Cloud Solutions Architect

Azure Solutions Architect ExpertA current Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification is strongly preferred. Please submit candidate certification credentials when applicable. This role is primarily focused on developing cloud architectures, frameworks, standards, governance, and policies for the organization. The ideal candidate will be proficient in engaging with business users and other technology teams to understand and assess requirements to subsequently develop multi/hybrid cloud architectures that can be implemented by the engineering teams. The resource will have to augment cloud engineering skills or guide engineers as needed. This role requires a degree of on-premises infrastructure knowledge because many on-premises systems interact with cloud resources or are being migrated to the cloud. The organization is also seeking to advance their Infrastructure-as-Code practices in the near future. THIS POSITION WILL REQUIRE THE CONSULTANT TO WORK 3 DAYS ONSITE & 2 DAYS REMOTE.Key Skills:Azure 6-10 YearsGCP 1-2 Years (Ideally)AWS & OCI are nice to haveHybrid On-Prem/Knowledge 4-6 YearsCloud Networking 4-6 YearsCloud DevOps 4-6 YearsCloud Security 2-3 YearsCloud FinOps 1-2 YearsMicrosoft Visio 2-3 YearsDeep Understanding of Cloud Platforms, Services, Frameworks, GovernanceProficiency with Azure Cloud Platform is a must. The resource will focus on designing architectures, standards, and governance for the Azure platform.Expertise in efficiently managing multi-subscription Azure Tenant.Azure Cloud Shell - PowerShell, or CLI.Resource may augment existing teams' skillsets for other cloud platforms as needed.Experience with hybrid and multi-cloud interoperability and on-prem to cloud integrations.Cloud Architecture & Design • Develop cloud architectures that are scalable, resilient, cost efficient, and secure, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and established cybersecurity policies. • Evaluate applications to determine their readiness and suitability for cloud adoption, and create detailed migration strategies and roadmaps. • Produce clear and comprehensive architectural documentation—including Microsoft Visio diagrams—as well as cloud governance models, technical standards, and implementation playbooks. Strong understanding of: • Azure compute services (VMs, Scale-Sets, Batch) • Azure storage (storage accounts, blobs, files, tables, queues, data lake) • Azure data analytics platforms (Fabric, Data Factory, Synapse, Databricks, Event Hubs etc.). • Azure database services (Azure SQL DB, Managed Instance, Hyperscale, Cosmos DB etc.) • Serverless services (Azure Functions, Web App, App Services, ASE, Logic Apps, etc.) • Containerization (Kubernetes, Docker, AKS, OpenShift, etc.). • Develop robust disaster recovery and backup strategies that fully meet regulatory obligations and satisfy defined recovery time and recovery point objectives (RTO/RPO). Infrastructure as Code (IaC) & Automation • Hands-on experience with Terraform, Azure ARM, or Pulumi for infrastructure provisioning. • Develop CI/CD pipelines for automated deployment using GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, Jenkins, or AWS CodePipeline. • Automate configuration management using Ansible, Chef, or Puppet. Security & Compliance • Implement cloud security best practices (IAM, RBAC, WAF, NSG, ASG, Service Principals, Managed Identities, Azure Advisor, Defender for Cloud, Key Vault, encryption, monitoring). • Knowledge of zero-trust architectures and cloud security frameworks (CIS, NIST, ISO 27001). • Experience with SIEM tools (Splunk, Chronicle Security) for security monitoring. Performance Optimization & Cost Management • Optimize cloud environments for cost efficiency using Azure Advisor, Cost and Billing Management, and general FinOps practices. • Monitor performance and availability using Azure Monitor, Azure Resource Health, SolarWinds. • Implement auto-scaling, caching, and load balancing strategies for cloud workloads. Networking & Cloud Connectivity • Strong understanding of vNet design, Hub & Spoke, Peering, Application Gateway, Load Balancers, Traffic Manager, VPNs, ExpressRoute, and hybrid networking. • Configure and optimize CDNs (Frontdoor, Cloudflare, Akamai) for low-latency applications. Troubleshooting & Support • Debug and troubleshoot cloud infrastructure, networking, and service-related issues. • Use cloud-native monitoring, logging, and tracing tools (Azure Monitor, Network Watcher) for root cause analysis. Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement • Work closely with cross-functional teams (Network, Server, DevOps, Cybersecurity, Finance, and Procurement). • Translate complex technical concepts into business-friendly language. • Participate in technical discussions, cloud strategy planning, and decision-making processes.All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.