Cloud Architect

• Position Type: Contract-to-Hire, W2 Candidates Only
• Initial Contract Duration: 12 Months
• Work Arrangement: Remote

We are seeking an AI Cloud Expert Architect to lead the architecture, design, and automation of an enterprise cloud platform and security integration framework. This role bridges cloud platform engineering and advanced automation, encompassing cloud landing zones, Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) module libraries, and intelligent agentic workflows that orchestrate data from enterprise security and networking platforms.

This is a highly technical, hands-on role requiring expertise in enterprise-scale Terraform solutions, resilient CI/CD frameworks, automated security attack-path mapping, and compensating control architectures.

• Lead the evolution of enterprise cloud landing zone architectures in AWS (preferred) or Azure.
• Design and implement cloud networking strategies, including network segmentation, transit networking, private endpoints, DNS frameworks, and micro-segmentation.
• Build and maintain enterprise-scale Terraform module libraries with secure-by-default standards and reusable architecture patterns.
• Design and implement multi-stage CI/CD pipelines using Azure Dev Ops, Git Hub Actions, or similar platforms.
• Incorporate policy-as-code, automated validation, compliance enforcement, and drift detection into deployment workflows.
• Architect and integrate cloud-native and AI-driven workflows using AWS Bedrock and Large Language Model (LLM) technologies.
• Design and deploy agent-based solutions running on Kubernetes platforms.
• Develop and maintain advanced Python-based automation solutions.
• Architect integrations with enterprise security tools such as Tenable to automate vulnerability data collection and analysis.
• Leverage network topology and DNS management systems such as Infoblox to identify attack paths and exposure risks.
• Integrate firewall intelligence and rule-set analysis into automated security workflows.
• Design and implement compensating control frameworks to mitigate risks, including lateral movement and data exfiltration.
• Embed governance and security standards through Azure Policy, AWS Service Control Policies (SCPs), Open Policy Agent (OPA/Rego), Sentinel, or equivalent technologies.
• Serve as the highest-level escalation point for cloud engineering teams on complex infrastructure and automation issues.
• Lead architecture reviews and establish architectural governance through Architecture Decision Records (ADRs).
• Define and enforce enterprise technical standards, non-functional requirements, and engineering best practices.

• 8+ years of hands-on experience in cloud infrastructure, systems engineering, or cloud platform architecture.
• Deep expertise in AWS (preferred) or Azure cloud platforms.
• 5+ years of enterprise-scale Terraform development, including:
• Custom module and provider development.
• 4+ years of experience designing and implementing CI/CD pipelines using Azure Dev Ops, Git Hub Actions, or similar tools.
• Demonstrated experience integrating security and networking platforms into automated cloud workflows, including:
• Tenable.
• Infoblox.
• Network Virtual Appliances (NVAs).
• Experience with Kubernetes-based platforms and containerized solutions.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or equivalent industry experience.

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional certification.
• Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification.
• Hashi Corp Certified:
  Terraform Associate certification.
• Experience with AWS Bedrock and generative AI technologies.
• Familiarity with agentic AI architectures and API-driven security orchestration.
• Experience with automated threat modeling and attack-path analysis.
• Hands-on experience with EKS, AKS, and Git Ops workflows.
• Knowledge of Zero Trust security architectures.
• Experience implementing identity federation using SAML and OIDC.
• Knowledge of secrets management platforms and practices.

AWS, Azure, Terraform, AWS Bedrock, Large Language Models (LLMs), Kubernetes, EKS, AKS, Python, Azure Dev Ops, Git Hub Actions, Tenable, Infoblox, Palo Alto Networks, OPA/Rego, Sentinel, Azure Policy, AWS Service Control Policies (SCPs), Git Ops, SAML, and OIDC.