Lead Datacenter & Cloud Solution Architect

We are looking for a highly experienced Datacenter & Cloud Solution Architect to support a strategic infrastructure transformation initiative focused on defining the next-generation enterprise datacenter architecture, technology stack, and operating model.

The role requires a strong combination of hands-on infrastructure knowledge, enterprise architecture capability, and executive-level advisory skills. The successful candidate will help shape a future-state architecture that is technically sound, resilient, scalable, commercially supportable, and suitable for long-term business growth.

Role Overview

The architect will lead the technical assessment of the existing infrastructure landscape and translate business, operational, resilience, security, and technology requirements into a clear set of architecture principles and future-state recommendations.

A key part of the role is maintaining an independent and technology-neutral perspective while evaluating different infrastructure, virtualization, cloud, and managed-service options.

Key Responsibilities

Responsibilities will include:

• Assessing the current datacenter and infrastructure environment
• Identifying technology dependencies, constraints, lifecycle risks, and modernization opportunities
• Defining future-state architecture principles and technical standards
• Designing target architecture across:
  • Compute
  • Storage
  • Networking
  • Virtualization
  • Platform services
  • Backup and recovery
  • Disaster recovery
  • Monitoring
  • Automation
  • Infrastructure management
• Evaluating alternative technology and architecture scenarios
• Comparing different platforms and technology providers objectively
• Assessing feasibility, complexity, compatibility, operational impact, lock-in, and strategic alignment
• Developing technical decision frameworks and architecture comparison models
• Assessing opportunities to reuse existing infrastructure and identifying refresh requirements
• Defining high-level migration strategies, dependencies, sequencing, and major risks
• Evaluating internal, hybrid, and managed operating models
• Providing technical assumptions to support sizing, licensing, lifecycle, support, migration effort, and cost assessments
• Supporting executive stakeholders with clear technical recommendations and decision materials

Expected Deliverables

The role may contribute to or own outputs such as:

• Current-state infrastructure assessment
• Architecture requirements and guiding principles
• Future-state datacenter architecture
• Technology option analysis
• Feasibility and risk assessment
• Architecture decision framework
• Recommended technology stack
• High-level migration roadmap
• Compatibility and lifecycle assessment
• Infrastructure sizing assumptions
• Licensing and support assumptions
• Migration and operational effort estimates
• Hardware refresh assumptions
• Technical inputs for Bill of Materials and cost modelling
• Operating model considerations
• Executive architecture recommendation
• Technology selection documentation

The architect will provide the technical foundation for financial and commercial evaluations, while not being responsible for commercial negotiations or detailed financial modelling.

Cloud & Hybrid Architecture

Strong experience with Microsoft Azure is required, particularly across:

• Landing zone architecture
• Identity and security integration
• Networking
• Compute and storage
• Governance and policy
• Monitoring and observability
• Hybrid connectivity
• Cloud operating models
• Cost optimization and FinOps considerations

Experience designing architectures that span on-premise, hybrid, and cloud environments is essential.

Infrastructure Expertise

Candidates should bring strong end-to-end knowledge of enterprise infrastructure, including areas such as:

• Enterprise compute platforms
• Storage architectures
• Datacenter networking
• VMware and/or Hyper-V environments
• Enterprise backup and recovery platforms
• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
• Windows and Linux environments
• Database infrastructure
• Monitoring and management platforms
• Automation and orchestration
• Disaster recovery and business continuity
• Datacenter facilities and infrastructure dependencies

Transformation & Migration Experience

The ideal candidate will have previously supported large-scale infrastructure or cloud transformation programs involving complex environments, multiple systems, business units, or locations.

Relevant experience may include:

• Datacenter consolidation or modernization
• Cloud and hybrid-cloud migrations
• Virtualization platform transformation
• Infrastructure refresh programs
• Application and workload migration planning
• Operating model redesign
• Managed-services transitions
• Platform standardization
• Infrastructure lifecycle modernization

The architect should be able to define migration waves, dependencies, technical sequencing, resource assumptions, risks, and validation requirements.

Architecture & Advisory Skills

The role requires the ability to operate effectively between senior management and deeply technical teams.

You should be comfortable facilitating workshops and working with stakeholders across:

• Infrastructure
• Network
• Cybersecurity
• Cloud
• Operations
• Architecture
• Project and program management
• Vendor management
• Technology suppliers and service providers
• Senior IT leadership

Strong written communication is essential, particularly the ability to produce concise and well-structured architecture reports, executive recommendations, and technical decision documents in English.

Vendor-Neutral Approach

A core requirement of the role is the ability to assess technologies independently and objectively.

Candidates should be comfortable evaluating competing architectures based on criteria such as:

• Technical fit
• Scalability
• Resilience
• Security
• Compatibility
• Operational complexity
• Migration effort
• Vendor dependency
• Lifecycle considerations
• Supportability
• Strategic flexibility

Experience Profile

We are looking for a senior or lead-level architect with extensive experience in infrastructure, datacenter, cloud, systems management, or enterprise architecture.

A strong profile would typically include significant experience with complex enterprise environments and direct ownership of infrastructure architecture or transformation assessments.

Experience with large infrastructure estates, distributed operational environments, managed services, DevSecOps, FinOps, vendor orchestration, and operational governance will be particularly valuable.

Exposure to AI infrastructure readiness, accelerated computing, or emerging datacenter requirements associated with AI workloads would also be considered an advantage.

Engagement

This is a senior architecture advisory engagement requiring strong technical ownership, independent judgement, and the ability to translate complex infrastructure topics into clear recommendations for decision-makers.

Commercial terms will depend on experience, availability, and scope of responsibility.