Technical Architect - Cloud YPR10521

As a Senior IT Cloud Technical Architect, you will play a key role in shaping and evolving our cloud environment, with a strong focus on Microsoft Azure while also supporting multi-cloud needs. You will work on the design and modernization of cloud solutions, ensuring they are secure, scalable, resilient, and aligned with architectural standards and business needs. The role covers cloud migration, platform engineering, AI, data, containers, and integration. You will collaborate closely with technical teams, architects, security, and other stakeholders to define practical solutions and guide their implementation. Additionally, you will contribute to defining reference architectures, technical standards, governance principles, and modernization approaches. Throughout the solution lifecycle, you will ensure security, operational readiness, compliance, and cost efficiency are carefully considered. Key Responsibilities

• Design and govern enterprise-grade Azure, multi-cloud, and European sovereign cloud architectures aligned with security, scalability, performance, resilience, cost, data residency, and sovereignty requirements.
• Translate business and IT strategies into reference architectures and reusable platform building blocks, including integration and workload placement across Azure and European hyperscalers.
• Define and govern Azure Landing Zones, shared service models, architectural standards, and design patterns.
• Perform architecture and design reviews, ensuring alignment with enterprise standards and the Azure Well-Architected Framework.
• Contribute to the Cloud Design Authority and document architectural decisions using standardized formats such as Architecture Decision Records (ADRs).
• Architect and lead end-to-end migration and modernization programs from on-premises data warehouses, applications, legacy batch platforms, and monolithic systems to modern cloud architectures.
• Define workload-specific migration strategies including re-host, re-platform, refactor, and re-architect approaches.
• Drive dependency analysis, migration sequencing, parallel-run, cutover, stabilization, and decommissioning strategies while identifying migration risks, technical dependencies, operational impacts, and mitigation plans.
• Architect enterprise AI platforms based on Azure AI Foundry, Azure AI Search, and Azure API Management.
• Define AI governance covering model versioning, content safety, PII and DLP controls, cost policies, model routing, lifecycle management, and AI-specific observability for groundedness, tool-call accuracy, task completion, drift detection, and red-teaming evidence.
• Define governance for AI agents, including persona-based access control at intake and policy hooks during execution.
• Define architecture for container platforms based on Azure Kubernetes Service and Azure Container Apps.
• Establish core Kubernetes services, integration patterns, security controls, and platform capabilities in accordance with company standards.
• Support migration and modernization of workloads onto container platforms and define performance, scalability, resiliency, and cost-optimization strategies.
• Architect Azure Databricks-based data platforms and Lakehouse architectures using ADLS Gen2 and Databricks.
• Support modernization and migration of ETL pipelines to Spark-based frameworks.
• Define data platform patterns addressing security, integration, performance, scalability, resiliency, governance, and cost optimization.
• Define and embed Azure security architecture across identity, networking, data, platforms, and workloads using Microsoft Entra ID, RBAC, Key Vault, Defender for Cloud, Sentinel, Zero Trust principles, segmentation, encryption, and policy enforcement.
• Implement governance through Azure Policy, Landing Zones, role-based access models, and cost controls.
• Collaborate with CISO teams to ensure compliance with internal and regulatory requirements such as NIS2, ISO 27001, and CIS Benchmarks.
• Architect high-availability, disaster recovery, business continuity, and resiliency models for enterprise workloads.
• Promote automation-first approaches using Infrastructure as Code with Terraform and Ansible.
• Define secure CI/CD and GitOps practices using Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, and where applicable Flux.
• Collaborate with engineering teams to industrialize provisioning, deployment, and platform operations while maximizing reusable components.
• Implement and promote FinOps practices to ensure financial accountability across cloud environments.
• Define cost allocation strategies, enforce tagging policies, and establish chargeback/showback models in collaboration with finance teams.
• Support forecasting and budgeting through consumption insights, cost optimization techniques, and continuous monitoring of cloud spend.
• Ensure architecture and platform decisions balance performance, resilience, security, and overall cost of ownership.
• Work closely with cross-functional teams including enterprise architects, security teams, platform teams, operations, data teams, application teams, Managed Service Providers (MSPs), and business stakeholders.
• Provide architectural guidance and mentorship to architects and engineers, ensuring successful delivery and consistent adoption of enterprise cloud standards.

• Master’s degree in computer science, information systems, or equivalent practical experience.
• Minimum 15 years of professional IT experience, including at least 10 years focused specifically on cloud architecture.
• Extensive hands-on experience in Microsoft Azure architecture covering AI, data, computing, networking, storage, identity, security, governance, and enterprise integration.
• Strong experience defining Azure Landing Zones, enterprise governance models, reference architectures, shared services, design standards, and architecture guardrails.
• Proven architecture experience in cloud migration and platform modernization, including re-host, re-platform, refactor, and re-architect strategies.
• Experience building and governing enterprise platforms across AI, data, containers, and integration domains.
• Hands-on architecture experience with Azure AI Foundry, Azure AI Search, Azure API Management, AI governance, agent governance, and AI-specific observability practices.
• Strong experience with Azure Kubernetes Service and Azure Container Apps, including workload identity, network policy design, platform services, observability, resiliency, and cost optimization.
• Experience designing Azure Databricks and ADLS Gen2 Lakehouse architectures and modern Spark-based data processing platforms.
• Solid understanding of serverless, event-driven, and microservice architectures using Azure Functions, Event Hubs, Service Bus, API Management, and APIs.
• Proficiency in Infrastructure as Code using Terraform and Ansible, with the ability to design modular, reusable, secure, and governed automation components.
• Documented hands-on experience using both Terraform and Ansible for provisioning or configuration of production cloud environments.
• Practical knowledge of DevOps and GitOps approaches using Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, and Flux to enable continuous deployment and environment consistency.
• Strong knowledge of Azure security architecture including Microsoft Entra ID, RBAC, Key Vault, Defender for Cloud, Sentinel, Zero Trust principles, segmentation, encryption, and policy enforcement.
• Experience integrating security and compliance controls into cloud architectures, including NIS2, ISO 27001, and CIS Benchmarks.
• Experience designing high-availability, disaster recovery, resiliency, and operational readiness models for enterprise workloads.
• Experience designing and integrating managed database services into cloud architectures considering availability, security, backup, performance, and compliance requirements.
• Practical knowledge of FinOps principles and cloud cost optimization techniques including tagging, chargeback/showback, forecasting, cost controls, and workload optimization.
• Strong knowledge of multi-cloud and hybrid integration strategies.
• Proven experience designing, delivering, and governing enterprise-scale cloud solutions in regulated or large-scale environments.
• Strong architecture background in distributed systems, cloud-native platforms, integration patterns, and enterprise modernization.
• Proven delivery of large-scale Azure migration and modernization programs in complex enterprise environments.
• Demonstrated ability to define standards, drive architectural decisions, and guide solution delivery across multiple teams and domains.
• Experience working with Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and coordinating architecture across internal and external delivery organizations.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to explain complex technical solutions to business stakeholders and C-level leadership.
• Capable of working autonomously while contributing effectively to cross-functional teams.
• Experienced in mentoring and guiding architects, engineers, and project stakeholders toward successful cloud outcomes.
• Analytical and structured mindset with strong decision-making abilities.
• Results-oriented with the ability to manage priorities across multiple concurrent initiatives.
• Strong collaboration skills with a customer-focused and value-driven approach to cloud solutions.
• Ability to challenge designs constructively and drive pragmatic decisions balancing security, reliability, performance, delivery speed, and cost.
• Fluency in English at CEFR level C1 or higher, and proficiency in Dutch or French at CEFR level B1 or higher, both written and spoken.
• Proven ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary teams in a federated IT environment.
• Strong capability to produce architecture documents, standards, and technical guidelines tailored to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Documented experience as an architect on Azure migration and modernization programs covering production workloads, including migration strategy, workload transition, cutover, and decommissioning activities.
• Valid Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification.
• Valid certification issued by OVHcloud or Scaleway as European Hyperscalers.

• Willingness and ability to be present at the client office two days per week, with potential for up to five days per week as required. Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in a Cloud Center of Excellence or similar governance framework.
• Experience architecting hybrid, multi-cloud, and European sovereign cloud architectures.
• Experience architecting Azure AI platforms and associated governance controls.
• Experience architecting Azure Databricks and ADLS Gen2 data platforms.
• Experience with AKS, Azure Container Apps, integration services, CI/CD, DevSecOps, and GitOps.
• Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert certification is an advantage.
• Experience translating NIS2, ISO 27001, and CIS requirements into cloud controls.
• Experience with FinOps cost optimization and total cost of ownership (TCO) management.