Cloud Architect

Job Title: Cloud Architect

Location: Reston, VA (Hybrid, 3x/Week)

Salary: DOE + full benefits

Clearance: Active Public Trust (or ability to obtain)

Job Summary

As a Cloud Architect in our organization, you will be responsible for designing, implementing, and optimizing cloud infrastructure, ensuring its security, scalability, and efficiency. The ideal candidate will possess a deep understanding of cloud technologies, architecture principles, and best practices, combined with strong leadership and communication skills.

Job Responsibilities

1. Establish and Lead Cloud Service Delivery:

• Develop and execute a strategic roadmap for building a robust environment.

• Define and implement cloud architecture standards, policies, and best practices.

• Lead a team of cloud engineers and collaborate with cross-functional teams to establish a cohesive cloud architecture framework.

• Provide technical guidance, mentorship, and training to team members and stakeholders.

2. Cloud Architecture Design and Implementation:

• Architect, design, and implement scalable, secure, and cost-effective cloud solutions based on business requirements.

• Collaborate with application and infrastructure teams to define cloud migration strategies and provide technical expertise in cloud adoption.

• Conduct assessments and recommend suitable cloud services, platforms, and tools to optimize system performance.

• Ensure proper integration of cloud services with existing systems and infrastructure.

3. Cloud Security and Compliance:

• Develop and implement cloud security policies and procedures to ensure data protection and regulatory compliance.

• Perform regular security assessments, vulnerability scans, and audits of the cloud infrastructure.

• Collaborate with the Information Security team to establish and enforce security controls, identity and access management, and data encryption protocols.

• Stay updated with the latest industry trends and emerging technologies to proactively address security risks.

4. Performance Optimization and Cost Management:

• Monitor cloud infrastructure performance, identify bottlenecks, and optimize system architecture for maximum efficiency and availability.

• Implement monitoring and alerting mechanisms to proactively identify and resolve performance issues.

• Optimize cloud resource utilization to minimize costs while ensuring adequate capacity and performance.

• Provide recommendations for cost optimization, such as rightsizing instances, leveraging reserved instances, or implementing auto-scaling capabilities.

5. Collaboration and Stakeholder Management:

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including software development, operations, and business units, to understand their requirements and align cloud solutions accordingly.

• Communicate and present cloud architecture designs, strategies, and recommendations to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Act as a trusted advisor, guiding stakeholders in leveraging cloud technologies to achieve their business goals.

Required Skill/Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Cloud Architect with hands-on experience in building and managing cloud environments.

• Extensive knowledge of cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Oracle Cloud, and/or Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

• Strong understanding of cloud architecture principles, microservices, containers, serverless computing, and DevSecOps practices.

• Experience in establishing and leading a Cloud Center of Excellence (COE) or similar initiatives is highly desirable.

• Familiarity with cloud security frameworks, compliance requirements, and best practices.

• Proficiency in infrastructure automation and configuration management tools (e.g., Terraform, Ansible, Chef, Puppet).

• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.

• Strong leadership abilities with the ability to mentor and guide team members.

• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with the ability to effectively convey complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Information Technology, or a related field.

• Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.