Principal Cloud Operations Manager

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Oversee enterprise-scale Operations & Maintenance services for a significant Defense Industrial Base client utilizing Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365.

• Take responsibility for comprehensive operational performance and enterprise service results across Azure, Microsoft 365, Entra ID, endpoint management, collaboration, messaging, security, and related cloud platforms.

• Lead, cultivate, and synchronize a multidisciplinary team exceeding 100 members.

• Implement and promote a data-driven operational framework employing SLAs, KPIs, MTTA/MTTR, backlog aging, incident trends, reopen rates, service health, customer satisfaction, and capacity planning.

• Act as the principal executive-facing operational leader, communicating service health in business terminology.

• Manage significant incidents, operational risks, workforce capacity, service transitions, customer escalations, corrective actions, and ongoing improvements.

• Supervise root cause analysis, corrective action plans, accountability tracking, due dates, and reduction of recurring issues.

• Ensure operational readiness and facilitate service transitions into production operations and support environments.

• Collaborate with project managers, architects, engineers, security teams, service owners, and customer stakeholders on operational acceptance criteria.

• Conduct Operational Readiness Reviews and offer risk-based recommendations for service acceptance and readiness for production deployment.

• Confirm support ownership, RACI definitions, escalation protocols, monitoring and alerting, ServiceNow integration, documentation, access models, SLAs/KPIs, staffing, continuity plans, and security/compliance evidence.

• Develop remediation plans and transition-risk mitigation strategies while assessing post-transition stability.

• Provide technical guidance across Azure, Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, Intune, Defender, Purview, Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, and Azure infrastructure.

• Maintain technical expertise to evaluate operational risk, participate in architecture reviews, and lead technical discussions.

• Mentor employees, facilitate career development, manage performance, ensure accountability, recommend promotions and compensation adjustments, and approve timecards.

⛳️ Requirements

• Over 10 years of progressive experience in enterprise IT operations, managed services, cloud operations, infrastructure operations, or service delivery.

• More than 5 years in senior leadership with direct responsibility for production service outcomes.

• Experience managing an enterprise environment with a minimum of 10,000 users.

• Leadership of a sizable technical organization consisting of approximately 50+ engineers, administrators, support personnel, or equivalent multidisciplinary delivery staff.

• Demonstrated data-driven management utilizing operational metrics to prioritize, manage performance, identify systemic issues, allocate capacity, and achieve measurable service improvement.

• Direct accountability for SLAs/KPIs, service reviews, major incidents, escalations, backlogs, corrective actions, and continuous improvement.

• Proven experience transitioning technology services from project delivery into production Operations & Maintenance.

• Technical leadership background with Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365 in production enterprise environments.

• Executive-level customer engagement experience with director/VP/CIO/CISO or equivalent stakeholders.

• Background in federal, defense, DIB, aerospace, manufacturing, or other highly regulated sectors.

• Practical experience with ServiceNow.

• Comprehensive understanding of change management and risk management.

• Ability to concurrently manage several high-priority initiatives.

• Willingness and capability to travel on-site for up to one week per quarter.

• Must not currently be an owner/operator, founder, or active managing partner of a Managed Service Provider (MSP).

• Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) certification.

• Microsoft 365 Fundamentals (MS-900), obtained prior to the exam retirement date, or AB-900 certification.

• Preferred: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104), Microsoft 365 Administrator Expert (MS-102), HDI Support Center Manager/Director, Security+, CISSP, CISM, or CCSP certifications.

• Preferred: Experience with GCC High and/or Azure Government; familiarity with CUI, ITAR, NIST 800-171, CMMC, or similar compliance-driven operations.

• Preferred: Experience leading geographically distributed teams, subcontractors, vendors, or multiple delivery organizations within a managed service context.

🏝️ Benefits

• Employee ownership.

• Access to resources, training, and mentorship.

• Inclusive workplace culture.

• Mission-driven work.

• Career development support.

• Performance feedback and support.

• Promotions and compensation reviews.

• Competitive and equitable compensation.