Director of Cloud Operations

Director of Cloud Operations

Location:  Remote based, USA (Eastern Time zone preferred)

Summary

SafetyChain Software is looking for a Director of Cloud Operations (Azure) to join our team. Reporting to the VP of Engineering, this role will lead the strategy, design, and management of our Azure cloud infrastructure, ensuring it is scalable, secure, and optimized to meet the evolving needs of our platform and clients.

Do you like to solve complex cloud architecture challenges in a fast-paced environment? Love collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver cutting-edge cloud solutions? Thrive in a flexible, autonomous work environment where you can drive innovation your way? This may just be what you are looking for – let’s get into the details!!

Who We Are:

SafetyChain is a fast-growing B2B SaaS software company. Our industry leading Plant Management Platform helps manufacturers improve yield, maximize productivity, and ensure compliance throughout their operations.

Headquartered in Novato, CA, we have a passionate, diverse team with the majority of our employees working remotely across the country to serve our customers. We operate with the fun and flexibility of a start-up combined with the stability of a mature and rapidly growing software company.

Our solutions are used every day in thousands of facilities to help our customers make their products better and safer. Customers include many well-known brands like Albertsons, Clif Bar, Driscoll’s, Schwan’s, See’s Candies, Tyson Foods, United Airlines, WholeFoods and White Castle. We believe our culture of “Help and Hustle” makes for a great place to work and we foster a dynamic, positive environment that enables our teams to put their creative energies towards solving our customers’ problems and supporting each other. Our culture is real, tangible and immensely rewarding.

What You'll Do:

As the Director of Cloud Services, you will play a critical role in shaping SafetyChain’s cloud infrastructure to support our mission of transforming how the food and beverage industry manages safety, quality, and compliance. You’ll lead the architecture, deployment, and management of our Azure-based cloud platform, ensuring that it is secure, scalable, and cost-effective to meet current and future business needs.

Your work will directly impact key company performance metrics, including platform reliability, customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and revenue growth. By optimizing cloud performance and security, you’ll enhance the user experience, reduce downtime, and support our SaaS platform's scalability, enabling us to onboard new customers faster and retain existing ones with greater confidence.

Key initiatives you will lead include:

• Migrating legacy systems to Azure-native services to improve performance and reduce costs.
• Optimizing Azure SQL Managed Instance (SQL MI) for high-availability database solutions that support real-time data processing for customers.
• Implementing Azure Containers and AKS to modernize and streamline application deployment.
• Enhancing system reliability with Azure Redis Cache and RabbitMQ to support high-throughput, low-latency applications.
• Driving security and compliance improvements that align with industry standards like SOC 2 ensuring customer data is protected.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for this role include:

• Platform uptime and reliability (SLA adherence)
• Reduction in cloud operating costs
• Time to deploy new infrastructure or services

Key Responsibilities

• Cloud Strategy & Leadership: Develop and execute a comprehensive Azure cloud strategy, aligning with business objectives and future growth needs.
• Architecture & Deployment: Lead the design and implementation of scalable Azure solutions, leveraging Azure SQL MI, Azure Containers, Redis, and RabbitMQ to support high-performance applications.
• Operational Excellence: Implement best practices for cloud operations, monitoring, and optimization, driving cost efficiency and high availability.
• Security & Compliance: Ensure cloud infrastructure meets industry security and compliance standards, leading initiatives to protect customer data and ensure audit success.
• Team Leadership: Manage and mentor a team of cloud engineers and DevOps professionals, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
• Collaboration: Work closely with product, engineering, and customer success teams to ensure cloud infrastructure supports evolving business requirements and enhances customer satisfaction.
• Cost Management: Implement cost optimization strategies for Azure resources, ensuring efficient use of infrastructure while minimizing expenses.
• Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity: Develop and maintain robust disaster recovery and backup solutions using Azure-native tools to ensure business continuity.

What You’ll Need (Requirements)Required Qualifications

• Education:
  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field.
• Experience:
  • 10 years of experience in cloud architecture and infrastructure management, with at least 5 years of hands-on experience in Microsoft Azure.
  • Proven track record of leading cloud strategy and large-scale Azure deployments, including Azure SQL Managed Instance (SQL MI), Azure Containers, Redis, and RabbitMQ.
  • Experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform
  • Strong expertise in DevOps practices and building CI/CD pipelines using Github Runners.
  • Deep understanding of cloud security frameworks and Azure-native security tools such as Azure Security Center, Azure Sentinel, and Azure Key Vault.
  • Familiarity with compliance frameworks (SOC 2, GDPR) and implementing cloud environments that meet these standards.
• Technical Skills:
  • Proficient in microservices architecture as well as serverless design.
  • Strong knowledge of networking, cloud governance, and disaster recovery strategies in Azure.
  • Experience with monitoring and observability tools like DataDog.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• Azure Certifications:
  • Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Azure DevOps Engineer, Azure Security Engineer Associate, or similar certifications.
• Industry Experience:
  • Experience in SaaS platforms or cloud infrastructure supporting industrial sectors such as food and beverage manufacturing.
• AI/ML and IoT:
  • Familiarity with integrating AI/ML services or IoT solutions within Azure environments to drive data-driven insights and automation.
• Cost Management Expertise:
  • Strong knowledge of Azure cost management tools and strategies to optimize infrastructure spend.

Soft Skills

• Leadership & Mentoring:
  • Strong leadership skills with a proven ability to manage and mentor teams.
• Problem Solving & Strategic Thinking:
  • Ability to solve complex problems and think strategically about cloud infrastructure to meet business goals.
• Communication & Collaboration:
  • Excellent communication skills with the ability to work cross-functionally and translate technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders.
• Agility & Innovation:
  • Comfortable working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with a focus on continuous improvement and innovation.

Our Values

• Quality Above All: Build the best and most effective experiences for our teams and our customers
• Innovate for Impact: Pioneer solutions that enhance manufacturing processes and outcomes, benefiting both our industry partners and the consumers they serve.
• Work Smart: Drive operational excellence that maximizes productivity and delivers superior value to customers.
• Grow Together: Create strong, inclusive partnerships with customers, working as One Team with help and hustle to drive mutual success and innovation.
• Integrity in Action: Operate with honesty, transparency, and respect, fostering trust with our customers and our peers.Quality Above All: Build the best and most effective experiences for our teams and our customers
• Innovate for Impact: Pioneer solutions that enhance manufacturing processes and outcomes, benefiting both our industry partners and the consumers they serve.
• Work Smart: Drive operational excellence that maximizes productivity and delivers superior value to customers.
• Grow Together: Create strong, inclusive partnerships with customers, working as One Team with help and hustle to drive mutual success and innovation.
• Integrity in Action: Operate with honesty, transparency, and respect, fostering trust with our customers and our peers.

Things that Make the Job Awesome

• Competitive compensation plan
• Opportunity for stock options
• Health benefits
• Self Care PTO Plan
• Flex Schedule
• Work From Home Flexibility
• Fast growing tech company with big opportunity
• Great team and culture
• Rewarding work that is solving an important problem
• Annual investment in your professional development

Equal Opportunity Employer: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, marital status, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law applicable to the state in which you work.