Cloud Services Architect / Cloud Architect - CSA 26-08985

Job Title: Cloud Services Architect / Cloud Architect
Location: New York, NY (Hybrid 3 days onsite, 2 days remote)
Duration: 12 Months

Overview

The Cloud Services Architect (Consultant) is responsible for designing and establishing cloud architectures, frameworks, governance models, and standards across the organization. This role partners with business stakeholders and technology teams to assess requirements and deliver scalable, secure, and efficient multi-cloud and hybrid cloud solutions.

The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in AWS and working knowledge of Azure, along with strong experience in hybrid cloud environments and on-premises integrations. This role also supports advancing Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) capabilities and guiding engineering teams on implementation best practices.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop cloud architectures, standards, governance frameworks, and policies.
• Engage with business and technical stakeholders to gather requirements and translate them into scalable cloud solutions.
• Lead architecture design for AWS environments and support Azure architecture initiatives as needed.
• Guide engineering teams and augment cloud engineering capabilities where required.
• Design and support hybrid cloud and on-premises integration strategies.
• Define and promote Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) practices and automation standards.
• Ensure compliance with enterprise security, governance, and regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate across teams including DevOps, Networking, Security, and Infrastructure.
• Participate in cloud strategy, roadmap planning, and technical decision-making.

Required Skills & Experience

• AWS Expertise (6 10 years): Strong hands-on and architectural experience.
• Azure Experience (2 4 years): Working knowledge of Azure services and architecture.
• Experience with hybrid cloud and on-premises integrations (4 6 years).
• Strong understanding of cloud networking, DevOps, and infrastructure design.
• Proficiency in designing multi-account AWS Organizations and multi-subscription Azure environments.
• Experience with cloud CLI tools (AWS CloudShell, Azure Cloud Shell PowerShell/CLI).
• Deep understanding of cloud frameworks, governance, and best practices.

Cloud Architecture & Design

• AWS Services:
  • Compute: EC2, Auto Scaling, Batch
  • Storage: S3, EBS, Lifecycle Policies, Intelligent Tiering
  • Databases: RDS, Aurora, DynamoDB
  • Analytics: Glue, Lake Formation, Redshift, Athena
  • Serverless: Lambda, Fargate
• Azure Services:
  • Compute: VMs, Scale Sets, Batch
  • Storage: Blob, Files, Data Lake
  • Databases: Azure SQL, Cosmos DB, Managed Instance
  • Analytics: Data Factory, Synapse, Databricks, Event Hubs
  • Serverless: Azure Functions, Logic Apps, App Services
• Containerization:
  • Kubernetes, Docker, ECS, EKS, AKS, OpenShift
• Disaster Recovery:
  • Backup and DR strategies aligned with RTO/RPO and compliance

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) & Automation

• Experience with Terraform, AWS CloudFormation, Azure ARM, or Pulumi
• CI/CD pipeline development using GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, Jenkins, or AWS CodePipeline
• Configuration management tools such as Ansible, Chef, or Puppet

Security & Compliance

• Implement IAM, RBAC, WAF, Security Groups, NACLs, encryption, and monitoring
• Experience with AWS CloudTrail, GuardDuty, Secrets Manager
• Azure security tools including Defender for Cloud, Key Vault, Managed Identities
• Knowledge of Zero Trust architecture and frameworks (CIS, NIST, ISO 27001)
• Experience with SIEM tools such as Splunk or similar platforms

Performance Optimization & Cost Management

• Optimize cloud costs using AWS Cost Explorer, Savings Plans, and Azure Cost Management
• Implement FinOps practices for cost governance
• Monitor system performance using CloudWatch, Azure Monitor, and related tools
• Design auto-scaling, caching, and load balancing solutions

Networking & Connectivity

• Strong expertise in:
  • AWS VPC, Azure vNet design
  • Hub-and-Spoke architecture, Transit Gateway, Peering
  • VPN, Direct Connect, ExpressRoute
  • Load balancing and traffic routing solutions
• CDN optimization using CloudFront, Front Door, or similar technologies

Troubleshooting & Support

• Diagnose and resolve cloud infrastructure and networking issues
• Perform root cause analysis using cloud-native monitoring and logging tools

Collaboration & Communication

• Work with cross-functional teams including DevOps, Security, Networking, and Finance
• Translate technical solutions into business-friendly language
• Contribute to cloud strategy discussions and decision-making processes

Preferred Qualifications

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional (strongly preferred)
• Azure certifications (nice to have)
• Experience with additional cloud platforms such as Google Cloud Platform or OCI (nice to have)
• Familiarity with FinOps practices and cloud cost governance