Sr Azure Cloud Architect

Solution Architecture & Infrastructure Design:

• Oversee and define comprehensive solution architecture across enterprise applications.
• Define end-to-end infrastructure architecture for on-premises, hybrid, and cloud environments.
• Translate business requirements into scalable, secure, and robust technical designs.
• Design scalable, resilient, and secure infrastructure solutions aligned with organizational objectives.

Modernization & Migration Initiatives:

• Drive modernization initiatives, including transitions from monolithic to microservices architectures and migrations from on-premises to cloud environments.
• Lead migration programs including data center migration, cloud adoption, and workload modernization initiatives.
• Assess existing infrastructure landscapes and develop comprehensive migration strategies (e.g., rehost, replatform, refactor).
• Drive cloud transformation projects (across Azure/AWS/GCP), with focus on cost optimization and enhanced performance.

Governance & Standards:

• Lead architecture governance processes, conduct design reviews, and facilitate informed technical decision-making.
• Establish infrastructure standards, industry best practices for coding standards, CI/CD pipelines, DevOps methodologies, and cloud adoption strategies.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement:

• Collaborate with stakeholders including application, security, business, product, delivery, and infrastructure teams to ensure seamless execution of projects.
• Provide support for pre-sales engagements, solution proposals, and advisory efforts.

Risk Management & Compliance:

• Ensure compliance with established security protocols, performance benchmarks, and regulatory requirements.
• Identify risks, dependencies, and formulate effective mitigation strategies throughout the migration lifecycle.
• Conduct capacity planning, disaster recovery, and business continuity design.

Technical Leadership & Recommendations:

• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to development and engineering teams.
• Evaluate and recommend appropriate tools, frameworks, and platforms in alignment with enterprise strategy.

• Architect-level expertise in Microsoft Azure
• Extensive experience with data migration and cloud adoption projects
• Demonstrated capability in designing and delivering enterprise-grade applications and cloud-native architectures
• Proven leadership in developing scalable, secure, and high-performance solutions
• Superior communication skills

This position will commence as a consulting engagement, with the primary objective of delivering a comprehensive cloud readiness assessment. Responsibilities include evaluating existing on-premises infrastructure, designing effective migration strategies, and providing a detailed report featuring actionable recommendations. Candidates should possess 15-22 years of relevant industry experience., * Demonstrated expertise in the .NET ecosystem, including .NET Core/.NET 6+ and ASP.NET MVC/Web API.

• In-depth understanding of microservices architecture and distributed systems.
• Experience with API-first design, RESTful services, and event-driven architectures.
• Strong background in databases, including SQL Server, Cosmos DB, and NoSQL.

Cloud Platforms & Infrastructure:

• Hands-on experience with cloud platforms, primarily Azure (App Services, AKS, Functions, Service Bus, API Management) with knowledge of AWS and GCP.
• Proficient in migration tools and frameworks such as Azure Migrate, AWS Migration Hub, CloudEndure, and Carbonite.
• Deep expertise in infrastructure architecture covering compute, storage, networking, and virtualization (VMware, Hyper-V).
• Thorough understanding of networking concepts (VPC/VNet, load balancers, DNS, VPN, ExpressRoute/Direct Connect).

Containerization & Orchestration:

• Proficiency in containerization technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes/OpenShift.

Automation & Infrastructure as Code:

• Advanced proficiency in infrastructure as code tools like Terraform, ARM templates, and Bicep.
• Experience with automation and configuration management tools, including Ansible, PowerShell, and Python.

Monitoring & Observability:

• Experience with observability and monitoring tools, including Application Insights, Splunk, Prometheus, and ELK.

DevOps & CI/CD Practices:

• Proven skills in DevOps practices, including Azure DevOps and GitHub Actions for CI/CD pipelines.

Security & Compliance:

• Understanding and implementation of security standards and concepts, such as OAuth2, OpenID Connect, IAM, encryption, Zero Trust architecture, and compliance frameworks.

Migration & Transformation Expertise

• Leadership experience managing large-scale migrations (100+ servers/workloads).
• Expertise in diverse migration strategies: rehost (lift & shift), replatform, refactor, retire, retain.
• Proficient in application dependency mapping and discovery tools.
• Ability to design phased migration plans and wave execution strategies.
• Experience with data and database migration, as well as storage transitions.
• Competence in downtime minimization techniques and cutover planning.
• Experience implementing hybrid cloud and multi-cloud architectures.

Leadership & Stakeholder Management

• Proven ability to serve as architect or lead in major transformation initiatives.
• Strong stakeholder engagement, including collaboration with business units, CIO organizations, and external partners.
• Capable of facilitating technical workshops, architecture review sessions, and migration planning meetings.
• Adept at managing cross-functional teams and leveraging global delivery models.
• Excellent documentation and presentation skills suitable for executive audiences.

Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related disciplines.

Professional Certifications (Preferred):

• Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification.
• AWS Solutions Architect certification.
• TOGAF or equivalent architecture certification.
• VMware and Kubernetes certifications.

Nice to Have

Industry Experience:

• Experience in regulated sectors such as BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance) or Healthcare.

Integration & Specialized Practices:

• Familiarity with EDI/B2B platforms (e.g., Seeburger, Mulesoft) or integration-centric environments.
• Exposure to Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) principles and practices.

Cloud & Advanced Technologies:

• Knowledge of FinOps and cloud cost optimization or governance strategies.
• Experience with AI/ML integration within enterprise solutions.

USD $100.00 - USD $110.00 /Hr.