AKS Cloud Native Architecture Lead

You will play a pivotal role in shaping our cloud-native infrastructure strategy using Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). Your expertise will be instrumental in driving strategic direction on AKS adoption, DevOps tooling, and cloud-native best practices.

• Cloud-Native Strategy:

• Create end-to-end architecture for AKS-based workloads in Azure, ensuring high availability and disaster recovery.

• Design multi-environment, multi-region AKS architectures to optimize scalability and cost-effectiveness.

• Establish best practices for container orchestration, scaling, and governance in AKS, aligning with compliance frameworks and governance policies.

• Advise on cost optimization strategies for AKS and related Azure resources, ensuring alignment with business objectives.

• Azure & AKS Expertise:

• Architect and provision AKS clusters with features like cluster and node pool autoscaling, private cluster configuration, network isolation using Azure CNI / Kubenet, managed identities, and Azure AD integration.

• Integrate AKS with supporting Azure services such as Azure Monitor, managed Prometheus & Grafana, Azure Container Registry (ACR), and Azure Key Vault.

• DevOps & Automation:

• Design Infrastructure as Code solutions with Terraform, Bicep, or ARM templates for AKS provisioning, ensuring consistency and reproducibility.

• Implement GitOps workflows (e.g., ArgoCD, Flux) for automated deployments, enabling continuous delivery and reduced lead times.

• Define CI/CD architecture using Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, or Jenkins for AKS workloads, ensuring efficient testing and validation.

• Security & Compliance:

• Architect RBAC and Azure AD security models for AKS access, ensuring fine-grained access control and auditability.

• Integrate security scanning for container images and Kubernetes workloads, detecting vulnerabilities and misconfigurations.

• Ensure alignment with compliance frameworks and governance policies, maintaining regulatory adherence and risk mitigation.

• Monitoring, Logging, & Observability:

• Architect observability solutions using Azure Monitor, managed Prometheus, Container Insights, and Grafana, providing real-time visibility into system performance.

• Establish automated alerting, anomaly detection, and incident response playbooks, ensuring prompt issue resolution and minimizing downtime.

• 10+ years in DevOps, Cloud Architecture, or related roles, with deep expertise in cloud-native technologies.

• 5+ years hands-on Azure experience, with extensive knowledge of AKS and related Azure services.

• Strong technical expertise in Kubernetes architecture & troubleshooting, Azure networking (VNet, NSG, Private Link), IaC tools (Terraform, Bicep, ARM), and container security and governance.

• Proven ability to design and deliver scalable, secure, and cost-effective AKS solutions, aligning with business objectives.

• Azure Solutions Architect Expert or Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), demonstrating advanced expertise in cloud-native technologies.

• Experience with service mesh architectures (Istio, Linkerd, OSM), optimizing microservices communication and resilience.

• Familiarity with multi-cluster management tools (Azure Arc, Fleet), enabling unified management and monitoring across multiple environments.

• Experience in workload migration to AKS, ensuring seamless transition and minimal disruption.

• Strong communication and presentation skills for both technical and business audiences, effectively conveying complex ideas and strategies.

• Ability to lead design workshops and architecture reviews, facilitating collaboration and knowledge sharing among stakeholders.

• Strategic problem-solver with hands-on implementation skills, driving innovative solutions and delivering results-oriented outcomes.