Cloud Solutions Architect

Cloud Solutions ArchitectWe are seeking a Cloud Solutions Architect to design, secure, and optimize cloud solutions with a primary focus on Google Cloud Platform (GCP), including legacy-to-cloud migrations, while providing technical leadership to development and operations teams.Minimum Mandatory Requirements• 7+ years of experience in IT, including 3+ years in cloud architecture, DevOps, or a similar technical leadership role• GCP, AWS, or Azure certification• Infrastructure as Code experience• Experience working in a cloud environment for a public-sector organizationKey Responsibilities• Design and develop cloud solutions that meet business and technical requirements (primary focus on GCP; AWS and Azure also relevant)• Collaborate with stakeholders, business product owners, and DevOps teams to gather requirements and translate them into architectural designs and technical roadmaps• Provide technical leadership and guidance on cloud best practices, application hosting, and distributed architecture• Create and maintain architectural documentation, including diagrams, integration processes, and specifications• Ensure solutions are secure, compliant, and optimized for performance, reliability, and scalability• Architect and maintain cloud database systems, BigQuery data pipelines, and public/private APIs to support application integration and legacy-to-cloud migrations• Evaluate and recommend new cloud technologies, tools, and services (containers, Kubernetes/GKE, BI analytics)• Conduct regular reviews of cloud environments to identify improvements and cost optimization opportunities• Support disaster recovery planning and backup strategies, and ensure high availability of critical systems• Stay current on emerging cloud technologies and industry trends to inform architectural strategyRequired Technical Skills• In-depth knowledge of cloud platforms and services (demonstrated GCP expertise or another major public cloud provider)• Scalable, distributed systems and microservices architecture• Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, OpenTofu, Ansible, CloudFormation, or Pulumi)• Networking (VPC, hybrid connectivity), security protocols, and IAM in cloud environments• Containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes/GKE)• AI-assisted developer tools and workflows for infrastructure provisioning, code maintenance, and automated testing• Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting ability, with effective communication and leadership skills• Experience working in a cloud environment for a government, higher education, or other public-sector organizationPreferred Qualifications• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field (or equivalent experience, where one year of higher education substitutes for one year of experience)• Certifications such as Google Professional Cloud Architect, Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer, AWS Certified Solutions Architect, or Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect• Experience with DevSecOps practices, CI/CD workflows (GitHub Actions), and database administration and migrations (PostgreSQL, MS SQL Server, BigQuery)• Familiarity with security frameworks such as NIST, CIS Benchmarks, or ISO/IEC 27001