Cloud Solutions Architect

About Ropes & Gray

Ropes & Gray is a preeminent global law firm. The firm has been ranked in the top three on The American Lawyer's prestigious A-List for eight consecutive years and #1 on Law.com's UK A-List twice in the past three years-rankings that honor the "best of the best" law firms.

The firm has approximately 2,500 lawyers and professionals serving clients in major centers of business, finance, technology, and government in Boston, Chicago, Dublin, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Milan, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C.

The firm has consistently been recognized for its leading practices in many areas, including asset management, private equity, M&A, finance, real estate, tax, antitrust, life sciences, health care, intellectual property, litigation & enforcement, privacy & cybersecurity, and business restructuring.

Ropes & Gray is an equal opportunity employer.

Overview

The Cloud Solutions Architect, reporting to the Senior Manager of Network Services, is responsible for designing, implementing, and managing public and private cloud environments and SaaS platforms, with a focus on Microsoft Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, and VMware technologies. This role requires advanced expertise in cloud and on-premises systems, disaster recovery planning, and security best practices. The architect collaborates closely with IT, Network Infrastructure, Enterprise Systems, and Information Security teams to deliver scalable, resilient, and secure solutions that support the firm's strategic objectives.

Responsibilities

Essential Functions

• Architect, design, and implement robust cloud-based IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS solutions.
• Deploy highly available, scalable, and secure applications leveraging cloud services.
• Apply security best practices across cloud and on-premises environments, adhering to industry standards and frameworks.
• Identify and remediate vulnerabilities, missing patches, and misconfigurations using tools such as Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Entra ID Protection.
• Share responsibility for cloud architecture and disaster recovery (DR) plans; participate in DR planning, testing, and documentation.
• Ensure solutions are scalable, resilient, and highly available, with proper sizing and technology fit.
• Develop and review architecture and solution design documentation; provide technical leadership and guidance to team members.
• Enforce architectural standards, security best practices, and usability design principles; proactively identify and mitigate technical risks.
• Lead and participate in network enhancement, management, monitoring, and problem resolution activities.
• Maintain expert-level hands-on knowledge across multiple platforms; serve as senior escalation point for complex issues.
• Provide peer guidance and leadership in troubleshooting and project management.
• Stay current with emerging technologies and industry trends.
• Support both cloud and on-premises technologies as needed.
• Collaborate with managers, senior architects, engineers, and cross-regional teams to manage priorities.
• Work with infrastructure, application, and security engineers to resolve critical issues, primarily within the Azure ecosystem.
• Implement and manage identity and access controls, conditional access policies, zero trust principles, and least-privilege access across Azure resources.
• Monitor and alert on servers and services using Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, and Microsoft Sentinel.

Qualifications

Education, Experience and Skills Required

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 7 years' experience in corporate cloud/on-prem network environments.
• Proven expertise in designing, building, and managing cloud solutions on Microsoft Azure; experience with AWS and Google Cloud Platform preferred.
• Strong proficiency in Linux deployments, management, and cloud-native application configurations with a focus on least privilege; container and orchestration experience (Kubernetes, Docker) is a plus.
• Deep understanding of the full stack of cloud computing (compute, storage, databases, messaging, networking, security) and core network services (DNS, DHCP, Azure Active Directory, file and directory permissions).
• Experience with disaster recovery planning, including Azure Site Recovery, Azure Backup, and migration pathways (Azure Migrate, Azure VMware Solution); ability to assess DR implications of cloud, server, and storage management decisions.
• Hands-on administration of VMware vSphere, NSX, Tanzu, and hybrid identity configurations (Microsoft Entra ID, Entra Connect).
• Ability to create and review architecture and solution design documentation; provide technical leadership and guidance to team members.
• Familiarity with process-driven environments and working across multiple offices and culturally diverse teams.
• Strong customer service, project management, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for interaction with firm personnel and external parties.
• Ability to work closely with senior management to develop IT strategies, coordinate major infrastructure initiatives, and provide advanced support.
• Demonstrated leadership as a senior escalation point for complex issues; proactive, self-motivated, and able to work independently or as part of a team.
• Commitment to sharing information, goals, and opportunities with colleagues; ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and execute multiple related activities.
• Flexibility to respond quickly to shifting demands; ability to manage tight deadlines and anticipate when collaboration is needed.
• Strong understanding of secure cloud infrastructure, application runtime environments, and distributed, fault-tolerant systems.
• Keeps abreast of emerging technologies and industry trends.

Compensation and Total Rewards Package

Ropes & Gray is proud to offer a comprehensive Total Rewards package to our business support team members. The firm also offers comprehensive health and well-being benefits, personal and professional development, career growth opportunities and a collegial and supportive culture. The anticipated pay range for this role is listed below and represents our good faith and reasonable estimate of the starting salary range at the time of posting. In addition, this role is eligible for a discretionary bonus based on performance. The actual offered rate for this position will be determined based on job-related, non-discriminatory factors, including qualifications and experience, geographic location, education, external market data and consideration of internal equity.

• Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C.: $145,800 - $222,350
• New York: $151,900 - $231,650

Working Conditions

• This position requires hybrid on-site presence as an essential function of the role. Consistent and predictable on-site presence is required for ongoing business continuity, professional development and effective collaboration with colleagues and management.
• Standard office environment; hours as necessary to fulfill responsibilities.
• Some travel to other offices required.
• Occasional on-call duties.