Principal Azure Cloud & Integration Architect

Principal Azure Cloud & Integration Architect

Long Term contract, | Remote (Eastern hours) with ~3 onsite days per month in Columbia, SC

We are hiring a Principal Cloud & Integration Architect to lead the architecture, design and buildout of a cloud-native integration platform on Microsoft Azure for a large public-sector enterprise. The platform provides modern synchronous and asynchronous integration across statewide agencies, a SAP ERP backbone, and enterprise business applications, using REST APIs, event-driven architecture, enterprise messaging patterns, data lakehouse technologies and enhanced observability.

Work authorization: candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship, now or in the future

This is an architecture leadership role. You will set the patterns, standards and governance, guide development teams, project teams and implementation partners, and mentor internal staff. It is not a hands-on developer seat.

WHAT YOU WILL OWN

• Architecture, design and implementation of enterprise Azure cloud solutions supporting a multi-year modernization program
• Scalable cloud-native integration patterns using APIs, event-driven architecture, data integration and Azure platform services
• A statewide Azure data lake and the supporting data engineering capabilities
• Technical leadership for DevOps, GitOps, CI/CD, security, observability and operational readiness
• Cloud architecture standards, technical design patterns, governance practices and solution documentation
• Mentoring developers, engineers and architects, with knowledge transfer that builds long-term internal capability
• Close collaboration with enterprise architects, application teams, infrastructure, cybersecurity, vendors and business stakeholders

REQUIRED

• 10+ years designing, developing and implementing enterprise technology solutions
• 7+ years designing and implementing cloud solutions and cloud-native architectures using Microsoft Azure, AWS, GCP or comparable enterprise cloud platforms
• Demonstrated experience designing enterprise integration solutions using REST APIs, event-driven architecture, asynchronous messaging and distributed systems
• Experience designing and implementing enterprise data platforms using cloud data lake, analytics or data engineering technologies
• Infrastructure-as-Code, CI/CD pipelines, DevOps practices and development automation using Terraform, Bicep, ARM templates or equivalent
• Strong understanding of cloud security, identity and access management, scalability, performance optimization, monitoring and operational support
• Track record establishing cloud architecture standards, technical design patterns, governance practices and solution documentation
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Data Science or a related technical field. An equivalent combination of relevant education, professional certifications and progressively responsible experience may be considered in lieu of the degree.

PREFERRED

• Integrating SAP, SAP S/4HANA, ERP platforms, HR systems or enterprise financial applications
• Supporting large-scale government, public-sector or highly regulated technology environments
• Azure API Management, Azure Functions, Logic Apps, Event Grid, Ivalua or other ERP systems
• Establishing enterprise architecture standards, cloud governance practices and technical design patterns
• One of the following certifications: Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Azure Developer Associate, Azure Data Engineer Associate, or TOGAF / comparable enterprise architecture certification

LOGISTICS

• 12-month contract with strong likelihood of extension
• Fully remote, working Eastern time zone hours
• Approximately 3 business days per month onsite in Columbia, SC for client meetings.
• Access is provided via VPN; no equipment is issued
• Work authorization: candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship, now or in the future