Cloud Solution Architect

Roles and Objective:

The Cloud Solution Architect Managed Services acts as a fractional CTO for customers, providing both tactical and strategic thought leadership. This role involves delivering design and optimization recommendations, guiding customers on cloud best practices and governance, and fostering strong long-term customer relationships.

The architect ensures customer success by conducting proactive reviews, trainings, and architecture assessments, while offering hands-on technical expertise. The role requires a unique combination of enterprise architecture experience, strategic leadership, and technical cloud skills.

Key Roles & Responsibilities

1. Thought Leadership & Strategic Guidance

• Provide expert guidance on cloud strategy, architecture, and best practices.
• Align cloud solutions with business objectives.

2. Design & Optimization Recommendations

• Analyze customer cloud environments for performance, scalability, and cost-effectiveness.
• Recommend design improvements and optimizations.

3. Cloud Best Practices & Governance

• Educate customers on governance frameworks, security, and industry standards.
• Ensure compliant and secure cloud deployments.

4. Proactive Reviews & Training

• Conduct regular assessments of customer cloud environments to identify risks and improvements.
• Deliver training sessions on cloud technologies and best practices.

5. Architecture Reviews

• Perform detailed architecture reviews to validate alignment with industry standards and best practices.

6. Customer Relationship Management

• Cultivate strong, trusted-advisor relationships with customers.
• Develop a deep understanding of customer business and technology needs.

7. Hands-On Technical Expertise

• Provide technical support, troubleshooting, and solution implementation within customer environments.

8. Mentorship & Collaboration

• Mentor Cloud Architects and Engineers within the pod.
• Foster a culture of technical excellence and continuous improvement.

Key Interactions

Internal:

• Operations Manager
• Lead Cloud Platform Engineer
• Cloud Platform Engineering Teams
• Cloud Solution Architecture Teams
• Service Management Teams

External:

• Customers
• Vendors and suppliers
• Hyperscalers (e.g., Microsoft Support Teams)

Qualifications & Certifications

Educational Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.

Mandatory Certifications:

• Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert.

Highly Desirable Certifications:

• Microsoft DevOps Engineer Expert
• ITIL Foundation
• FinOps Certified Practitioner

Skills & Experience

• 9–15 years' experience in managing and supporting enterprise-level cloud environments across Azure, AWS, and GCP.
• Proven experience delivering cloud strategy, architecture, and implementation projects.
• Expertise in cloud infrastructure components: networking, storage, compute, security, and databases.
• Strong knowledge of automation, orchestration, and IaC tools (e.g., Terraform, PowerShell).
• Deep understanding of the ITIL framework and best practices.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated leadership, mentoring, and team management experience.
• Strong customer-centric and problem-solving approach.
• Strong analytical and solution development skills.

Behavioral Skills

• Strategic thinker with strong business acumen.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical abilities.
• Proactive, self-motivated, and results-driven.
• Customer-focused with a passion for delivering high-quality services.
• Strong communication skills, with ability to engage both technical and business stakeholders.
• Adaptable, eager to learn, and committed to continuous improvement.
• Resilient under pressure, with ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality outcomes.
• Leadership qualities with ability to inspire and motivate teams.