Azure Pipeline: Unexpected value 'steps' - azure-devops

Question

Can anybody point me in the right direction here?
When I attempt to kick off the pipeline from the main yaml template the reference template gives me the unexpected 'steps' value.
I attempted to add a stage before the defined job and then receive the unexpected 'stage' message. Looking at some similar previously asked questions I understand a step can't be place directly under a 'stage' but this is not the case here.
parameters:
- name: baseEnvironmentName
type: string
- name: environmentSuffix
type: string
- name: postDeploySteps
type: stepList
default: []
- name: publishedPackageName
type: string
- name: serviceName
type: string
- name: dnsHostName
type: string
jobs:
- deployment: ${{ parameters.environmentSuffix }}Deployment
displayName: '${{ parameters.environmentSuffix }} Deployment'
pool:
vmImage: 'windows-2019'
environment: ${{ parameters.baseEnvironmentName }}-${{ parameters.environmentSuffix }}
variables:
- template: variables/variables.common.yaml
- template: variables/variables.${{ parameters.environmentSuffix }}.yaml
- name: MonitorExceptionAlert_Name
value: '${{ variables.IdPrefix }}-${{ parameters.environmentSuffix }}-${{ parameters.dnsHostName }}-ExceptionAlert'
steps:
- checkout: self
- checkout: common_iac
- task: Random Task Name
displayName: 'Create Environment Resource Group'
inputs:
ConnectedServiceName: '$(ADOS.ServiceConnectionName)'
resourceGroupName: '$(ResourceGroup.Name)'
location: '$(ResourceGroup.Location)'
condition: and(succeeded(), ne(variables['CreateResourceGroupInTaskGroup'], 'false'))
- task: Random Task Name 2
displayName: 'Create Application Insights'
inputs:
ConnectedServiceName: '$(ADOS.ServiceConnectionName)'
ResourceGroupName: '$(ResourceGroup.Name)'
Location: '$(ResourceGroup.Location)'
instanceName: '$(ApplicationInsights.Name)'

Answer 1

You are using deployment jobs. Try defining a strategy. Try replacing steps: inline with deployment with:
- deployment: ....
strategy:
runOnce:
deploy:
steps:

Answer 2

From the example at the Azure docs templates page, jobs: should contain a - job: which contains steps:. I don't know that jobs: can directly contain steps:.