Azure VM/Systems Administrator- REMOTE- EST TIME ZONE ONLY (prefer local to Pittsburgh, PA)

Location: 100% remote- EST TIME ZONE ONLY- prefer local to Pittsburgh, PA

Job Type: Contract to Hire/Full time

Work Authorization: U.S. Citizen or Green Card

A.C. Coy is currently seeking candidates for a Azure VM/Systems Admin role. The System Administrator is responsible for the stability, security, and operational maturity of on‑prem and cloud infrastructure across a multi‑site environment. This role focuses on Windows Server, identity and access management, endpoint management, monitoring, and security operations, with increasing emphasis on standardization, auditability, and automation as IT functions are insourced. The ideal candidate is detail‑oriented, documentation‑driven, and comfortable operating in a regulated, acquisition‑heavy enterprise environment. This role is hands‑on, operationally critical, and suited for administrators who value disciplined execution, clear ownership, and enterprise‑grade reliability.

• Administer Windows Server (AD, Group Policy), Hyper-V/VMware, and RDS/VDI platforms
• Manage Azure VMs, resource groups, and automation tasks (e.g., Update Management, backup policies)
• Monitor and investigate events via Microsoft Sentinel and Log Analytics
• Support identity management: Azure AD, conditional access, and SSO
• Manage Intune and SCCM for endpoint provisioning, patching, and compliance
• Perform system patching, backups, and DR planning
• Support M365 environment (Exchange Online, Defender, SharePoint)
• Collaborate with security, networking, and application teams
• Document configurations and procedures; mentor junior team members

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Required Experience:

• 5+ years of experience as a System Administrator or similar role in a Windows‑centric enterprise environment

Azure Virtual Machines –

• Must have experience creating and managing 10 or more production Azure VMs
• Experience must be recent hands‑on production environment, not academic or non-prod development environments

Azure Environment Management (Beyond VM Creation)
Candidate must have actively managed an Azure environment- end to end, including:

• Resource Groups
• VNets and subnets
• Public vs. private IP configuration
• NSGs / firewall rules
• VM backups and tagging

PowerShell (Required)

• Hands‑on experience with PowerShell

Monitoring & Operational Ownership

• Experience using Azure Monitor
• Use of Log Analytics
• Understanding of Azure Service Health
• Ability to explain how they monitor the environment and respond to issues

RDS / VDI / Virtual Desktop

• Hands‑on experience with RDS, VDI, and/or Azure Virtual Desktop
• Must be able to clearly explain when, why, and how you have implemented or supported these solutions

Preferred Experience:

• Exposure to Microsoft Sentinel