Senior Cloud Architect, RAAS | Automation Services

Accountabilities

• Lead client engagements from discovery through delivery, acting as the senior technical advisor and architecture authority for complex cloud transformation and cybersecurity initiatives.

• Facilitate executive briefings, technical workshops, and architecture sessions to translate business priorities, risk tolerance, and compliance obligations into actionable cloud strategies.

• Develop current-state and target-state architectures covering applications, infrastructure, identity, networking, security, data protection, observability, resilience, and operational requirements.

• Design secure cloud landing zones and foundational environments using governance guardrails, account and subscription structures, policy enforcement, centralized logging, network segmentation, and identity-first access controls.

• Architect hybrid and multi-cloud solutions across Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and/or Google Cloud, selecting appropriate services and design patterns based on client requirements.

• Integrate cybersecurity into architecture decisions through Zero Trust principles, least-privilege access, privileged access management, threat modeling, secure configuration, vulnerability management, encryption, and secrets management.

• Align cloud architectures with applicable regulatory and security frameworks, including CMMC, NIST SP 800-171, NIST SP 800-53, FedRAMP, and other contractual or client-specific requirements.

• Design solutions for regulated workloads, ensuring appropriate data boundaries, audit evidence, logging, data residency, secure administration, and separation of duties.

• Provide architecture oversight during implementation by reviewing technical designs, infrastructure-as-code, configurations, security controls, and delivery artifacts for quality and compliance.

• Partner with cybersecurity, compliance, engineering, and operations teams to resolve design tradeoffs and deliver solutions that are secure, measurable, operationally sustainable, and audit-ready.

• Evaluate cloud services and architecture options by balancing security, compliance, performance, availability, cost, supportability, and time to value.

• Develop roadmaps and migration strategies for application modernization, data migration, identity transformation, and cloud security improvements.

• Produce high-quality client deliverables, including architecture diagrams, reference architectures, technical decision records, control mappings, implementation plans, risk registers, and executive recommendations.

• Lead, mentor, and develop architects and engineers while contributing to technical reviews, solution estimation, delivery quality, reusable intellectual property, and continuous improvement.

• Support pre-sales and solution development by defining technical approaches, project scopes, assumptions, and level-of-effort estimates for complex client opportunities.

Requirements

• A bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Cybersecurity, Information Systems, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

• At least 10 years of progressive experience in technology architecture, engineering, cybersecurity, cloud transformation, or related consulting disciplines.

• At least 7 years of client-facing consulting or architecture experience leading complex technical discussions and delivering tailored solutions for mid-market or enterprise organizations.

• At least 5 years of hands-on cloud architecture experience designing and implementing production solutions in Microsoft Azure, AWS, and/or Google Cloud.

• Demonstrated experience integrating cybersecurity controls and regulatory requirements into cloud architecture designs and implementation roadmaps.

• Strong communication and presentation skills, including the ability to explain technical risks, design tradeoffs, and recommendations to executives, security leaders, auditors, engineers, and business stakeholders.

• Working knowledge of cloud architecture and security methods, including well-architected frameworks, threat modeling, shared responsibility models, Zero Trust, defense-in-depth, and secure-by-design principles.

• Proven ability to navigate ambiguity, balance competing requirements, facilitate decisions, and maintain delivery momentum across multiple stakeholder groups.

• Experience creating high-quality technical documentation, including reference architectures, diagrams, standards, architecture decision records, and implementation guidance.

• Deep expertise in at least three of the following technical domains, with working knowledge of the others:

  • Cloud architecture: Azure, AWS, and/or Google Cloud; landing zones; hybrid connectivity; resilience; disaster recovery; and cloud operating models.

  • Identity and access management: Microsoft Entra ID and cloud-native IAM; federation; Conditional Access; privileged access; just-in-time administration; workload identities; and secrets management.

  • Cloud security operations: Microsoft Defender XDR, Microsoft Sentinel, Defender for Cloud, or comparable AWS and Google Cloud security services; SIEM/SOAR; detection engineering; and threat hunting.

  • Data protection: Encryption, key management, data classification, data loss prevention (DLP), Microsoft Purview or equivalent tools, retention, and secure data lifecycle controls.

  • Network security: Network segmentation, private connectivity, firewalls, secure remote administration, egress controls, DNS security, web application protection, and Zero Trust network access.

  • DevSecOps and automation: Infrastructure-as-code, policy-as-code, CI/CD security, configuration management, PowerShell, Python, KQL, APIs, and automated compliance validation.

  • Governance and compliance: Cloud control frameworks, continuous monitoring, evidence generation, risk management, policy development, and remediation planning.

  • Certification requirement: At least one active certification from the following list is required, or must be obtained within 90 days of hire:

    • Cybersecurity and architecture: CISSP, CCSP, or SABSA certification.

    • Microsoft: AZ-305, AZ-500, or SC-100.

    • AWS: AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional or AWS Certified Security – Specialty.

    • Google Cloud: Professional Cloud Architect or Professional Cloud Security Engineer.

    • Additional cloud, security, networking, DevOps, or compliance certifications are preferred. Active certifications are required for consideration.

    • Ability to support U.S. government and defense-related client engagements. Certain projects require eligibility to obtain a U.S. security clearance or meet client-defined access requirements for controlled environments.

    Preferred qualifications:

    • Experience architecting solutions for U.S. government or defense-related environments, including Azure Government, Microsoft 365 GCC High, AWS GovCloud (US), or comparable regulated cloud platforms.

    • Experience implementing or assessing controls for CMMC, NIST SP 800-171, NIST SP 800-53, FedRAMP, Department of Defense impact levels, or similar frameworks.

    • Experience with application and platform modernization, including containers, Kubernetes, serverless architectures, APIs, data platforms, and cloud-native integration patterns.

    • Familiarity with cloud financial governance, including cost allocation, optimization, forecasting, and architecture decisions informed by FinOps practices.

    • Experience providing technical leadership in consulting delivery, mentoring technical teams, performing quality assurance, developing reusable intellectual property, and supporting proposals or statements of work.

    Benefits

    • Competitive annual salary: $157,000–$262,000, with the final offer depending on relevant experience, qualifications, skills, and other job-related factors. Compensation may fall outside the stated range in certain circumstances.

    • Medical, dental, and vision insurance: Coverage begins on the first day of employment.

    • Retirement benefits: 401(k) plan with profit sharing.

    • Flexible time off: Nine or more holidays and a discretionary time-off structure.

    • Parental leave: Leave coverage for both primary and secondary caregivers.

    • Flexible spending benefits: Flexible Spending Account and Dependent Care Account options.

    • Professional development: Tuition assistance and a CPA support program with a cash incentive upon completion.

    • Incentive compensation: Discretionary incentives based on firm, group, and individual performance, along with additional incentives related to originating new client business.

    • Wellness support: Access to a highly rated wellness program.

    • Remote-work flexibility: A remote work arrangement with flexible working options.

    • Career advancement: Opportunities to lead complex engagements, mentor technical teams, develop architecture standards, and grow within an expanding consulting practice.

    • Broad technical exposure: Work across cloud platforms, cybersecurity, automation, government and defense environments, and regulated industries.

    • Collaborative culture: Join a professional environment that values teamwork, innovation, continuous learning, and high-quality client service.