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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Azure Cloud Architect

💰 $130,000 - $210,000

CloudAzureArchitectureDevOpsIT Leadership

🎯 Role Definition

We are seeking a results-driven Azure Cloud Architect to lead the design and delivery of secure, scalable, and highly available solutions on Microsoft Azure. This role partners with engineering, security, operations, and business stakeholders to translate business requirements into architecture blueprints, implement best-practice platform services (IaaS, PaaS, serverless), and accelerate cloud adoption through automation, governance, and operational runbooks. The Azure Cloud Architect will drive technical roadmaps, provide hands-on implementation guidance, and ensure alignment to cost, security, and compliance objectives.

Key SEO / LLM keywords: Azure Cloud Architect, Azure Solutions Architect, Azure migration, cloud architecture, Azure governance, ARM, Bicep, Terraform, AKS, Azure AD, cloud security, cloud cost optimization, Azure networking, cloud automation, DevOps CI/CD.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Senior Cloud Engineer (Azure)
  • Solutions Architect (Cloud / Hybrid)
  • DevOps Engineer with Azure specialization

Advancement To:

  • Principal Cloud Architect / Head of Cloud Architecture
  • Cloud Practice Lead / Director of Cloud Engineering
  • CTO or VP of Engineering (for mid-market / startup contexts)

Lateral Moves:

  • Cloud Security Architect (Azure Sentinel / identity-first architecture)
  • Platform Engineering Lead / Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) Lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead end-to-end architecture design for multi-subscription Azure environments, producing high-fidelity reference architectures and detailed deployment patterns (networking, landing zones, identity, security, governance, and connectivity) aligned with Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework best practices.
  • Translate business requirements into secure, resilient, and cost-effective Azure solutions, defining target-state cloud reference architectures, migration strategies, and phased implementation roadmaps.
  • Architect, design, and implement Azure Landing Zones, subscription and management group strategies, policies (Azure Policy), RBAC models, and blueprint automation to enforce governance at scale across multiple teams and environments.
  • Drive platform engineering for core Azure services (Virtual Networks, ExpressRoute / VPN Gateway, Azure Firewall, Application Gateway, Load Balancer, Private Link) to ensure secure hybrid connectivity and high availability.
  • Design and implement identity and access architectures using Azure Active Directory, Conditional Access, Managed Identities, Privileged Identity Management (PIM), and integration with on-premises identity providers.
  • Architect container and orchestration platforms (AKS) and serverless solutions (Azure Functions, Logic Apps) including CI/CD pipelines, autoscaling, observability, and secure workload deployment patterns.
  • Lead cloud migration planning for lift-and-shift, replatforming, and refactoring initiatives using Azure Migrate, Database Migration Service, and migration factory approaches; produce TCO analysis and cutover plans.
  • Define and implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC) standards using Terraform, Bicep, ARM templates and provide reusable module libraries, versioning strategies, and pipeline integration for consistent deployments.
  • Establish and operationalize cloud-native security controls and threat protection using Azure Security Center (Defender), Microsoft Sentinel, Key Vault, Disk/Network encryption, and secure networking patterns (NSGs, ASGs).
  • Own cloud cost management and optimization strategies including tagging standards, budgets and alerts, Reserved Instances/Savings Plans, right-sizing, and ongoing cost governance to meet business financial targets.
  • Create monitoring, logging, and observability architectures using Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Application Insights, and define SLO/SLI/alerting frameworks for platform and application teams.
  • Implement backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity solutions using Azure Backup, Azure Site Recovery, and multi-region design patterns; produce runbooks and RTO/RPO documentation.
  • Develop automation frameworks for platform provisioning, security posture enforcement, and remediation using Azure Automation, PowerShell, CLI, and GitOps patterns to reduce manual toil.
  • Lead proof-of-concept (PoC) evaluations for emerging Azure services and partner solutions, performing performance benchmarking, cost modeling, and selection recommendations.
  • Provide architecture governance and review for new projects and feature requests, conducting architecture review board (ARB) sessions and ensuring compliance with organizational standards and regulatory requirements (PCI, HIPAA, SOC2).
  • Mentor and coach cloud engineering teams, conduct design workshops, enablement sessions, and create architecture/runbook documentation to raise organizational cloud maturity.
  • Collaborate with network, security, and operations teams to design secure perimeter, micro-segmentation, and identity-aware network access (Private Link, Service Endpoints, Zero Trust models).
  • Design data platform foundations and integration patterns for Azure data services (Azure SQL, Cosmos DB, Synapse, Data Factory) ensuring secure connectivity, performance, and ingestion patterns in collaboration with data teams.
  • Provide hands-on guidance during implementation phases, troubleshooting complex issues, performing root cause analysis, and ensuring production readiness and post-deployment operational handover.
  • Author detailed architecture deliverables including diagrams, decision logs, POCs, sizing, capacity planning, and migration cutover/playbooks to support implementation and operations teams.
  • Drive vendor and Microsoft engagement for escalations, licensing optimization, support plans, and architectural guidance to accelerate program delivery.
  • Ensure continuous improvement by capturing lessons learned, updating architecture patterns, and integrating feedback loops across development, operations, and security teams.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc cloud assessments and exploratory workshops to help business units prioritize opportunities for cloud modernization, performance improvements, and cost savings.
  • Contribute to the organization’s cloud strategy, operational playbooks, and roadmap; help define key metrics for cloud adoption and platform health.
  • Collaborate with product owners and business stakeholders to translate functional requirements into non-functional architecture constraints (scalability, security, compliance).
  • Participate in sprint planning, architecture spikes, design reviews, and agile ceremonies to ensure delivery aligns with architectural standards and platform roadmaps.
  • Provide technical leadership in incident response for cloud outages, coordinate cross-functional remediation efforts, and update platform resilience plans.
  • Build internal training material and reference documentation to enable teams to deploy and operate workloads on the centralized Azure platform.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Deep expertise in Azure platform architecture, including design and implementation of Azure Landing Zones, subscription strategies, and governance frameworks.
  • Proficient with Infrastructure as Code tools: Terraform (preferred), Bicep, ARM templates; experience designing reusable modules and pipeline integration.
  • Strong networking skills in Azure: VNets, peering, ExpressRoute, VPN Gateway, Load Balancer, Application Gateway, Azure Firewall, Private Link, and NSGs.
  • Identity and access management: Azure Active Directory, Conditional Access, Managed Identities, RBAC, PIM, and hybrid identity integration.
  • Containerization and orchestration: Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) architecture, networking, security, and CI/CD deployment best practices.
  • Security and compliance: Azure Security Center/Defender, Microsoft Sentinel, Key Vault, encryption at rest/in transit, and experience implementing regulatory controls (PCI, HIPAA, SOC2).
  • Cloud migration skills: Azure Migrate, Database Migration Service, lift-and-shift and refactor migration strategies, TCO and ROI analysis.
  • Automation scripting and tooling: PowerShell, Azure CLI, Python, and Azure Automation / Logic Apps for operational automation and remediation.
  • Monitoring and observability: Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Application Insights, SLO/SLA definition and alerting strategies.
  • Disaster recovery and backup: Azure Backup, Azure Site Recovery, geo-redundancy patterns, and operational runbooks for RTO/RPO.
  • Cost management and optimization: Azure Cost Management, tagging strategies, Reserved Instances/Savings Plans, and FinOps practices.
  • Database and data platform familiarity: Azure SQL, Cosmos DB, Synapse Analytics, Data Factory integration and performance tuning.
  • CI/CD and DevOps toolchain integration: Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, Jenkins, and experience implementing secure, automated deployment pipelines.
  • Experience working with third-party integrations and ISV solutions in Azure Marketplace, including performance testing and compatibility assessments.
  • Familiarity with hybrid cloud architectures and on-premises integration (VPN/ExpressRoute, identity federation, data replication).

Soft Skills

  • Strong stakeholder management and executive communication: ability to present complex architecture decisions to technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Leadership and mentorship: experience leading architects/engineers, enabling teams, and driving adoption of best practices.
  • Strategic thinking and problem solving: ability to balance short-term delivery with long-term architectural goals and technical debt management.
  • Collaboration and cross-functional influence: proven ability to work effectively with security, networking, product, and operations teams.
  • Documentation and technical writing: capable of producing clear architecture diagrams, runbooks, and decision records.
  • Prioritization and time management: deliver high-impact outcomes in a fast-paced, multi-project environment.
  • Adaptability: comfortable evaluating new Azure services and shifting architectures as technologies evolve.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent experience).

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree in Computer Science, Cloud Computing, or MBA for leadership track.
  • Preferred certifications: Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Azure Administrator Associate, Azure DevOps Engineer Expert, CISSP or equivalent security certification.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Cloud Computing
  • Computer Science / Software Engineering
  • Network Engineering
  • Information Security

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 7–12+ years total IT experience with 4–8+ years designing and operating cloud-native solutions, with a minimum of 3–5 years focused on Microsoft Azure architecture.

Preferred:

  • 8+ years architecting enterprise cloud platforms, with demonstrable migration projects, platform governance implementations, and experience in regulated industries (finance, healthcare, government).
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