Senior Cloud Network Architect

Role: Senior Cloud Network Architect

Role Overview

The Senior Cloud Network Architect is responsible for designing, implementing, and governing secure, scalable, and resilient network architectures across public cloud platforms such as AWS and Azure. This role plays a critical part in enabling digital transformation by supporting workload migrations, modern application architectures, and hybrid/multi-cloud strategies.

Key Responsibilities

1. Requirements Gathering & Strategy

• Engage with business, application, and security stakeholders to gather detailed requirements for cloud networking and security

• Translate business and technical requirements into scalable cloud network designs

• Define cloud networking strategy aligned with enterprise architecture and security standards

• Evaluate current on-premise and cloud environments to identify gaps and optimization opportunities

2. Cloud Network Architecture Design

• Design and implement complex network architectures in AWS and Azure, including:

  • Multi-account / multi-subscription architectures

  • Hub-and-spoke and mesh network topologies

  • Landing zones and network segmentation strategies

• Architect highly available, fault-tolerant, and low-latency network solutions

• Define IP addressing strategies, subnetting, and routing policies

• Design global architectures using regions, availability zones, and edge services

3. Security Architecture

• Design and enforce cloud network security controls, including:

  • Security Groups, Network Security Groups (NSGs)

  • Web Application Firewalls (WAF)

  • Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection strategies

  • Zero Trust network models

• Integrate identity and access controls with networking (IAM, Azure AD)

• Ensure compliance with enterprise security frameworks (NIST, ISO 27001, CIS benchmarks)

• Collaborate with security teams to implement threat detection and response mechanisms

4. Hybrid & Multi-Cloud Connectivity

• Architect secure connectivity between on-premise and cloud environments:

  • Site-to-Site VPN and Client VPN

  • Dedicated connections such as Direct Connect and ExpressRoute

• Design cross-region and cross-cloud connectivity strategies

• Ensure high availability and failover mechanisms for hybrid connectivity

5. Technology Evaluation & Innovation

• Identify and recommend cloud-native and third-party networking solutions

• Evaluate emerging technologies (SD-WAN, SASE, service mesh, etc.)

• Support modernization initiatives including container networking and microservices

• Drive adoption of automation and Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

6. Implementation & Governance

• Provide technical leadership during implementation of cloud network solutions

• Define standards, policies, and governance models for cloud networking

• Review and approve architecture designs to ensure adherence to best practices

• Establish monitoring, logging, and observability standards for network operations

7. Documentation & Communication

• Create detailed architecture diagrams, design documents, and SOPs

• Maintain documentation for network configurations and processes

• Present architectural solutions to technical and non-technical stakeholders

• Provide training and mentorship to engineering teams

Required Skills & Expertise

Cloud Platforms

• Deep expertise in AWS and Azure networking services, including:

  • AWS: VPC, Transit Gateway, Route 53, ELB, CloudFront, Direct Connect

  • Azure: VNet, Azure Firewall, Application Gateway, Load Balancer, ExpressRoute

Networking Fundamentals

• Strong understanding of:

  • TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP

  • BGP, routing protocols, and traffic engineering

  • Network segmentation and micro-segmentation

  • Load balancing (L4/L7) and traffic management

Security

• Strong background in cloud network security design

• Experience with firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems

• Knowledge of Zero Trust Architecture and secure access models

Automation & DevOps

• Hands-on experience with:

  • Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation, ARM/Bicep)

  • CI/CD pipelines for infrastructure deployment

• Scripting skills (Python, Bash, PowerShell preferred)

Soft Skills

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities

• Ability to lead architecture discussions and influence decisions

• Strong documentation and presentation skills