Solutions Architect – Cloud Platforms

We are seeking a Solutions Architect – Cloud Platforms for First Quality Enterprises, working remotely.

The Cloud Services Team within IT Infrastructure provides strategic direction, technical/functional expertise, and platform management for First Quality’s public cloud hosting environments and Dev Ops platforms, including Microsoft Azure and future builds in AWS.

The Cloud Platform Architect will design and implement scalable, reliable, secure, and cost‑effective cloud solutions that seamlessly integrate with existing on‑premises and cloud infrastructure. They will focus on Dev Ops CI/CD pipelines, Infrastructure as Code, system design, and operational readiness for both the Azure and upcoming AWS platforms.

• Establish enterprise architectural standards and produce reference architecture documents for public and hybrid‑cloud environments.
• Define Cloud Dev Ops processes, procedures, and CI/CD pipelines to govern IaC deployments.
• Create technology roadmaps with an emphasis on delivering business value and aligning with organizational goals.
• Assist with demand planning, scheduling, and project management.
• Attend customer and internal meetings to gather requirements and understand business needs.
• Document business requirements, identify opportunities, and produce High‑Level Design (HLD) documents for cloud projects.
• Collaborate with Cloud Engineers to develop Low‑Level Designs (LLD), IaC templates, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Ensure designs adhere to First Quality IT architectural standards.
• Partner with Information Security to align security posture with industry best practices.
• Work with Data and Application teams to ensure solution integrity.
• Guarantee full operational readiness and documentation for transition to Operations.
• Maintain up‑to‑date as‑built documentation, diagrams, and reference materials for Operations.
• Provide Level‑4 escalation support for incident and problem resolution.
• Oversee backup, recovery, and testing practices for cloud environments.
• Stay current on industry trends to ensure solutions are up‑to‑date and effective.

• Minimum 10+ years of IT experience.
• Minimum 5+ years of hands‑on experience with major public cloud vendors.
• Microsoft Certified (AZ‑305 and/or AZ‑400) is a plus.
• Experience building hybrid‑cloud architectures that combine public and on‑premises environments.
• Strong knowledge of Azure networking fundamentals (VPN, Express Route, virtual networks, subnets, routing, IP management, load balancers, private endpoints).
• Experience using Terraform IaC templates, Git Hub Enterprise, and Azure Dev Ops processes.
• Proficiency with Azure services:
  Management Groups, Subscriptions, Policies, RBAC, VM, Storage, App Services, Databases.
• Knowledge of Azure PaaS platforms (Data Factory, Machine Learning, Databricks, SQL MI, Logic Apps, Automation Accounts, Service Bus, DNS, Functions).
• Experience with landing zones, management groups, subscriptions, resource groups, and RBAC strategy.
• Hands‑on expertise securing Azure environments (Secure Score, NSG, WAF, Key Vault).
• Knowledge of IAM services:
  Enterprise Applications, App Registrations, Managed Identities, Application Proxy.
• Experience managing Azure logging, data collection, and analytics (Event Hub, VNet flow logs, Log Analytics).
• Experience with cloud economics and cost‑optimization strategies (rightsizing, reserved instances, savings plans).
• Proven project and process management skills, with required experience in Change and Configuration Management.
• Manufacturing environment experience is a plus.
• Results‑oriented, customer‑focused, team player with strong problem‑solving and communication skills.
• Ability to strategize, influence change, and mentor others.

First Quality is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identification, or protected veteran status.