Senior Cloud Architect

Description As a Cloud Architect, you will be responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining cloud-based solutions for our organization. You will work closely with our technical and business teams to understand their requirements, analyze the current infrastructure, and recommend cloud-based solutions that align with our organizational goals. Your role will involve collaborating with the technical teams to develop cloud-based architectures, strategies, and roadmaps, creating, and maintaining documentation, and working with vendors and partners to identify suitable solutions. You will also be responsible for identifying and addressing security risks and ensuring that our cloud infrastructure is scalable, reliable, and performant. This role will be an in-office work setting located in our Kansas City World Headquarters office. The Cloud Architect will be responsible for the following activities and functions: Design and develop cloud-based architectures that meet our technical and business requirements in a multi-cloud environment. Work with technical teams to develop cloud migration strategies and plans. Provide guidance and support to technical teams during the implementation of cloud solutions by jointly collaborating with business teams on design, onboarding and migration of applications and solutions ensuring proper fitment, adherence to design principles, cost effectiveness and meeting the required security and compliance. Design and implement consistent cloud landing zone concepts for shared platform services and dev, test, prod environments with associated policy driven infrastructure. Develop and maintain cloud-based documentation, including architecture diagrams, policies and procedures, and training materials. Work with vendors and partners to identify suitable cloud-based solutions. Design, enforce and monitor proper identity and access management (IAM) solutions and security/compliance controls in alignment with Information Security requirements. Identify and address security risks and ensure that our cloud infrastructure is secure. Monitor and optimize cloud-based infrastructure for performance and cost, identify bottlenecks, and optimize system architecture for maximum efficiency and availability. Implement monitoring and alerting mechanisms to proactively identify and resolve performance issues. Work with technical teams to resolve issues and ensure that our cloud infrastructure is highly available and reliable. Stay up-to-date with cloud-based technologies and recommend improvements to our infrastructure. Collaborate with technical and business teams to ensure that our cloud-based solutions align with our organizational goals. Provide recommendations for cost optimization, such as rightsizing instances, leveraging reserved instances, or implementing auto-scaling capabilities for contribution to FinOps practices. Assist, enable and educate cloud consumers in best practices. Co-develop/participate in cloud governance practices like architectural review boards and cloud center of excellence programs. Conduct cloud well architected reviews for cloud applications and solutions. Qualifications Required: Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field and 8 years of experience providing enterprise architecture strategies, enterprise integration solutions and services leveraging various applications and technical platforms required or applicable work experience may be substituted for the degree requirement. Excellent enterprise architecture and integration skills, including data architecture, cloud architecture, middleware and other architectural methods and practices. Experience in large scale enterprise transformation projects using industry enterprise architecture strategy solutions and middleware technologies. Strong ability to influence or lead enterprise integration project execution. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Expert knowledge with application data analysis and transformation at various layers of the architecture and possess the ability to present data transformation during various stages of the architecture. Experience with leading edge application, middleware technology and solutions utilizing data strategies. Experience with a variety of project execution methodologies including but not limed to Waterfall and Agile. Experience developing enterprise architecture strategies focusing on data, application, and technologies for clients in the utilities industry. Experience in integrating operational systems in Electric Transmission/Distribution/Generation/Telecom (SCADA, ADMS), Municipal Government, Federal Government, Airport and Facilities industries is preferred. Preferred: The Cloud Architect will evidence his/her knowledge of security and risk management through ongoing continuing professional education. The ideal candidate will maintain one or more of the following certifications, though they are not required: Professional Network Certifications preferred (Azure or AWS Certified Solution Architect) Experience designing and delivering complex, Hybrid Cloud Infrastructures. Experience delivering Infrastructure as Code. Experience with DevOps practices and toolsets, some development background preferred. Strong with at least one scripting language such as Python. The Cloud Architect should have direct, documented, and verifiable experience with the following: Proven experience as a Cloud Architect or similar role. Experience working in an Enterprise Architect practice. In-depth knowledge of cloud-based technologies and architectures. Experience with cloud-based infrastructure, such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and OCI. Knowledge of DevOps and Agile methodologies. Stay updated with the latest industry trends and emerging technologies to proactively address security risks. Performance Optimization and Cost Management - Monitor cloud infrastructure performance, identify bottlenecks, and optimize system architecture for maximum efficiency and availability. Implement monitoring and alerting mechanisms to proactively identify and resolve performance issues. Optimize cloud resource utilization to minimize costs while ensuring adequate capacity and performance. Provide recommendations for cost optimization, such as rightsizing instances, leveraging reserved instances, or implementing auto-scaling capabilities. Experience in using architecture methodologies such as TOGAF. Deep understanding and experience with switches, routing, MPLS, network administration, network integration, and network advancement Experience planning and designing wireless, network security, LAN, WAN, and external network data connections. Full-stack knowledge of IT infrastructure: Applications Databases Operating systems — Windows, Unix and Linux Hypervisors IP networks — WAN/SDWAN, LAN, VNETs, VPCs, WAFs, Firewalls, NSGs, Transit Gateways, Load Balancers Storage networks Backup networks and media Containers/Kubernetes EEO/Minorities/Females/Disabled/Veterans Job Information Technology Primary Location US-MO-Kansas City Schedule: Full-time Travel: Yes, 25 % of the Time Req ID: 234029 Job Hire Type Experienced #LI-SN #COR N/A