Lead AWS Cloud Transformation & Migration Architect

Location: Seattle Area (Hybrid / Remote with Travel)
Job Type: Contract

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Lead AWS Cloud Transformation & Migration Architect to lead the technical strategy, architecture, and execution of large-scale enterprise cloud migration and modernization initiatives.

The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in AWS cloud architecture, enterprise migration methodologies, landing zone design, hybrid networking, workload migration, modernization, infrastructure automation, security, and cost optimization.

This role will lead end-to-end cloud transformation programs across the Assess, Mobilize, and Migrate/Modernize phases, translating business and technology objectives into scalable, secure, and operationally efficient AWS solutions.

Key Responsibilities

Migration Strategy & Assessment

• Lead application and infrastructure discovery workshops and portfolio assessments.
• Analyze application dependencies and infrastructure environments using discovery and assessment tools.
• Apply the 7 Rs migration framework to determine appropriate migration strategies, including Rehost, Replatform, Refactor, Repurchase, Relocate, Retain, and Retire.
• Develop migration roadmaps, wave plans, dependency maps, and migration factory execution strategies.
• Assess technical debt, business priorities, migration risks, and operational dependencies.

AWS Landing Zone & Enterprise Architecture

• Design and implement secure, scalable, multi-account AWS environments.
• Develop enterprise landing zones using AWS Control Tower, AWS Organizations, Identity Center, Transit Gateway, and centralized security and logging capabilities.
• Define account structures, organizational units, IAM policies, Service Control Policies (SCPs), network segmentation, and governance guardrails.
• Design hybrid cloud connectivity using Direct Connect, VPN, VPC peering, and Transit Gateway.

Migration Factory Execution

• Lead large-scale server, application, and database migration initiatives.
• Oversee migration execution using AWS Application Migration Service (MGN), AWS Database Migration Service (DMS), AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT), and AWS DataSync.
• Develop repeatable migration processes, runbooks, testing procedures, cutover plans, rollback strategies, and validation frameworks.
• Manage migration waves, application dependencies, production cutovers, and post-migration stabilization.

Modernization & Cloud-Native Transformation

• Identify opportunities to modernize applications beyond traditional lift-and-shift migration.
• Guide the transformation of legacy applications into containerized, serverless, and cloud-native architectures.
• Design modernization solutions using AWS services such as EKS, ECS, Lambda, EventBridge, DynamoDB, and related managed services.
• Recommend architectural improvements that enhance scalability, resilience, automation, security, and operational efficiency.

Infrastructure as Code & DevSecOps

• Drive infrastructure automation using Terraform, AWS CDK, CloudFormation, or similar Infrastructure as Code technologies.
• Integrate cloud infrastructure deployments into enterprise CI/CD pipelines.
• Collaborate with engineering and DevOps teams to establish automated, repeatable, and secure deployment practices.
• Promote immutable infrastructure and automation-first operating models.

Governance, Security & FinOps

• Ensure architectures align with the AWS Well-Architected Framework.
• Establish cloud security baselines and governance standards.
• Support compliance requirements including PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOC 2, and other relevant regulatory standards.
• Implement cost optimization, tagging, rightsizing, cost allocation, and cloud financial governance practices.
• Identify opportunities to improve resource utilization and long-term cloud operating costs.

Technical Leadership & Stakeholder Management

• Serve as the senior technical authority for cloud transformation and migration initiatives.
• Partner with program managers, executive stakeholders, architects, engineering teams, and application owners.
• Communicate technical strategies, risks, dependencies, and migration progress to both technical and executive audiences.
• Resolve complex technical blockers and drive critical decisions required to meet program milestones and cutover deadlines.
• Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and architectural guidance to cloud and migration engineering teams.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in enterprise IT, infrastructure, cloud architecture, or related technical roles.
• 5+ years of experience designing and delivering large-scale AWS cloud migration and transformation programs.
• Demonstrated experience migrating large enterprise environments, including 100+ servers/VMs, complex applications, or enterprise databases.
• Strong knowledge of AWS cloud architecture, including compute, storage, networking, security, identity, and migration services.
• Experience with enterprise migration methodologies, portfolio assessment, dependency analysis, wave planning, and production cutovers.
• Hands-on experience with AWS MGN, DMS, SCT, and DataSync.
• Strong experience designing AWS multi-account environments and landing zones.
• Deep understanding of AWS Organizations, Control Tower, Transit Gateway, VPC architecture, IAM, SCPs, Direct Connect, and hybrid connectivity.
• Advanced experience with Terraform, AWS CDK, or CloudFormation.
• Experience with CI/CD tools such as GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, Jenkins, or similar platforms.
• Strong understanding of cloud security, governance, compliance, and cost optimization.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Required Certification

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional

Preferred Qualifications

• AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional.
• AWS Certified Security – Specialty.
• Experience with VMware migrations and VMware Cloud on AWS.
• Experience leading cloud modernization and cloud-native transformation initiatives.
• Experience working with enterprise-scale migration factories.
• Experience in highly regulated environments such as financial services, healthcare, insurance, or similar industries.

Key Skills

• AWS Cloud Architecture
• Cloud Transformation
• Enterprise Cloud Migration
• Migration Strategy and Wave Planning
• 7 Rs Migration Framework
• AWS Migration Acceleration Program (MAP)
• AWS Control Tower
• AWS Organizations
• Transit Gateway
• Direct Connect
• VPC and Hybrid Networking
• AWS Application Migration Service (MGN)
• AWS Database Migration Service (DMS)
• AWS Schema Conversion Tool (SCT)
• AWS DataSync
• VMware Migration
• EKS and ECS
• AWS Lambda and Serverless Architecture
• Terraform
• AWS CDK
• CloudFormation
• CI/CD and DevSecOps
• AWS Well-Architected Framework
• Cloud Security and Governance
• FinOps and Cost Optimization
• PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOC 2
• Executive and Technical Stakeholder Management