Senior Azure Architect & Designer

Summary

A leading global organization is seeking a Senior Azure Architect / Designer to lead the strategic design and governance of our cloud ecosystem. This pivotal role focuses on architecting secure, scalable, and resilient cloud environments in strict alignment with the Microsoft Azure Well-Architected Framework. As a technical authority, you will provide leadership across cloud networking, identity management, and security to ensure our enterprise workloads are optimized for performance and cost.

Primary Responsibilities

Architectural Design & Strategic Advisory

• End-to-End Governance: Develop and maintain a comprehensive cloud architecture encompassing compute, storage, platform services, and microservices.
• Standards & Frameworks: Establish and oversee reference architectures, landing zones, and standard design patterns.
• Decision Authority: Serve as a primary member of the Architecture Review Board (ARB), documenting key architectural decisions and ensuring all designs meet rigorous standards for reliability and operational excellence.
• Modernization: Drive solution delivery through the use of AI, advanced automation, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC).

Security & Compliance

• Identity & Connectivity: Architect secure identity access models and robust network connectivity solutions, including hybrid and SaaS integrations.
• Risk Mitigation: Evaluate application requests to identify technology risks, control gaps, and alignment with global security protocols.
• Vulnerability Management: Proactively manage cyber exposure and oversee Cloud Native Application Protection (CNAPP) solutions within the cloud environment.
• Telemetry: Design and implement comprehensive logging, monitoring, and security telemetry frameworks.

Operations & Partnership Management

• Vendor Relations: Manage relationships with technology partners and service delivery vendors, ensuring adherence to SLAs through regular service reviews.
• High-Level Support: Provide expert-tier operational support for incident management and complex problem determination.
• Secure DevOps: Collaborate with business units to implement agile DevOps practices without compromising security or safety.

Candidate Profile

Core Technical Requirements

• Azure Expertise: At least 5 years of dedicated experience in Azure architecture and design, within a total professional background of 8+ years in platform or infrastructure engineering.
• Network & Identity: Deep mastery of Azure networking (VNets, routing, private endpoints, Hub and Spoke models) and enterprise identity models (Entra ID).
• Security Principles: Proven experience implementing "Identity-First" and Zero Trust methodologies, as well as network segmentation and trust zone strategies.
• Framework Knowledge: Demonstrated success in applying the Azure Well-Architected Framework to enterprise-scale environments.

Technical Proficiencies & Certifications

• Security Tooling: Familiarity with firewalls, IPS/IDS, endpoint security, and specialized platforms such as CrowdStrike and Zscaler (ZIA/ZPA).
• Compliance Frameworks: Working knowledge of NIST CSF, MITRE ATT&CK, and STRIDE threat modeling.
• DevOps Tools: Competency in GitHub, Azure DevOps, or similar CI/CD platforms.
• Professional Certification: Highly preferred certifications include AZ-305 (Azure Solutions Architect Expert) and AZ-700 (Azure Networking).

Behavioral Competencies

• Analytical Thinking: Strong problem-solving skills with meticulous attention to detail.
• Communication: Ability to engage confidently with stakeholders, raise critical issues, and translate complex technical concepts for diverse audiences.
• Reliability: Proven ability to work independently and manage multiple projects under pressure within an ITIL-aligned environment.
• Collaborative Spirit: A team-oriented professional who maintains a patient and tactful manner when supporting end users and peers.