Lead Cloud Architect

About the role

Lead Cloud Architect

The work we do has an impact on millions of lives, and you can be a part of it. We help protect our customers against life's uncertainties. Regardless of where you work within the company, you will be helping provide protection and peace of mind when our customers need it most.

Join our cloud infrastructure team, the driving force behind our organization's cloud transformation. We architect, standardize, and engineer resilient Azure environments that fuel enterprise-wide innovation, ensuring scalability, security, and reliability as the "Secure Sandbox" for all cloud activities. Building on our established Azure presence and Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) practices, we partner with Networking, Security, Enterprise Architecture, Operations, and various domain teams (e.g., Data & AI) to create "Paved Roads" for seamless cloud consumption and advanced platforms like Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). As a peer among technical experts, you will collaborate on collective decisions and innovations that mature our cloud ecosystem.

We're looking for a Lead Cloud Architect to evolve our Azure cloud platform in partnership with a team of peer engineers. In this hands-on individual contributor role, you will use your expertise to strengthen resilient infrastructure, refine IaC and CI/CD artifacts, and elevate SRE practices-building on our solid foundation for even greater reliability. Reporting to the Senior Director of Cloud Infrastructure, you will contribute to platform strategy through shared insights, joint problem-solving, and targeted improvements that advance our cloud maturity. This role is ideal for a seasoned Azure specialist excited by cloud-native SRE at scale; your work will emphasize enhancements and new solutions atop what we've already established, not starting from zero. Collaborating with Enterprise Architecture and Application Development teams, you will support the design, implementation, and refinement of Azure and O365 services, delivering innovative IaC, orchestration, and automation while prioritizing top-tier Information Security.

Location

Birmingham, AL

Engagement

Full Time

Compensation

$195,000

Responsibilities

You will own the Azure cloud direction for this team, guiding platform strategy and SRE practices on a daily basis. The role involves refining IaC pipelines and infrastructure decisions to ensure robustness and scalability. You will design scalable Azure environments with a strong focus on O365 integration and security. Establishing standardized pathways for cloud teams using AKS and IaC frameworks is a core duty, enabling efficient and consistent cloud operations.

Partnering with security groups is essential to protect customer data and system integrity. You will refine deployment workflows to accelerate delivery while maintaining strict compliance with all relevant standards. Evaluating emerging tools to enhance monitoring and operational visibility will help maintain our competitive edge. Coordinating with networking teams to optimize connectivity and traffic management ensures seamless infrastructure performance. Championing reliability practices will reduce incidents and improve system resilience across the platform. Documenting architecture choices will guide future platform evolution and audits, creating a clear record for decision-making and compliance.

Requirements

You must hold direct experience with Azure cloud services and solutions. Eight years in infrastructure or cloud engineering roles is required. A strong understanding of networking, identity, and access controls is necessary. You must have hands-on proficiency with Terraform and configuration management tools. Familiarity with container services and orchestration platforms is required. Practicing security principles and information protection measures is mandatory. The ability to communicate effectively with both technical and business partners is essential for success in this position.

Nice to Have

Experience with enterprise architecture frameworks and standards is valued and considered a strong asset.

Skills & Tools

Your expertise will center on Azure, Terraform, O365, AKS, and CI/CD pipelines. These tools form the foundation of your daily work in optimizing and managing our cloud infrastructure.

Practical Notes

Please This includes verifying compensation figures, location specifics, and engagement terms to ensure alignment with current opportunities.