IT System Reliability Engineer

Nelnet is a diversified and innovative company committed to enriching lives through the power of service as a student loan servicer, professional services company, consumer loan originator and servicer, payments processor, renewable energy solutions, and K-12 and higher education expert. For over 40 years, Nelnet has been serving its customers, associates, and communities.

The perks of working at Nelnet go beyond our benefits package. When you join the Nelnet team, you're part of a community invested in the success of each individual. That support comes through in our work, as we are united by our mission of creating opportunities for people where they live, learn, and work.

The IT System Reliability Engineer is responsible for the administration, maintenance, security, governance, and optimization of the organization's Microsoft Azure cloud environment. This role ensures the reliability, availability, performance, and security of Azure services while supporting business applications, infrastructure, and cloud transformation initiatives.

Compensation Range for this Role: $79,956-$127,000 CAD (based on experience)

This role has a hybrid work requirement of 2 days minimum in office per week.

Additionally, this position requires the successful completion of a Government of Canada Reliability Clearance (PERC) as a condition of employment. Candidates must be eligible to obtain and maintain the required clearance throughout their employment.

The successful candidate will manage Azure subscriptions, identity services, networking, compute resources, storage, monitoring, automation, and security controls. The Azure Platform Administrator works closely with infrastructure, security, networking, development, and business teams to deliver scalable and cost-effective cloud solutions.

Key Responsibilities

Azure Platform Administration

• Administer and maintain Azure subscriptions, management groups, and resource groups.
• Provision, configure, and support Azure resources including: Virtual Machines Virtual Networks Azure Storage Azure App Services Azure Key Vault Azure SQL Services Azure Backup Azure Recovery Services
• Monitor platform health, performance, and availability.
• Manage Azure updates, maintenance activities, and capacity planning.

Identity & Access Management

• Administer Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD).
• Manage users, groups, application registrations, and service principals.
• Implement Role-Based Access Control (RBAC).
• Support Conditional Access, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), and Privileged Identity Management (PIM).
• Conduct periodic access reviews and compliance audits.

Security & Governance

• Implement and maintain Azure security best practices.
• Configure and monitor Microsoft Defender for Cloud.
• Develop and enforce Azure Policies and governance standards.
• Support vulnerability remediation and compliance requirements.
• Participate in security assessments and incident response activities.

Networking

• Manage Azure networking components including: Virtual Networks (VNets) Network Security Groups (NSGs) Azure Firewall Load Balancers VPN Gateways ExpressRoute DNS Services
• Troubleshoot network connectivity and performance issues.

Monitoring & Operations

• Configure Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, and Application Insights.
• Respond to incidents and service outages.
• Analyze system logs and proactively address issues.
• Develop reporting and dashboards for operational visibility.
• Participate in on-call support rotations as required.

Automation & Infrastructure as Code

• Develop and maintain automation using: PowerShell Azure CLI Bicep ARM Templates Terraform (preferred)
• Improve operational efficiency through automation and orchestration.
• Support CI/CD integration for infrastructure deployments.

Cost Management

• Monitor Azure spending and resource utilization.
• Identify optimization opportunities and recommend cost-saving initiatives.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, and chargeback/showback reporting.

Documentation & Continuous Improvement

• Maintain technical documentation, procedures, and architecture diagrams.
• Develop operational standards and best practices.
• Participate in cloud strategy and modernization initiatives.
• Provide technical guidance and knowledge transfer to IT teams.

Required Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience.

Experience

• 3+ years of Azure administration experience.
• 5+ years of infrastructure administration experience.
• Experience supporting enterprise cloud environments.
• Experience with hybrid cloud and on-premises integrations.

Technical Skills

• Microsoft Azure administration.
• Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD).
• Azure networking and security services.
• Windows Server administration.
• PowerShell scripting and automation.
• Azure Monitor and Log Analytics.
• Backup and disaster recovery solutions.
• Infrastructure-as-Code technologies.
• ITIL incident, change, and problem management processes.

Preferred Qualifications

Certifications

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104)
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate (AZ-500)
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Network Engineer Associate (AZ-700)
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (preferred)

Preferred Experience

• Microsoft 365 administration.
• Terraform and DevOps pipelines.
• Azure Landing Zones.
• Microsoft Defender Suite.
• Sentinel SIEM.
• Kubernetes (AKS).
• VMware and hybrid cloud environments.

Key Competencies

• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills.
• Excellent communication and documentation abilities.
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple initiatives.
• Strong customer service orientation.
• Attention to detail and commitment to operational excellence.
• Collaborative team player with a continuous improvement mindset.

Success Measures

The Azure Platform Administrator will be measured on:

• Azure platform availability and reliability.
• Security and compliance posture.
• Incident response and resolution performance.
• Automation and operational efficiency improvements.
• Cost optimization achievements.
• Successful delivery of cloud infrastructure projects.
• Quality of documentation and governance adherence.

Typical Career Path: Azure Platform Administrator → Senior Azure Platform Administrator → Cloud Infrastructure Lead → Cloud Architect / Cloud Platform Manager.

This position is for an existing vacancy within our organization.

EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Management Information Systems or related fields and/or equivalent combination of education and experience.

EXPERIENCE: Applicable experience includes Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, Windows Servers, Linux Servers, Active Directory, SQL Server, Network, Switching/Routing, Firewalls, Data Archival, LAN, WAN, VoIP, MPLS, Monitoring and Messaging Systems.

Experience designing, implementing and maintaining enterprise scale systems with High Availability Configurations (Clustering, Load Balancing, Fault Tolerance, etc.), Systems Configuration Management, Optimization Tuning, and Monitoring. Preferred background working in security focused environments with skills in audit remediation and systems hardening. Experience with Scripting, Automation, Cisco UCS, Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, or PKI.

COMPETENCIES – SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE/ABILITIES:

• Strong analytical, judgment and problem solving skills.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills, interacts will with technical and non-technical clients.
• In depth working knowledge of Active Directory, IIS, DHCP/DNS, TCP/IP, Windows Server, VMware Infrastructure, Storage Area Networks (Fiber channel, FCoE and iSCSI), server hardware familiarity include hardware virtualization, fiber channel switching.
• Working knowledge of Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, Hyper-Converged technologies.

Our benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, HSA and FSA, generous earned time off, 401K/student loan repayment, life insurance & AD&D insurance, employee assistance program, employee stock purchase program, tuition reimbursement, performance-based incentive pay, short- and long-term disability, and a robust wellness program. Click here to learn more about our benefits: Benefits & Perks - Nelnet Inc.

Nelnet is committed to providing a welcoming and respectful workplace where all associates have the opportunity to succeed. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we ensure that all qualified applicants are considered for employment. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion/creed, national origin, gender, sex, marital status, age, disability, use of a guide dog or service animal, sexual orientation, military/veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law. We value the unique contributions of every team member and believe that a positive work environment benefits everyone.

Qualified individuals with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations in order to apply or compete for positions at Nelnet may request such accommodations by contacting Talent Acquisition at 402-486-5725 or [email protected].

Nelnet is a Drug Free and Tobacco Free Workplace.

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Hiring

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