Azure Architect (Hybrid – Austin)
Position Overview
We are seeking a hands-on Azure Architect to establish cloud platform standards, build reusable infrastructure patterns, and lead the transition from manual provisioning to Infrastructure as Code.
This role combines Azure architecture, governance, automation, and technical advisory responsibilities with operational support. The architect will partner with Infrastructure, Security, Data, and Application teams to deliver secure, scalable Azure solutions and provide backup coverage for the Azure Administrator.
Key Responsibilities
Platform Architecture and Governance
- Design and maintain Azure landing zones, including subscriptions, management groups, network topology, and Microsoft Entra ID integration.
- Establish enterprise standards for resource naming, tagging, subscription organization, and workload lifecycle management.
- Maintain Architecture Decision Records and lead recurring architecture reviews.
- Escalate policy exceptions and cross-team architectural conflicts to infrastructure leadership.
Infrastructure as Code and Automation
- Select and maintain Infrastructure as Code standards using Bicep, Terraform, or a hybrid approach.
- Build reusable infrastructure modules and deployment templates.
- Establish CI/CD patterns incorporating linting, policy-as-code, drift detection, and secure secrets management.
- Lead the transition from portal-based provisioning to automated, code-driven infrastructure delivery.
Reference Architectures and Advisory
- Develop reference architectures for web applications, SQL databases, containerized workloads, data pipelines, integration services, and static sites.
- Define practical patterns for private networking, hybrid connectivity, monitoring, backup, and secrets management.
- Advise teams during workload design and encourage adoption of established standards.
- Review and approve defined high-impact decisions involving new subscriptions, PCI-scoped workloads, cross-tenant integrations, and deployments exceeding cost thresholds.
- Partner with Security and Compliance on Azure identity, network, and data controls.
Azure Administration and Operational Support
- Provide backup coverage for the Azure Administrator during planned absences and incident response.
- Perform subscription management, RBAC assignments, resource provisioning, cost reviews, and platform troubleshooting.
- Maintain current operational documentation and cross-train to ensure continuity of support.
- Participate in the platform on-call rotation as needed.
Cross-Team Collaboration
- Provide platform-level guidance for Microsoft Fabric and Power Platform while supporting the Data team’s ownership of workspace design and content governance.
- Collaborate with Identity and Access Management on Entra ID architecture and Azure resource access.
- Contribute to FinOps standards, tagging, resource optimization, and budget guardrails in partnership with the team responsible for FinOps execution.
Required Qualifications
- 7+ years of enterprise IT experience, including 4+ years in hands-on Azure architecture and administration.
- Deep production experience with Azure compute, networking, storage, identity, and governance.
- Enterprise-scale Infrastructure as Code experience using Bicep, Terraform, or ARM, including reusable module development and CI/CD integration.
- Experience establishing cloud standards, reference architectures, and reusable templates in an organization transitioning to standardized infrastructure delivery.
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Entra ID, Azure RBAC, Azure Policy, and management group hierarchies.
- Ability to independently perform Azure administration and troubleshoot operational issues under time pressure.
- Strong written communication skills, including technical standards, architecture documentation, and decision records.
- Demonstrated ability to influence teams and drive adoption without formal authority.
Preferred Qualifications
- Relevant Microsoft Azure certifications in solutions architecture, DevOps, or administration.
- Experience with Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions for infrastructure delivery.
- Hands-on experience with Microsoft Fabric or Power Platform architecture.
- Familiarity with FinOps principles and cloud cost optimization.
- Experience establishing a platform architecture function or maturing an organization’s cloud practices.
- Experience in consumer goods, retail, wholesale, or supply chain environments.
- Familiarity with PCI DSS and C-TPAT requirements relevant to cloud infrastructure.
Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without current or future employer sponsorship. Direct applicants only; no third-party agency submissions.
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