Senior Cloud Architect

About the Role

We are seeking a Senior Cloud Architect to provide strategic and technical leadership in the design, implementation, and governance of secure, scalable, and resilient cloud environments. This role spans architecture, solution design, and stakeholder engagement, translating business requirements into robust cloud and infrastructure solutions across multi-cloud and hybrid environments (Azure, AWS and GCP). The successful candidate will define cloud architecture standards, guide engineering and infrastructure teams, support cloud adoption and migration initiatives, and ensure platforms meet enterprise requirements for security, availability, performance, and cost efficiency.

Key Responsibilities

Cloud Architecture & Strategy

• Lead the design and evolution of enterprise cloud architecture across multi-cloud and hybrid environments (Azure, AWS and GCP).
• Define cloud strategy, reference architectures, standards, and best practices.
• Translate business and technical requirements into secure, scalable, and cost-effective cloud solutions.
• Design and guide cloud migrations, modernisation initiatives, and greenfield implementations.
• Develop blueprints for secure, well-governed enterprise cloud environments.
• Ensure alignment with cloud well-architected frameworks and enterprise architecture principles.

Infrastructure, Virtualisation & Core Platforms

• Design and oversee cloud and on-premise infrastructure, including compute, storage, and virtualisation platforms.
• Architect and manage Windows Server–based environments and Microsoft-centric solutions.
• Design and manage core services across multi-cloud platforms, including virtual machines, storage, load balancing, and auto-scaling.
• Configure and manage cloud networking, including VNets, VPCs, subnets, routing, DNS, VPNs, and hybrid connectivity.
• Support integration between cloud, on-premise, and third-party hosted platforms.
• Ensure infrastructure supports scalability, resilience, and evolving business needs.

Security, Compliance & Governance

• Define and govern cloud security architecture across multi-cloud environments (Azure, AWS and GCP).
• Implement identity and access management using Azure AD (Entra ID), AWS IAM, RBAC, and least-privilege models.
• Design identity federation and single sign-on across cloud and enterprise platforms.
• Ensure compliance with information security standards and internal governance frameworks.
• Design and implement data protection, backup, encryption, high availability, and disaster recovery solutions.
• Contribute to business continuity and disaster recovery planning.

Cloud Operations, Automation & Reliability

• Oversee cloud infrastructure support and operational management across multi-cloud platforms.
• Drive automation using Infrastructure-as-Code principles and scripting approaches.
• Implement monitoring, logging, backup, and reporting solutions using native cloud services.
• Perform reporting and trend analysis to support capacity planning and cost optimisation.
• Ensure reliability, availability, and performance of architected solutions.

Dev Ops, Delivery & Enablement

• Collaborate closely with Dev Ops, cloud engineering, and infrastructure teams.
• Mediate technical requirements between development, Dev Ops, and infrastructure teams.
• Guide implementation teams through architecture and design decisions.
• Lead and coordinate cloud infrastructure projects from an architectural perspective.
• Ensure consistent adoption of standards, patterns, and automation practices.
• Support automation and system administration using Power Shell and related tooling.
• Provide input on software development and integration practices, ensuring cloud solutions align with engineering frameworks, APIs, and CI/CD pipelines.

Stakeholder Engagement & Leadership

• Act as a trusted technical advisor to business and technology stakeholders.
• Translate complex technical designs into clear business outcomes.
• Mentor engineers and infrastructure specialists.
• Participate in architecture reviews, design authorities, and governance forums.
• Conduct technical evaluations and proofs-of-concept for cloud services and third-party solutions.
• Maintain awareness of industry trends, emerging technologies, and cloud best practices.

Required Expertise

Core Skills & Experience

• 5–10+ years’ experience in cloud, infrastructure, or enterprise architecture roles.
• Strong hands-on experience with multi-cloud environments (Azure, AWS and GCP).
• Solid background in Windows Server environments and Microsoft technologies.
• Experience with cloud networking, security, identity, and governance.
• Proven ability to design highly available, secure, and resilient cloud solutions.
• Experience leading or contributing to complex enterprise infrastructure and cloud initiatives.
• Experience working alongside software engineering teams, with a good understanding of software development practices and CI/CD integration.

Desirable Experience

• Automation and scripting using Power Shell or similar tools.
• Infrastructure-as-Code and configuration management.
• Hybrid cloud and on-premise integration.
• Cloud backup, monitoring, and cost management solutions.
• Exposure to Dev Ops practices and modern delivery models.
• Experience working within regulated or enterprise-scale environments.

Education

Degree, diploma, or equivalent experience in IT, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.

Additional Information

• Contract Duration: 12 months (with potential renewal)
• Remuneration: Negotiable
• Location: Johannesburg / Cape Town / Remote
• Must be based in South Africa or hold a valid South African work permit