Azure Cloud Architect

Background:

Innosoft is seeking an accomplished Cloud Architect for our NEA program, to become an integral part of our vibrant team, focusing on a pivotal Infrastructure Modernization initiative. This role is central to reshaping and advancing the technology framework of a distinguished client, celebrated for its support of cultural and artistic projects. The chosen candidate will be instrumental in devising and executing avant-garde solutions, spanning AI-driven applications, streamlined document management systems, and secure data repositories.

Core Azure Platform

• Advanced, hands-on expertise across compute services, including Virtual Machines, VM Scale Sets, App Services, Azure Functions, Container Apps, AKS, and Azure Batch, paired with the judgment to choose the right option for a given workload.
  
• Full lifecycle knowledge of Blob Storage, Azure Files, Managed Disks, and storage lifecycle management policies.
  
• Advanced networking spanning Virtual Networks, NSGs, UDRs, Private Endpoints, Load Balancer, Application Gateway, Azure Firewall, Front Door, Virtual WAN, ExpressRoute, and VPN Gateway, plus the ability to design hub and spoke topologies and DNS strategy at an enterprise level.
  
• Identity expertise covering Microsoft Entra ID administration and architecture, including Conditional Access, Privileged Identity Management, B2B and B2C scenarios, federation with on premises Active Directory, managed identities, and RBAC design.
  
• Data platform experience across Azure SQL, Cosmos DB, PostgreSQL Flexible Server, Synapse Analytics, Microsoft Fabric, and Data Lake Storage, from both an administration and a solution design perspective.
  
• Integration services knowledge including API Management, Service Bus, Event Grid, Event Hubs, and Logic Apps.
  

Architecture & Design

• Deep mastery of the Azure Well-Architected Framework across reliability, security, cost optimization, operational excellence, and performance efficiency.
  
• Fluency with the Cloud Adoption Framework, including enterprise scale landing zone design and governance blueprints.
  
• Ability to design multi region, highly available, and disaster resilient solutions with defined recovery time and recovery point objectives.
  
• Experience producing reference architectures, diagrams, and architecture decision records that an engineering team can implement directly.
  
• Application modernization expertise, including microservices, event driven architectures, serverless patterns, and strangler fig migrations.
  

Migration & Hybrid

• Experience leading workload assessments with Azure Migrate and mapping applications to the five Rs of rehost, refactor, rearchitect, rebuild, and replace.
  
• Wave planning for large scale datacenter exits, including dependency mapping and cutover planning.
  
• Hybrid architecture experience using Azure Arc, Azure Stack HCI, and Azure Stack Edge.
  

Infrastructure as Code & Automation

• Expert level, hands-on proficiency in Bicep or Terraform, including module design, state management, and reusable patterns, plus the ability to review and validate code written by others.
  
• Working knowledge of ARM templates for legacy or complex deployments.
  
• Strong scripting ability in PowerShell, Bash, and Python for automation and validation.
  
• Ability to define infrastructure as code standards and repository structure for a team.
  

CI/CD & DevOps

• Experience building and maintaining pipelines in Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions.
  
• Release strategies including blue and green, canary, and ring based deployments.
  
• Artifact management, secret scanning, and pipeline security hardening.
  

Containers & Kubernetes

• Production experience operating AKS, including upgrades, node pool management, and networking through Azure CNI or Calico.
  
• Helm chart authoring and GitOps workflows using Flux or ArgoCD.
  
• Working knowledge of service mesh concepts through Istio or Open Service Mesh.
  

Security, Compliance & Governance

• Hands-on experience with Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Microsoft Sentinel, and Key Vault, including secret rotation practices.
  
• Governance design using Azure Policy, Management Groups, and Blueprints.
  
• Zero Trust architecture principles applied across identity, network, and data layers.
  
• Familiarity with relevant frameworks such as the CIS Azure Benchmark, NIST 800 53, FedRAMP, HIPAA, or PCI DSS, depending on industry.
  

Operations & Monitoring

• Advanced configuration of Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, and Application Insights.
  
• Strong KQL query writing for diagnostics, alerting, and dashboards.
  
• Incident command experience, including root cause analysis and capacity planning at scale.
  

Cost Management & FinOps

• Practical experience with Azure Cost Management, reserved instances, savings plans, and rightsizing.
  
• Ability to build total cost of ownership and return on investment models for executive stakeholders.
  
• Understanding of Enterprise Agreement, Microsoft Customer Agreement, and bring your own license structures.
  

Leadership & Stakeholder Skills

• Experience leading a team of engineers, including task assignment and design reviews with clear, constructive feedback.
  
• Ability to lead architecture review boards or design authority meetings.
  
• Skilled at facilitating discovery workshops with business and technical stakeholders.
  
• Comfortable presenting solution designs and tradeoffs to CIOs, CTOs, and senior leadership.
  
• A track record of mentoring engineers and architects on design patterns and troubleshooting technique.
  

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related IT field. Master's degree preferred.
  
• 15 years of total IT experience, including at least 7 years of hands-on Azure engineering and at least 4 years operating at an architecture or technical leadership level.
  
• A career path that progressed from hands-on engineering into architecture, since this search specifically requires both skill sets in one candidate.
  
• Background in Windows Server, Linux administration, or virtualization platforms such as VMware, which is valuable for migration and hybrid scenarios.
  
• Exposure to a regulated industry such as financial services, healthcare, or government is a strong plus.
  
• Ability to translate business requirements into technical designs for both executives and engineers.
  
• Clear written and verbal communication, including polished design documentation.
  
• Strong stakeholder management, negotiation, and influence without direct authority.
  
• An ownership mentality and comfort operating with ambiguity.
  

Preferred Certifications (Azure Only)

• Required: AZ-305, Azure Solutions Architect Expert, and AZ-104, Azure Administrator Associate. AZ-500, Security Engineer Associate
  
• Bonus: AZ-700, Network Engineer Associate, SC-100, Cybersecurity Architect Expert, or CKA, Certified Kubernetes Administrator.