Senior Azure Help Desk - TS​/SCI Clearance - Operations & Mainten Security Clearance

Position: Senior Azure Help Desk - TS/SCI Clearance - Operations & Mainten with Security Clearance
We are seeking a Senior Azure Help Desk - Operations & Maintenance Support Specialist to provide advanced technical support with specialized focus on Kubernetes and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) in a government environment. This role combines Tier 1 and Tier 2 Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) support responsibilities with deep technical expertise in Azure Kubernetes Services and VDI technologies. The ideal candidate will serve as a technical escalation point, mentor junior team members, and provide expert-level troubleshooting for complex cloud infrastructure and application issues while ensuring system reliability and optimal user experiences.

An active TS/SCI security clearance is required for this position. Sign-on Bonus available Why Work with us ? Applied Research Solutions (ARS) is respected as a world-class provider of technically integrated solutions as we deliver premier talent and technology across our focused markets for unparalleled, continuous mission support.

Awarded a Best Places to Work nominee since 2020, ARS recognizes that without our career- driven, loyal professionals, we would not be able to deliver state-of-the-art results for our mission partners. We firmly believe that prioritizing our employees is of the upmost importance. We provide a culture where our employees are challenged to meet their career goals and aspirations, while still obtaining a work/life balance.

ARS employees are motivated through our industry competitive benefits package, our awards and recognition program, and personalized attention from ARS Senior Managers.

Responsibilities include:

* Serve as first point of contact for end-user technical support requests related to cloud services, hosted applications, and VDI functionality, providing responsive customer service and executing deep troubleshooting

* Create, update, and maintain technical support tickets in Jira with accurate documentation, proper categorization, and tracking of resolution times to maintain SLA compliance

* Escalate complex issues to Tier 2/3 support teams, SREs, and Platform Engineers with comprehensive documentation, coordinating with Development, Dev Ops, and Architecture teams for resolution

* Manage VDI technologies including troubleshooting and repairing User Virtual Machines (UVMs), building and deploying base images for supported operating systems, and patching running UVMs

* Build, package, deploy, and manage Salt States to install applications in virtual machines, operating the Salt Master for application deployment across the VDI environment

* Monitor system performance, identify patterns indicating systemic issues, and support maintenance windows with user communication during planned outages

* Maintain and update knowledge base articles, contribute to support procedures and troubleshooting guides, and participate in continuous service improvement initiatives

* Work with cloud providers for Tier 1 and Tier 2 support issues, escalating Tier 3+ issues appropriately

* Other duties as assigned
Technical Experience & Qualifications
* Must be US Citizen

* Education:

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related technical field

* Experience:

Minimum 6 years of professional experience in technical support, operations, SRE, or infrastructure engineering roles

* Security Clearance:
Active TS/SCI clearance (Required)

* Kubernetes Expertise:
Advanced hands-on experience with Kubernetes or Azure Kubernetes Services (AKS) including troubleshooting pods, services, deployments, networking, and cluster operations

* VDI Expertise:
Deep experience with Virtual Desktop Infrastructure technologies, particularly Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD), including architecture, troubleshooting, and optimization

* Configuration Management:
Advanced proficiency with Salt, Ansible, or similar configuration management tools with experience developing complex automation

* Administration, back up and recovery of Jira, Confluence and Gitlab experience

* Containerization:
Strong experience with Docker, container troubleshooting, and containerized application support

* SRE Practices:
Understanding of Site Reliability Engineering principles including monitoring, incident response, and system reliability

* Cloud Platforms:
Advanced knowledge of Azure cloud services with focus on compute, networking, and storage

* Operating Systems:
Expert-level troubleshooting in Windows and Linux environments

* Monitoring & Observability:

Experience with Azure Monitor, Prometheus, Grafana, or similar monitoring tools for Kubernetes and infrastructure

* Scripting & Automation:
Proficiency in Power Shell, Python, or Bash for automation and troubleshooting

* Incident Management:
Advanced experience with Jira or similar systems, including leading complex incident resolution

* Technical Leadership:
Proven ability to mentor team members and provide technical guidance
All positions at Applied Research Solutions are subject to background investigations. Employment is contingent upon successful…