Azure IoT Solutions Architect

                                            Azure IoT Solutions Architect

This is a fully remote position with potential occasional travel within the United States required.

PURPOSE

The Azure IoT Solutions Architect is a senior, hands-on technical leader responsible for designing, securing, and guiding delivery of enterprise and product-focused Internet of Things (IoT) solutions for manufacturing clients. The role leads end-to-end architecture across connected devices, edge gateways, industrial connectivity, Azure cloud services, data integration, and operational monitoring while ensuring security-by-design is embedded throughout the product lifecycle. 

This role provides the technical leadership needed to support development teams building or modernizing products with digital elements. The successful candidate will translate the compliance related product-security requirements into actionable architecture decisions, engineering controls, evidence, roadmaps, epics, and user stories in partnership with legal, compliance, product, engineering, and operations stakeholders. 

The position blends Azure IoT solution architecture, product cybersecurity, industrial and manufacturing integration, cloud security engineering, regulatory readiness, and Agile delivery leadership. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

IoT Solution Architecture & Manufacturing Integration 

• Design and lead secure end-to-end IoT architectures spanning connected products, embedded or edge systems, gateways, networks, Azure services, APIs, applications, data platforms, and operational support capabilities. 

• Define reference architectures and reusable patterns for device onboarding, telemetry ingestion, command and control, digital services, remote diagnostics, and lifecycle management. 

• Architect Azure IoT solutions using services such as Azure IoT Hub, Device Provisioning Service, IoT Edge, Event Hubs, Functions, Stream Analytics, storage, monitoring, and integration services as appropriate to the solution. 

• Guide integration with manufacturing and operational technology environments, including industrial gateways, plant networks, and protocols such as MQTT, AMQP, and OPC UA. 

• Evaluate scalability, resilience, latency, availability, data retention, regional deployment, disaster recovery, and cost requirements for global IoT solutions. 

Product Cybersecurity Architecture & Engineering 

• Embed security-by-design, security-by-default, Zero Trust, and least-privilege principles across device, edge, network, cloud, application, and operational architectures. 

• Define device identity and trust models, including X.509 certificates, public key infrastructure, secure provisioning, key rotation, hardware-backed trust, secrets management, and certificate lifecycle processes. 

• Establish architecture requirements for secure boot, signed firmware and software, encrypted communications, secure update and rollback, tamper resistance, logging, monitoring, and incident response. 

• Lead threat modeling, attack-surface analysis, architecture risk assessments, and security design reviews for connected products and supporting remote data processing services. 

• Define and review Azure-native controls using Entra ID, managed identities, Azure Key Vault, Azure Policy, Defender for Cloud, Defender for IoT, Microsoft Sentinel, network security controls, and centralized monitoring. 

Compliance Leadership 

• Serve as the technical lead for compliance readiness for products with digital elements, working with legal and compliance stakeholders to determine scope, product classification, support obligations, and the appropriate conformity assessment pathway. 

• Translate applicable compliance essential cybersecurity and vulnerability-handling requirements into technical controls, development standards, acceptance criteria, test evidence, and operational processes. 

• Establish or mature product cybersecurity risk assessments, technical documentation, secure configuration guidance, user instructions, support-period planning, and compliance evidence needed for product release and ongoing market support. 

• Define software bill of materials (SBOM), third-party component governance, vulnerability intake, coordinated vulnerability disclosure, remediation, security advisory, and secure update processes. 

• Design reporting and escalation workflows for actively exploited vulnerabilities and severe security incidents, including coordination with product security incident response, legal, compliance, operations, and executive stakeholders. 

• Support audit and conformity-assessment readiness through control mapping, evidence review, architecture traceability, gap assessments, and remediation planning. 

Cloud Platform, DevSecOps & Lifecycle Delivery 

• Architect secure Azure landing zones, subscriptions, network segmentation, private connectivity, identity, logging, and governance patterns for IoT development, test, production, and support environments. 

• Define Infrastructure as Code and policy-as-code patterns using Bicep, ARM, Terraform, or equivalent automation frameworks. 

• Design CI/CD and DevSecOps controls for cloud infrastructure, applications, edge modules, firmware interfaces, configuration, automated testing, security scanning, and release approvals. 

• Develop and maintain IoT, product-security, and CRA-readiness roadmaps; prioritize architecture, security, and compliance work based on business value, product risk, regulatory deadlines, and delivery dependencies. 

• Participate in backlog refinement, sprint planning, reviews, architecture governance, and release-readiness activities; ensure delivery teams execute against approved architectural and security standards. 

Stakeholder Engagement & Technical Leadership 

• Act as a trusted advisor to software, firmware, infrastructure, cybersecurity, manufacturing, operations, product, legal, compliance, and executive stakeholders. 

• Present complex IoT architecture, cybersecurity, and regulatory topics in clear, business-focused language and communicate risks, decisions, dependencies, and remediation strategies. 

• Mentor architects, engineers, and developers on Azure IoT, product cybersecurity, secure engineering practices, and regulatory readiness. 

• Lead architecture reviews, design workshops, technical assessments, and cross-functional problem resolution for IoT initiatives. 

• Other responsibilities as assigned by management. 

REQUIRED, SKILLS, EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE 

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience. 

• 8+ years of experience in cloud architecture, infrastructure, software architecture, cybersecurity, or related technical leadership roles. 

• 5+ years of hands-on experience designing and delivering IoT, connected-product, edge, or industrial technology solutions, preferably in manufacturing environments. 

• Demonstrated experience designing Azure IoT solutions using Azure IoT Hub, Device Provisioning Service, IoT Edge, event and messaging services, data integration, and Azure monitoring and security capabilities. 

• Strong knowledge of IoT and industrial communication patterns and protocols, including MQTT, AMQP, OPC UA, device gateways, intermittent connectivity, and store-and-forward designs. 

• Strong knowledge of device identity, X.509 certificates, PKI, secure provisioning, cryptography, key management, secure update mechanisms, and product vulnerability management. 

• Demonstrated familiarity with the EU Cyber Resilience Act, including manufacturer obligations, essential cybersecurity requirements, vulnerability handling, support periods, technical documentation, reporting, and conformity-assessment readiness. 

• Experience applying secure development lifecycle, threat modeling, risk assessment, SBOM, coordinated vulnerability disclosure, and product security incident response practices. 

• Strong knowledge of Azure networking, Entra ID, governance, observability, Infrastructure as Code, CI/CD, and DevSecOps practices. 

• Proven experience working in Agile delivery environments and translating architecture, security, and regulatory requirements into actionable backlog items and acceptance criteria. 

• Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, and executive presentation skills. 

PREFERRED SKILLS, EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert. 

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate or comparable Azure security certification. 

• Security certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CISA, or CRISC. 

• ISA/IEC 62443 training or certification and experience applying IEC 62443 in industrial or manufacturing environments. 

• Experience with ETSI EN 303 645, NISTIR 8259, ISO 27001, TISAX, or other product, IoT, or industrial cybersecurity frameworks. 

• Experience supporting CRA, CE-marking, conformity-assessment, audit, or regulated product-release activities. 

• Experience with embedded Linux, real-time operating systems, firmware development interfaces, hardware security modules, trusted platform modules, or secure elements. 

• Experience with SBOM formats and tooling such as SPDX or CycloneDX and with software composition analysis and vulnerability management platforms. 

Starting Compensation Range: $155,000 per year

The salary for this position is commensurate with experience, skills, and qualifications. The range is intended to reflect our commitment to attracting top talent, and the final offer will be based on factors including, but not limited to, the candidate's previous experience, expertise in the field, relevant certifications, and the specific requirements of the role. In addition, internal equity, market trends, and geographic location may also influence the final salary.

At Ascend Technologies we firmly believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are not only fundamental values but also powerful drivers of innovation, growth, and success. We are committed to fostering an environment where every individual feels valued, respected, and empowered. 

CORE VALUES 

We are seeking highly motivated individuals who have the willingness and ability to demonstrate Ascend core values: 

• Committed to Client Success: Our actions and our words always align with the best interest of the client. 

• One Team: We work collaboratively to overcome challenges with humility and respect and do what it takes to find innovative solutions. 

• Integrity: We are unquestionably committed to doing the right thing even when it is hard. 

• Accountability: We hold ourselves and each other accountable for keeping our commitments to our clients, our communities, and one another. 

• Transparency: We create open lines of communication with each other and our clients, fostering relationships founded on candor and trust. 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: 

Must be able to sit, stand, and bend for the duration of shift. The position is mainly sitting, with occasional lifting up to 50 lbs., such as laptop or server equipment, and occasional travel to client or manufacturing sites as needed.