We are seeking a Senior Azure Cloud Architect to lead the design and delivery of secure, scalable, and enterprise-grade cloud solutions. This role requires a technically strong architect who is equally confident engaging with senior stakeholders, translating business requirements into cloud architecture, and guiding engineering teams through delivery.

The ideal candidate is hands-on where needed, but primarily operates at architecture, design, and decision-making level.

Key Responsibilities

Cloud Architecture & Design

• Design end-to-end Azure cloud architectures aligned to business and technical requirements
• Define cloud landing zones, network topology, identity, and security models
• Produce architecture diagrams, standards, and reference models
• Review and approve solution designs and implementations

Azure Platform & Core Services

• Deep expertise in:
• Azure Virtual Networks, VPN, ExpressRoute
• Azure AD / Entra ID, RBAC, Conditional Access
• Compute (VMs, App Services, AKS, Functions)
• Storage (Blob, Files, Disk, Backup)
• Azure SQL, Managed Instance, Cosmos DB
• Design high availability, disaster recovery, and resilience strategies

Security, Governance & Compliance

• Embed security-by-design principles into all architectures
• Implement governance using:
• Azure Policy
• Management Groups
• Blueprints / Landing Zones
• Ensure alignment with enterprise security and compliance standards

DevOps & Automation

• Guide teams on Infrastructure as Code using:
• Bicep, ARM, or Terraform
• Work closely with DevOps teams to align CI/CD pipelines to architecture standards
• Promote automation, consistency, and cost optimisation

Stakeholder Engagement & Communication (Critical)

• Act as a trusted advisor to business and technical stakeholders
• Translate complex cloud concepts into clear, business-friendly language
• Lead architecture workshops, design sessions, and technical reviews
• Influence decision-making across teams and leadership

Required Experience & Skills

Technical

• 8+ years in IT, with 5+ years in cloud architecture
• Strong hands-on experience designing Azure solutions at enterprise scale
• Proven experience with:
• Azure Landing Zones
• Hybrid connectivity (on-prem to Azure)
• Identity & access management
• Networking and security architecture
• Experience in regulated or enterprise environments (finance, insurance, telco, government preferred)

Communication & Leadership

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Confident presenting to senior stakeholders
• Ability to challenge designs constructively and defend architectural decisions
• Comfortable working across business, security, and engineering teams

Preferred Certifications

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
• Azure Security Engineer Associate
• TOGAF or equivalent architecture framework (advantageous)