Senior Cloud Architect

Role Description

The Senior Cloud Architect establishes and maintains NASCO’s AWS cloud environment to ensure security, scalability, operational resilience, and streamlined design across our SaaS product architectures. This role leads cloud architectural direction, engages in governance, ensures alignment with AWS best practices, and collaborates with engineering, product, security, and cloud operations teams. The Senior Cloud Architect translates complex requirements into actionable designs while promoting innovation, cost efficiency, and technical excellence across the enterprise.

Responsibilities

• Guides the design, development, and deployment of cloud‑native, elastic, resilient SaaS products aligned to AWS best practices.
• Architects secure, scalable, performant, serverless SaaS solutions ensuring high availability.
• Defines and maintains cloud architecture standards, reference architectures, and reusable design patterns using primarily AWS resources.
• Creates and maintains architectural blueprints for infrastructure, applications, and data flows.
• Establishes and enforces cloud governance frameworks, usage guardrails, and design principles.
• Ensures compliance with SOC 2, HIPAA, and other regulatory and security frameworks.
• Guides adoption of Infrastructure‑as‑Code and automation to streamline provisioning, configuration, and operations.
• Guides adoption of optimized CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices to improve deployment automation and delivery efficiency.
• Enforces cloud security best practices including IAM, network segmentation, encryption, and secure SaaS product design.
• Develops and guides cloud observability strategies and optimizes AWS environments for performance, reliability, and cost efficiency.
• Mentors architects and engineers, and leads governance reviews to ensure scalable, secure, strategically aligned financially responsible design.
• Partners with product management, engineering, cloud operations, architecture, and security teams to communicate decisions and align cloud implementation with enterprise goals.

Qualifications

• Proven experience designing, deploying, and managing large‑scale SaaS solutions on AWS.
• Deep expertise in AWS cloud architecture across compute, storage, networking, integration, and serverless design.
• Proficiency in cloud‑native design patterns, microservices, and event‑driven architectures.
• Advanced knowledge of cloud security (IAM, encryption, secure design) and compliance frameworks.
• Strong experience with IaC tools such as CloudFormation or Terraform and modern DevOps practices.
• Skilled in observability tools such as CloudWatch, Prometheus, and Grafana.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving abilities with experience resolving complex issues in a cloud environment.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder‑engagement skills.
• Demonstrated leadership ability and experience mentoring technical teams.
• Ability to operate across multiple projects and operate effectively in a fast‑paced commercial SaaS environment.

Requirements

• 10 years in cloud architecture, cloud engineering, or solution architecture.
• 5 years hands‑on experience with AWS and cloud‑native commercial SaaS products.
• 5 years of experience in designing complex distributed systems and enterprise cloud solutions.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of cloud governance frameworks such as CIS Benchmarks or NIST.
• Experience integrating AI/ML capabilities on AWS, including Bedrock.
• Ability to conduct and forecast cost–benefit and ROI analysis for proposed cloud solutions.
• Knowledge of AWS Well Architected Framework and ability to apply those principles to SaaS design reviews.
• Experience in forecasting design cloud compute costs, FinOps processes and design-based financial impacts.

Required Training, Certification and Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• AWS Solutions Architect – Professional Certification or similar.

Preferred Training, Certification and Education

• AWS Certified DevOps Engineer.
• Additional AWS specialty or advanced certifications.
• Master’s degree in a technology‑related field.

Working Conditions

• Home office/Remote.
• Ability to sit and use equipment at workstation for up to 8 hours daily.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule when work requires.

Benefits

• At NASCO, we trust our workforce to be fully remote, working from their home.
• Physical and Mental Health Benefits:
• Choice of Blue Cross Blue Shield Medical, Dental, and Vision Plans.
• Telehealthcare – for Medical and Behavioral visits.
• Generous PTO with buy/sell options.
• 9 Company holidays, a floating day off, and a day off for volunteering.
• Employee Assistance Program.
• Wellness program - earn insurance discounts or credit towards health-related items.
• Financial Health Benefits:
• 401K Plan with employer matching contributions.
• Company-funded spending/reimbursement accounts to help with out-of-pocket medical expenses.
• Bonus and Recognition programs.
• Tuition Assistance.
• Consultation with financial planner.
• Basic Life & AD&D Insurance, Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance provided, and Supplemental Term Life Insurance is available.
• Group Discount programs - mobile, technology services, etc., to help you save money.
• Other Benefits:
• E-Learning – Comprehensive and current library of e-learning and performance support assets, available on demand and at no cost.