Senior Cloud Architect - VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF)

Job Title: Senior Cloud Architect - VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF)



The Ideal Candidate Profile: The ideal candidate is a visionary technical leader who can confidently traverse the entire VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) full-stack Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) platform. This architect must seamlessly bridge the gap between traditional enterprise software and AI-enhanced modern applications, driving business value such as lower infrastructure costs, increased IT efficiency, and faster deployment times They must possess deep expertise in designing and deploying VCF Fleets, VCF Instances, Management Domains, and Workload Domains. Furthermore, they should be highly proficient and experienced in integrating core compute, storage, networking, security, and cloud automation in a manner valuable to customers.



Role: Senior Cloud Architect - VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF 5.2, 9.0, 9.1, 9.x) Location: Remote



Job Type: Full-Time, multi-year engagement



About the Role:


We are seeking a Senior Cloud Architect to lead the design, implementation, and optimization of our modern private cloud platform using VMware Cloud Foundation 9.x. You will be responsible for architecting a flexible, high-performing IT infrastructure that supports both traditional virtual machines (VMs) and modern containerized Kubernetes and AI/ML workloads. Your expertise will directly drive our business outcomes, targeting massive ROI, reduced unplanned downtime, and heightened developer productivity.



Experience Required:


Minimum 5 years of VCF 5.2+ hands-on experience at enterprise scale.



Required Certifications:


VCP-VCF-Architect


VCP VCF-Administrator (version 9)



Additional Preferred Certifications:


VCP-VCF Architect and Administrator (5.x)


TOGAF


Past VCAP / VCIX


Networking certification (CCNA, AVI, F5 (Load Balancing))



Key Responsibilities:

End-to-End VCF Architecture: Design and implement VCF Fleets and Instances across single-site, multi-site, and geographically dispersed Edge environments.



Infrastructure Design: Architect robust Workload Domains and vSphere Cluster models, selecting appropriate hardware, scaling solutions, and fault domains for enterprise workloads.



Advanced Networking & Security: Design Layer 2 to Layer 7 network stacks using NSX, implementing Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs), distributed load balancing, dynamic routing, and comprehensive security policies



Storage Architecture: Define storage models utilizing vSAN Express Storage Architecture (ESA), vSAN Original Storage Architecture (OSA), Fibre Channel, and NFS to meet stringent performance and availability requirements



Cloud Automation & Self-Service: Deploy and configure VCF Automation (formerly Aria Automation) to provide application teams with a self-service catalog for provisioning VMs, Kubernetes clusters, and databases within a secure, multi-tenant environment ? Automation: Ability to understand and code key languages such as Javascript, Powershell, Python, etc. pertinent to the VCF platform.



Fleet Management & Operations: Implement VCF Operations (formerly Aria Operations) for centralized logging, network visibility, FinOps (cost and capacity management), and proactive health monitoring across the entire cloud fleet



Modern Workload Enablement: Enable vSphere Supervisor to embed a Kubernetes control plane directly into ESXi hosts, delivering seamless vSphere Kubernetes Service (VKS) clusters for DevOps teams.



Resilience & Compliance: Architect Disaster Recovery (DR) and High Availability (HA) solutions using Stretched Clusters, VMware Live Recovery, and VCF Identity Broker for unified Single Sign-On (SSO) and compliance tracking.



Core Competencies & Requirements:

The VCF Core Stack: Expert-level mastery of VMware vSphere (ESXi and vCenter), vSAN, NSX, and SDDC Manager.



VCF Operations & Automation: Proven track record deploying VCF Operations and VCF Automation for fleet lifecycle management, password/certificate management, and orchestration



Blueprint Translation: Ability to translate complex business requirements into standard VCF Design Blueprints (e.g., Multi-Region with DR, Single Site with High Availability, or Locally Managed Edge configurations).



Networking Expertise: Deep understanding of network fabric models, BGP EVPN, Tier-0/Tier-1 gateways, and NSX Edge Cluster designs.



Workload Mobility: Experience utilizing VCF Operations HCX for secure, automated workload migration and interconnection across private clouds.