process clearly to clients and keep all stakeholders informed of progress and next steps.

Senior Escalation

• Serve as the escalation point for complex Azure issues from the Microsoft Practice Support team.
• Resolve complex cases internally and escalate to Microsoft only when internal expertise is insufficient, with a goal of keeping Microsoft escalations below 10% of Azure tickets.
• Communicate clearly with clients and the support team throughout resolution.

Microsoft FinOps

• Deliver Opkalla's Microsoft FinOps service for Azure: recurring cost and usage reporting and analysis, monthly or quarterly, plus on-demand analysis.
• Produce cost analysis documents and dashboards using AI tooling (Kallarity), and read the data for the client rather than just handing over a dashboard.
• Show clients where their Azure money goes, including pricing model mix, reserved capacity, and Azure Hybrid Benefit, and recommend changes.
• Explain spending patterns (for example, investigating rising Azure SQL spend) and recommend changes to resource design or operating practices.
• Scope FinOps engagements with the Microsoft Adoption Specialist and support the Kallarity demo for clients.

Real-Time FinOps (Future Service)

• Lead the design of Opkalla's future real-time FinOps service: real-time monitoring of Azure consumption with alerts the moment spend moves, plus the analysis and consulting to act on it that week.
• Work with Opkalla's development team to build the monitoring, alerts, reports, and dashboard that deliver the service.
• Define the standard set of alerts, reports, and client meetings delivered through the Opkalla dashboard.
• Once launched, act on alerts, analyze spikes, and tell clients what to do about them.

Process & Team Development

• Document repeatable support, onboarding, and transfer procedures so routine work can be handled by the Microsoft Practice Support team.
• Provide guidance and mentoring to the Microsoft Practice Support team on Azure.

Required Qualifications

• Current Azure certifications, including at minimum:

– Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104)

– Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate (AZ-500)

– Microsoft Certified: Azure Network Engineer Associate (AZ-700)

• 5+ years of real, hands-on production experience administering and supporting Azure environments — certifications alone are not sufficient.
• Demonstrated experience managing Azure transfers, including CSP-to-CSP and EA-to-CSP transfers.
• Experience serving as a senior escalation point for complex Azure issues in a client-facing, MSP, or consulting environment.
• Demonstrated experience analyzing cloud spend and delivering cost-optimization recommendations, with strong working knowledge of Azure Cost Management + Billing, Azure Advisor, and Azure Policy.
• Strong engagement and project coordination skills, with the ability to drive multiple opportunities through close and customer transitions to completion across customers, Microsoft, third-party partners, and internal teams.
• Excellent communication skills, with comfort explaining technical processes and recommendations directly to customers.

Preferred Qualifications

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305).
• Experience with Microsoft Partner Center, CSP, and Microsoft transfer processes.
• Experience with third-party cost-management or FinOps tooling (e.g., CloudHealth, Flexera, Turbonomic).
• Prior experience in a Microsoft Partner, MSP, or IT consulting environment.