Solution Architect

Job Description:

We are looking for an experienced Azure Senior Solutions Architect to join our growing practice. In this role, you will be responsible for leading the end-to-end design, solutioning, and technical delivery of Microsoft Azure cloud solutions for our enterprise clients. You will work closely with customers to assess their on-premises and hybrid environments, develop compelling business cases, architect scalable and secure Azure solutions, and guide delivery teams through migration and transformation engagements. You will serve as a trusted technical advisor to clients while contributing to pre-sales, delivery excellence, and Cloud Kinetics' Azure practice growth.

Key Responsibilities:

• Conduct comprehensive assessments of customer on-premises datacenter environments including compute, storage, networking, and application dependencies
• Perform infrastructure discovery using agentless and agent-based tools to collect configuration data, performance metrics, and network dependency mappings
• Analyze existing workloads to determine Azure readiness, migration complexity, and optimal migration strategies (re-host, re-platform, re-factor, re-architect)
• Develop directional business cases including TCO analysis, projected Azure cloud costs, right-sizing recommendations, and ROI projections
• Assess application interdependencies, data flows, and integration patterns to define migration wave planning
• Evaluate existing licensing models and recommend optimization strategies including Azure Hybrid Benefit, BYOL, and License Included options
• Document current-state architecture, identify technical debt, and recommend Azure modernization opportunities

Solution Architecture and Design:

• Design and architect highly available, scalable, fault-tolerant, and cost-optimized solutions on Microsoft Azure
• Develop end-to-end Azure solution architectures aligned to the Microsoft Azure Well-Architected Framework (WAF) pillars: Reliability, Security, Cost Optimization, Operational Excellence, and Performance Efficiency
• Lead technical discovery workshops and architecture design sessions (ADS) with enterprise customers
• Define Azure Landing Zone designs including management groups, subscriptions, policies, RBAC, and networking topology
• Architect hybrid connectivity solutions using Azure ExpressRoute, VPN Gateway, Azure Virtual WAN, and Azure Arc
• Design security architectures incorporating Azure AD/Entra ID, Conditional Access, Defender for Cloud, Sentinel, and Zero Trust principles
• Create High Level Designs (HLDs), Low Level Designs (LLDs), solution reference architectures, and reusable delivery artifacts

Technical Delivery:

• Lead the technical delivery of Azure cloud migration, modernization, and transformation projects for enterprise clients
• Own the solution design and delivery throughout the project lifecycle, from discovery and planning to implementation and handover
• Collaborate with project managers, delivery leads, and cross-functional teams to ensure smooth execution of engagements
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to delivery engineers and junior architects
• Conduct architecture reviews, define best practices, and ensure adherence to Azure Well-Architected Framework principles
• Develop Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) templates, reference architectures, and reusable delivery artifacts
• Engage in pre-sales activities including solution scoping, effort estimation, and technical proposal development
• Manage technical risks and escalations during project delivery
• Drive continuous improvement in Azure delivery processes, tooling, and methodologies

Required Qualifications:

• Virtualization Platforms: Strong hands-on experience with VMware vSphere/vCenter, ESXi, Hyper-V, and related hypervisor technologies
• Physical Infrastructure: Knowledge of enterprise server hardware (Dell, HP, Cisco UCS), SAN/NAS storage (NetApp, EMC, Pure Storage), and datacenter networking (Cisco, Juniper, F5)
• Operating Systems: Deep expertise in Windows Server and Linux (RHEL, CentOS, Ubuntu) administration in enterprise environments
• CMDB and ITSM Tools: Familiarity with ServiceNow, BMC Helix, or similar CMDB tools for asset inventory and dependency mapping
• Monitoring and Management: Experience with enterprise monitoring tools such as SolarWinds, Nagios, Zabbix, Datadog, or PRTG
• Networking: Strong understanding of enterprise networking, VLANs, firewalls, load balancers, DNS, DHCP, MPLS, SD-WAN, and VPN technologies
• Databases: Knowledge of on-premises database platforms, Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and their Azure migration considerations
• Middleware and Applications: Understanding of enterprise middleware (WebLogic, WebSphere, Tomcat, IIS) and application server environments

Assessment Tools and Services:

• Azure Migrate: Proficiency in using Azure Migrate for agentless and agent-based discovery, dependency mapping, and Azure readiness assessments for servers, databases, and web apps
• Azure TCO Calculator and Pricing Calculator: Experience building TCO business cases, right-sizing analyses, and projected Azure cost models for enterprise customers
• Azure Site Recovery (ASR): Experience using ASR for replication assessments and test failovers during migration planning
• Microsoft Cost Management: Ability to analyze and optimize Azure costs using Cost Management, budgets, alerts, and commitment-based savings
• Third-Party Discovery Tools: Experience with tools like RVTools, CloudAmize, Movere, Flexera, Device42, or Lakeside for on-premises inventory collection
• Data Collection Methods: Ability to work with vCenter exports, SCCM data, CMDB extracts, and manual inventory data to build comprehensive assessments

Azure Cloud Expertise:

• Experience: 8+ years of hands-on experience in designing and delivering solutions on Microsoft Azure
• Azure Certifications: Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305/AZ-303) required; additional certifications such as Azure DevOps Engineer Expert, Azure Security Engineer Associate, or Azure Network Engineer Associate are preferred
• Core Azure Services: Compute, Storage, Networking, Database, Identity and Security, Management and Governance, Migration, Developer and Integration services
• Infrastructure as Code: Proficiency in Terraform, Azure Bicep, or ARM Templates for infrastructure automation
• DevOps and CI/CD: Experience with Azure DevOps Pipelines, GitHub Actions, containerization (Docker/Kubernetes on AKS), and GitOps workflows
• Scripting/Programming: Proficiency in PowerShell, Azure CLI, Python, or Bash for automation and operational tasks

Delivery Experience:

• Demonstrated ability to lead end-to-end technical delivery engagements with enterprise customers
• Experience managing Azure migration projects of 100+ servers across multiple waves
• Proven track record of building and presenting business cases and Azure solution proposals to C-level stakeholders
• Experience leading Azure Landing Zone deployments and cloud adoption framework (CAF) engagements

Preferred Qualifications:

• Microsoft Certified: Azure DevOps Engineer Expert or Azure Security Engineer Associate
• Experience with multi-cloud environments (AWS, GCP) in addition to Azure
• Knowledge of Azure AI and data services, Azure OpenAI Service, Azure Machine Learning, Azure Synapse, Azure Purview, Azure Data Factory
• Experience with Azure VMware Solution (AVS) for VMware-to-Azure migrations
• Experience with managed services delivery and Azure Managed Services operational frameworks
• Familiarity with compliance frameworks (ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, MAS-TRM, GDPR) and their Azure implementation
• Prior experience in a consulting, professional services, or systems integrator environment
• Exposure to FinOps practices and Azure cost optimization strategies including Reserved Instances, Savings Plans, and Azure Hybrid Benefit
• Strong understanding of hybrid cloud architectures and connectivity patterns (Azure ExpressRoute, Azure Arc, Azure Stack HCI)
• Experience with mainframe or legacy system migration assessments and Azure modernization pathways
• Familiarity with containerization assessment tools (Azure Migrate App Containerization, Konveyor/MTA)
• Experience with Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) and enterprise workspace transformation