IT Cloud Application Architect

Software Guidance & Assistance, Inc., (SGA), is searching for an IT Cloud Application Architect for a long-term Contractor assignment with one of our premier Financial Services clients in midtown Manhattan, New York. The successful candidate will have extensive technical experience working with cloud technologies, preferably for financial services firms, such as asset managers, hedge funds, and/or broker/dealers.

**This position will be hybrid - partial remote and onsite (2-3 days per week) in midtown NYC effective immediately**

The Enterprise IT team seeks a Cloud Application Architect who will be responsible for developing and managing the firm's application architecture in the Cloud. This individual will work closely with other architects, software engineers, platform engineers, business users, and other stakeholders to design and implement applications that meet organizational needs and follow cloud best practices. This role is critical to enable a scalable, resilient, and efficient application footprint within the cloud environment. The Cloud Application Architect will also be expected to work collaboratively with others in IT and business to realize the full life cycle of system development projects, from requirements gathering to application design, coding, testing, delivery, support, and enhancements
The firm's applications are primarily developed using Python/Django and libraries such as Pandas, NumPy, PL/SQL. In addition, we utilize SQL Server, MySQL, Elastic Search, Redis, Kafka, Tableau, and various third-party APIs and data sources.

Responsibilities:

• Provide technical leadership and direction to application development projects in the cloud that align with long-term business objectives and follow cloud best practices
• Create and communicate design patterns, reference architecture, and technical specifications for cloud applications
• Evaluate and select appropriate cloud technologies and develop best practices based on firm's use cases
• Ensure application architectures follow cloud best practices for reliability, security, performance, and efficiency
• Develop reference implementations and contribute through hands-on coding as needed
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to application developers
• Collaborate with business owners to translate business requirements into technical solutions with an eye toward technology consistency and best practices
• Evaluate new cloud technologies, tools, and best practices, advising on potential adoption
• Work with engineers, business users, and other stakeholders to understand their needs and ensure solutions align with business goals
• Initial Success Criteria includes
  • Led ongoing efforts to standardize and improve cloud infrastructure best practices within the firm's applications
  • Played a key role in upskilling application developers in cloud-native application development
• Maintain detailed documentation for reference architectures, design patterns, and system configurations
• Raise the bar on our development capabilities, standards, and processes
• Synthesize requirements gathered from various teams within/outside of IT and suggest creative solutions; where appropriate, guiding firm to "do it the right way"
• Following a scrum methodology, organize with end users, business analysts, and other architects and developers
• Recommend positive steps toward standardizing development processes, including technology selection, deployment steps, code reviews, and IT tools
• Partner with DevOps, QA, and AppSecOps teams to promote standardization, consistency, and improved security posture

Breakdown of work

• 25% Technology Leadership: design, mentoring, requirements gathering
• 15% Relationship Building: requirements gathering, brainstorming with end users
• 10% Team management/leadership
• 50% Heads Down Development

Required Skills:

• At least 8+ years of hands-on experience in one or more of the following areas: cloud-native application design and development, cloud application architecture, design, and engineering
• Bachelor of science in computer science or other related discipline (although strong experience with a less directly related degree will be considered)
• Strong understanding of AWS Cloud technologies
• Deep knowledge of cloud-native application design principles
• Experience with microservices, serverless architectures, and containerization
• Proficiency in AWS cloud platform including infrastructure-as-code and CI/CD pipelines
• Formal problem-solving and/or analytical training/experience a plus, as is experience working with management consultants
• Design and development experience with data and analytics-intensive applications using Pandas and NumPy libraries is preferred
• Good intuition for end-user requirements gathering; iterative and collaborative approach to design
• Ability to lead a development team
• Strong client relationship management skills and excellent written/verbal communication skills to interact at all levels

Preferred Skills

• Experience working in financial services companies, especially asset managers, hedge funds and/or broker/dealers).
• CFA or FRM

SGA is a technology and resource solutions provider driven to stand out. We are a women-owned business. Our mission: to solve big IT problems with a more personal, boutique approach. Each year, we match consultants like you to more than 1,000 engagements. When we say let's work better together, we mean it. You'll join a diverse team built on these core values: customer service, employee development, and quality and integrity in everything we do. Be yourself, love what you do and find your passion at work. Please find us at .

SGA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of Race, Color, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Religion, National Origin, Disability, Veteran Status, Age, Marital Status, Pregnancy, Genetic Information, or Other Legally Protected Status. We are committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, and our services, programs, and activities. Please visit our company to request an accommodation or assistance regarding our policy.