Lead Architect

Position Title:

REPORTING TO:

GEOGRAPHICAL

WORKING LOCATION:

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES

OVERALL OBJECTIVES:

SPECIFIC ASSIGNMENTS:

• Design secure, resilient, and scalable IT infrastructure platforms using Azure and hybrid cloud technologies.
• Develop complete architectural solutions across compute, storage, networking, identity, and security layers.
• Build technical designs, architecture diagrams, process flows/manuals, BoMs, and associated cost estimations and performance analyses.
• Develop Proof of Concepts (PoCs) and validate architectural designs through lab/test environments.
• Define and evolve architecture roadmaps to improve platform efficiency, scalability, and resilience.
• Support application modernization and transformation efforts from the infrastructure perspective, ensuring alignment with enterprise standards.
• Automate infrastructure deployment using IaC (Terraform, ARM, Ansible) and integrate CI/CD workflows.

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead and organize a team of subordinate architect(s), providing technical direction, mentorship, and performance oversight.
• Prioritize and manage incoming technical demands, feedback loops, and consultancy requests.
• Act as the architecture point-of-contact for multi-domain engineering teams (compute, cloud, monitoring, network, workplace).
• Standardize architectural review processes, ensuring consistency, traceability, and design quality.
• Take leadership of project-specific internal virtual teams, stakeholder forums and editorial committees.
• Foster knowledge sharing and continuous improvement within the architecture team.

Strategic Governance

• Define cloud and infrastructure strategy, technical standards, and migration roadmaps.
• Ensure compliance with security, technical, and financial policies and standards set in Key Group Documents (KDGs).
• Coordinate with Group Engineering and Security Operations Center teams to enforce architectural governance and policy alignment.
• Liaise with technology vendors (e.g., Microsoft, Fortinet, Beyond Trust) for roadmap planning and solution evaluation.
• Participate in strategy sessions with internal clients, presenting architecture from technical and business standpoints.

REQUIRED SKILLS:

• 10+ years of overall IT experience, with at least 5 years in a senior infrastructure/cloud architecture role.
• Proven experience leading infrastructure architecture efforts across hybrid and cloud-native environments.
• Experience in organizing and leading teams of architects or senior engineers.
• Strong ability to translate technical solutions into business impact and cost-benefit terms.

Cloud & Infrastructure Expertise

• Deep practical knowledge of:
• Azure IaaS & PaaS: Virtual Machines, Networking, Storage, AKS, App Services, API Management.
• Microsoft 365: Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams, Intune.
• Azure AD & Identity: RBAC, AAD Connect, conditional access, MFA.
• Infrastructure: Windows Server, AVD, Hyper-V, Active Directory, SCCM, monitoring, backup/DR.
• Automation & DevOps: Terraform, ARM, Ansible, CI/CD with Azure DevOps.
• Familiarity with AWS or GCP, particularly in multi-cloud or migration contexts.

Networking & Security Integration

• Work with Network Architects on integration with SD-WAN, VPN, firewalls, load balancers, LAN/WAN.
• Ensure secure design patterns for network segmentation, access control, and compliance.
• Apply regulatory frameworks (ISO 27001, SOC 2, GDPR) to architecture designs.

Architecture Practices

• Skilled in preparing high- and low-level designs, technical documentation, and cost analysis.
• Familiar with modern frameworks (e.g., C4 diagrams, Design Thinking).
• Capable of presenting complex technical matters clearly to senior business stakeholders.