Non-negotiable technical spine (both roles)
Azure Stack Hub and Azure Stack Edge — real operational exposure, not slideware
Azure Local / Azure Stack HCI
Azure Arc
Hybrid networking + Azure networking
Identity (Entra ID, AD FS in disconnected mode)
Compute / storage / backup / DR
PowerShell — debugging someone else's migration workflows, not just writing scripts
Migration mechanics: readiness assessment, dependency checks, cutover, rollback/runback, post-migration validation
How to screen profiles
Strong signals
Actually operated an ASH stamp — mentions PEP/ERCS, scale units, update packages, marketplace syndication, capacity/N‑1 planning, Test-AzureStack, Get-AzureStackLog
ASE Pro/Pro GPU field deployments, not just "familiar with"
Named Azure Local / HCI cluster deployments with Arc onboarding
Migration/cutover war stories with rollback executed
Worked alongside Microsoft engineering/support (escalation, pilot/TAP programs)
Enterprise customer-facing delivery across time zones
Red flags / disqualifiers
Only public Azure cloud migration (Azure Migrate, lift-and-shift VMware→Azure) with no Stack Hub/Edge exposure — this is the most common false positive
Pure VMware or on-prem Hyper-V admin with Azure certs but no hybrid/edge platform work
"Azure Stack" listed once in a skills blob with nothing in the experience bullets
Script authors only, with no evidence of debugging/validating others' automation
Backend-only engineers with no customer-facing track record — 30% of this job is workshops and exec conversations
Differentiators between the two
Lead: look for design authority, sequencing/dependency planning across a portfolio of customers, RCA ownership, exec presence, and reusable-artifact creation.
Engineer: look for execution volume — how many migrations, how many environments, depth in log analysis and troubleshooting.
JD:
10+ Years Experience
Technical Focus (70%)
Migration Architecture & Technical Leadership
Serve as the technical authority for migrations from Azure Stack Hub (ASH) and Azure Stack Edge (ASE) to Azure and Azure Local.
Assess customer environments and determine optimal migration patterns, sequencing, dependencies, and technical readiness.
Provide inputs to design, team migration approaches covering compute, storage, networking, identity, security, monitoring, backup, and disaster recovery considerations.
Lead technical discovery workshops to identify migration risks, unsupported configurations, hardware constraints, and integration dependencies.
Review and seek approval for migration runbooks, engineering procedures, rollback strategies, and operational readiness plans.
Validate migration methodologies developed by Microsoft engineering teams and ensure field applicability.
Azure Infrastructure Engineering
Provide deep technical guidance on:
Azure Stack Hub infrastructure
Azure Stack Edge deployments
Azure Local architecture
Azure Arc integration
Hybrid cloud connectivity
Azure networking
Identity and access management
Evaluate customer environments for migration readiness and recommend remediation activities.
Guide engineers through complex troubleshooting scenarios involving hybrid infrastructure and edge environments.
Migration Automation & Tool Validation
Review and validate migration scripts, automation frameworks, and deployment tooling produced by engineering teams.
Troubleshoot PowerShell-based migration workflows and identify execution failures.
Validate migration prerequisites, dependency checks, and operational controls.
Ensure migration automation is repeatable, scalable, and production-ready.
Technical Escalation Management
Act as Tier-3/Tier-4 technical escalation point for complex migration issues.
Coordinate directly with Microsoft Product Engineering teams on defects, product limitations, and feature gaps.
Lead root cause analysis activities for failed or delayed migrations.
Develop mitigation and recovery plans for high-risk migration scenarios.
Documentation & Knowledge Engineering
Own technical migration guidance and operational documentation.
Review Microsoft Learn content for technical accuracy.
Develop migration decision trees, troubleshooting guides, and technical best practices.
Create reusable engineering artifacts to improve migration consistency across customers.
Customer & Stakeholder Focus (30%)
Lead technical discussions with strategic and high-touch customers.
Present migration architecture recommendations and technical roadmaps.
Communicate migration risks, technical blockers, and remediation options.
Conduct executive-level technical briefings.
Support customer escalations and critical migration events.
Partner with Microsoft Account Teams, CSA teams, Product Engineering, and Support organizations.