Senior Middleware Application SME to support the migration of containerized middleware workloads from on-premises Kubernetes clusters to Azure Kubernetes S

We are looking for a highly skilled Middleware Application SME to support the migration of containerized middleware workloads from on-premises Kubernetes clusters to Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).

The SME will assess, re-platform, and optimize middleware services such as ActiveMQ, RabbitMQ, Apache Tomcat, JBoss, NGINX, Apache HTTP Server, Kafka, Redis, and similar technologies, ensuring seamless integration into the AKS platform.

Location - 100% remote

Part time hours for the first 2 months (20hrs per week), and then it will switch to full time (40hrs per week) until June 30, 2026.

Start Date - ASAP

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the discovery, analysis, and assessment of existing middleware container workloads for cloud readiness and prepare an Application Container services migration strategy on AKS.
• Review and optimize Kubernetes Container application manifests, Helm charts, Dockerfiles, persistent volume claims, config maps, secrets, and custom resources.
• Evaluate and remediate Application middleware services compatibility issues for AKS, including storage class transitions and ingress configurations.
• Define Application PODs/Container migration patterns/Wave planning, secret and credential management strategies, and integration with Azure Key Vault and Azure Container Registry.
• Collaborate with Application Architects, infrastructure and cloud architects to implement HA/DR strategies for middleware services on AKS.
• Define CI/CD integration strategies using Azure DevOps for middleware workload deployment, testing, and version management.
• Enable observability by integrating Azure-native monitoring, logging, and alerting services for containerized middleware.
• Provide technical leadership during migration execution, troubleshooting, and UAT support for middleware services.
• Document architectural decisions, migration procedures, and operational guidelines for middleware components on AKS.

Must Haves

• 5-6 years of hands-on experience with middleware technologies including:
• Message brokers: ActiveMQ, RabbitMQ
• Application servers: JBoss (EAP), Apache Tomcat
• Web servers/proxies: NGINX, HAPROXY, Apache HTTP Server
• Event/data streaming & caching: Kafka, Redis
• Strong background in Kubernetes (on-prem or cloud) with deep understanding of StatefulSets, Services, Ingress, PVCs, Secrets, ConfigMaps.
• Experience containerizing and managing middleware in Docker and Helm-based deployments.
• Proficiency in CI/CD practices with tools such as Azure DevOps, Jenkins, or GitHub Actions.
• Knowledge of Azure native services including AKS, Azure Container Registry, Azure Key Vault, Azure Monitor, and Log Analytics.
• Ability to assess and resolve issues related to application connectivity, scaling, performance, and security on cloud-native platforms.
• Strong scripting skills (Bash, Python, or PowerShell) are a plus.
• Excellent analytical and communication skills with a collaborative approach to cross-functional problem solving.

Nice to Haves

• Azure certifications (e.g., AZ-104, AZ-400, AZ-305) or Kubernetes certifications (CKA, CKAD).
• Experience with multi-region AKS cluster design and failover strategies.
• Exposure to hybrid cloud integrations and service mesh technologies (e.g., Istio, Linkerd).