Cloud Architect

Role overview

We are seeking a seasoned cloud architect with over 15 years of IT experience and deep expertise in Azure cloud, cloud-native solutions, infrastructure automation, and enterprise architecture. The ideal candidate will lead cloud strategy, architecture, governance, and transformation programs. This role requires not only technical mastery but also the ability to influence stakeholders, drive innovation, and ensure secure, scalable, and cost-optimized cloud solutions across the organization.

Key responsibilities

• Define and lead the overall cloud strategy, architecture, and governance for enterprise workloads across Azure.
• Design, review, and approve scalable and secure landing zones and multi-subscription architectures.
• Act as the technical authority across projects for Azure cloud services, integrating IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, and hybrid models.
• Define enterprise patterns for identity & access management, MFA, encryption, and network security in collaboration with InfoSec.
• Architect, guide, and review container platform deployments using OpenShift/Kubernetes and ensure platform resilience.
• Lead infrastructure as code (IaC) adoption using Terraform, ARM, Bicep, and embed automation in infrastructure provisioning lifecycles.
• Set standards for DevOps and CI/CD pipelines, incorporating DevSecOps best practices into development and deployment workflows.
• Oversee architecture of ML Ops pipelines, data governance, and secure integration in hybrid/multi-cloud environments.
• Ensure alignment of architecture with agile delivery models, collaborating across development, security, operations, and PMO teams.
• Evaluate and introduce cloud cost optimization, cloud security posture management, and cloud-native monitoring frameworks.
• Mentor engineers, cloud specialists, and dev teams, providing architectural guidance and governance reviews.
• Lead cloud readiness assessments, migration planning, and hybrid integration strategies.
• Maintain a strong understanding of industry trends, compliance frameworks, and emerging technologies.

Required skills & proficiency levels

• Azure cloud (architecture, services, governance): strategic, architectural, and hands-on leadership of Azure cloud adoption.
• OpenShift/Kubernetes: architecture, high availability, and scaling of containerized platforms.
• Cloud security (IAM, MFA, encryption, zero trust): policy enforcement, security automation, compliance integration.
• Landing zone & network architecture: design and implement enterprise-ready landing zones, guardrails, and VNet setups.
• Infrastructure as code (Terraform, ARM, Bicep): standardize and automate using IaC frameworks with version control.
• DevOps/CI-CD/DevSecOps: architect CI/CD pipelines, embed security scanning, release automation.
• Agile, SAFe, and scaled agile practices: align architecture with agile planning, backlog grooming, PI planning.
• Automation scripting (Python, PowerShell, Bash): lead scripting strategy for orchestration, monitoring, and cloud management.
• Docker & containerization: architecture-level knowledge with security and orchestration principles.
• MLOps, DataOps, cloud data architecture: support data science team in deploying ML models securely and reliably.
• Cloud monitoring & observability tools: integration of tools like Azure Monitor, Prometheus, Grafana, ELK, etc.
• Documentation & architecture review: creation of HLDs, LLDs, SOPs, decision logs, and architecture blueprints.

Preferred certifications

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
• CKS/CKA (Certified Kubernetes Security/Administrator)
• TOGAF or equivalent enterprise architecture frameworks
• Any security-related certifications (e.g., AZ-500, CISSP, CCSK)

Soft skills & leadership qualities

• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication across business, technical, and executive teams.
• Proactive decision-making and risk management.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and global delivery models.
• Ability to influence architectural decisions with data-backed recommendations.