OCTO Cloud Architect

Job Description

Job Description

Short Description:
OCTO seeks a hands-on Azure Cloud Architect to lead its cloud build-out (Azure primary, AWS Comm & GovCloud). Design secure environments for OCTO and partner agencies, delivers Terraform-based infrastructure, leads cloud migrations, and supports AVD. 

Complete Description:

OCTO is seeking a hands-on Azure Cloud Architect to lead the continued build-out of its multi-cloud environment, centered on Microsoft Azure with supporting AWS workloads. This position serves as the technical lead for OCTO's cloud team and the subject matter expert for cloud architecture across DC government. The architect designs secure, well-governed environments for OCTO and partner agencies, delivers infrastructure through code, plans and executes workload migrations, and provides architectural oversight for Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) deployments. The role works closely with agency IT leaders, OCTO security, and the on-premises virtualization team, and provides technical direction to an Azure Cloud Engineer. 

Responsibilities:
1. Demonstrates expertise in conveying technical and functional concepts for cloud architecture, translating agency business requirements into clear solution designs, and presenting options, costs, and tradeoffs to technical and non-technical audiences. 
2. Identifies improvements to project standards to achieve high quality services and products, including Infrastructure as Code practices, change management, and documentation standards for all cloud work. 
3. Identifies best practices and standards for the use of Microsoft Azure, including the Azure Cloud Adoption Framework and Well-Architected Framework, landing zone design, naming and tagging, Azure Policy, and role-based access control (RBAC). 
4. Delivers support and design for cloud technologies that require integration with on-premises systems and networks, including hybrid connectivity to OCTO data centers, hub-and-spoke networking, private endpoints, firewall integration, and identity integration with Microsoft Entra ID. 
5. Interacts with executive level business users and technical experts, including agency CIOs, OCTO leadership, OCTO security, and vendor partners, to scope requirements, communicate status, and support decision-making. 
6. Functions as the cloud architecture SME for OCTO, providing authoritative guidance on Azure services, security baselines, cost management, and AWS operations. 
7. Leads large, complex cloud implementations, including assessment, design, and migration of on-premises virtualized workloads to Azure, from discovery and dependency mapping through target design, sizing, cost modeling, and migration waves. 
8. Designs, matures, and owns the Azure landing zone, including management groups, subscriptions, policy, RBAC, and security baselines using Microsoft Defender for Cloud. 
9. Ensures production changes are delivered through code and pull requests rather than manual portal changes. 
10. Provides architectural oversight of Azure Virtual Desktop environments, including the boundary between Terraform-managed infrastructure and the Nerdio management platform. 
11. Defines monitoring, backup, and disaster recovery standards for Azure workloads, and tracks and optimizes cloud spend to support agency chargeback reporting. 
12. Supports existing AWS workloads at an operational level. 
13. Provides technical direction, code review, and mentoring to the Azure Cloud Engineer, and ensures every critical system has a primary and backup owner. 
14. Maintains current architecture diagrams, design decisions, and runbooks. Documentation is a reviewed deliverable. 
15. Tracks work in Azure DevOps boards and incidents and changes in ServiceNow. 

Minimum Qualifications:
1. 8+ years in infrastructure engineering, with at least 5 years designing and building in Microsoft Azure. 
2. Demonstrated design and delivery of an enterprise Azure landing zone, including management groups, Azure Policy, RBAC, and hub-and-spoke networking. 
3. Hands-on Terraform experience in production, including reusable modules and remote state management. 
4. Experience building infrastructure CI/CD pipelines in Azure DevOps (or GitHub Actions with transferable skills). 
5. Strong knowledge of Microsoft Entra ID, conditional access, and identity governance. 
6. Experience planning or leading migrations of on-premises virtualized workloads (VMware or similar) to Azure. 
7. Working knowledge of AWS, sufficient to operate and troubleshoot existing workloads (EC2, VPC, IAM, S3). 
8. Experience leading or mentoring engineers, including code review. 
9. Strong written communication, with a track record of clear architecture documentation and runbooks. 

Preferred Qualifications:
1. Experience in state, local, or federal government IT environments. 
2. Hands-on experience with Azure Virtual Desktop and/or Nerdio Manager for Enterprise. 
3. Experience with Azure. 
4. Familiarity with compliance frameworks such as NIST 800-53, CJIS, or FedRAMP. 
5. Experience with Azure cost management, reservations, and chargeback models. 
6. Familiarity with ServiceNow for incident and change management. 

Minimum Education/Certification Requirements:
Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305), or ability to obtain within 6 months of start. 
Preferred: AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate or higher; HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate. 

Candidate Skills Matrix:

Following sections are to be filled by the candidate:

Skills | Required/Desired | No. of Years | How many years of experience candidate has?
8+ yrs. conveying technical and functional concepts for a specific technical specialty | Required   | 8  | 
8+ yrs. preparing complex technical documentation | Required  | 8  | 
8+ yrs in infrastructure engineering, with at least 5 years designing and building in Microsoft Azure. | Required  | 8  | 
5+ yrs of hands-on Terraform experience in production, including reusable modules and remote state management. | Required   | 5  | 
Experience building infrastructure CI/CD pipelines in Azure DevOps (or GitHub Actions with transferable skills). | Required   | 3  | 
Experience planning or leading migrations of on-premises virtualized workloads (VMware or similar) to Azure. | Required   | 3  | 
Experience leading or mentoring engineers, including code review. | Required   | 3  | 
Bachelor’s degree in IT or related field or equivalent experience | Required   |   | 
Experience supporting AWS workloads at an operational level | Nice to have   |   | 
Hands-on experience with Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) and/or Nerdio Manager for Enterprise. | Nice to have   |   | 
Microsoft Certified Azure certification(s)| Nice to have  |   | 
Candidate must meet the requirements for a Senior Level position. | Required   |   |  

Background check:

• Extensive criminal history background check will be required. We cannot submit candidates with recent histories (go back seven years) of extensive driving, drug, robbery or any other illegal activity. Any criminal activity on the background check will eliminate the candidate from consideration. If selected, please make certain that you inform all candidates that they will have to complete this criminal background check prior to starting. NATIONAL background checks are required; Federal background checks are NOT compliant under this contract. A national background check is a national criminal background check that pulls criminal records from State and County Courts in almost every US State.