Role: Cloud Solutions Architect
Location: Utah, USA
Work Arrangement: 100% Onsite
Schedule: 20 hours per week
Employment Type: Part-Time
Job Overview
We are seeking an experienced Cloud Solutions Architect to support a large organization in modernizing its technology landscape. This role offers the opportunity to shape cloud architecture, lead legacy-to-cloud migrations, strengthen security, and enable scalable, reliable digital services using Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and other leading cloud technologies.
Key Responsibilities
- Cloud Architecture and Strategy: Design, develop, and maintain secure, scalable, highly available cloud solutions, primarily on GCP, while leveraging AWS and Azure where appropriate.
- Requirements and Roadmaps: Partner with business stakeholders, product owners, developers, and DevOps teams to gather requirements and translate business needs into technical architectures and implementation roadmaps.
- Legacy Modernization: Architect and support legacy application migrations to cloud environments, ensuring compatibility, operational continuity, and improved performance.
- Technical Leadership: Guide engineering and operations teams on cloud-native design, distributed systems, microservices, application hosting, and cloud architecture best practices.
- Architecture Documentation: Develop and maintain architecture diagrams, technical specifications, integration designs, and implementation documentation.
- Security and Compliance: Incorporate cloud security controls, identity and access management (IAM), network security, and relevant compliance requirements into architectural solutions.
- Data and Integration: Design and support cloud database platforms, BigQuery data pipelines, and public and private APIs to enable application integration and data modernization.
- Infrastructure Automation: Promote Infrastructure as Code (IaC), configuration management, and repeatable provisioning practices using tools such as Terraform, OpenTofu, Ansible, CloudFormation, or Pulumi.
- Containers and Platform Engineering: Evaluate and implement containerization and orchestration solutions, including Docker, Kubernetes, and Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE).
- DevSecOps and Delivery: Support CI/CD automation, secure development practices, automated testing, and AI-assisted tools that improve infrastructure provisioning and code maintenance.
- Reliability and Optimization: Review cloud environments for performance, scalability, availability, and cost optimization; support disaster recovery planning and backup strategies.
- Technology Evaluation: Assess emerging cloud services, analytics capabilities, and infrastructure technologies to recommend improvements aligned with business objectives.
Required Qualifications
- Demonstrated expertise in Google Cloud Platform (GCP) or substantial hands-on experience with another major public cloud provider, with the ability to apply cloud architecture principles across platforms.
- Strong understanding of scalable, distributed systems, microservices, and cloud-native application architecture.
- Hands-on experience with Infrastructure as Code tools such as Terraform, OpenTofu, Ansible, CloudFormation, or Pulumi.
- Knowledge of cloud networking, including Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), hybrid connectivity, routing, and network security.
- Understanding of cloud security, IAM, authentication, authorization, and secure architecture practices.
- Experience with containers and orchestration technologies, particularly Docker and Kubernetes/GKE.
- Familiarity with AI-assisted developer tools and workflows for infrastructure provisioning, code maintenance, and automated testing.
- Strong troubleshooting, analytical, problem-solving, communication, and technical leadership skills.
- Experience supporting cloud initiatives within government, higher education, or another public-sector organization.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
- At least 7 years of overall IT experience, including 3 or more years in cloud architecture, DevOps, or a comparable technical leadership role.
- Relevant certifications, such as Google Professional Cloud Architect, Google Associate Cloud Engineer, AWS Certified Solutions Architect, or Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect.
- Experience with DevSecOps, CI/CD pipelines, GitHub Actions, and automated deployment practices.
- Experience with database administration, data integration, or migrations involving PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server, or BigQuery.
- Familiarity with security standards and frameworks, including NIST, CIS Benchmarks, and ISO/IEC 27001.