Associate Cloud Solution Architect

Responsibilities:

• Cloud Architecture & Design:
• Develop hybrid cloud reference architecture and define target state cloud architecture.
• Design, engineer, and administer Azure Kubernetes (AKS) clusters for critical business applications.
• Implement Kubernetes-based architecture following best practices.
• Design deployment architecture for IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS solutions addressing business needs.
• Work closely with engineering, security, and operations teams in an agile environment.
• Infrastructure & Automation:
• Capture entire infrastructure as code using Terraform, CloudFormation.
• Implement Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) principles for operational efficiency.
• Work with Azure DevOps, GitHub, Ansible, Chef, Puppet for infrastructure provisioning.
• Automate deployments using CI/CD pipelines (GitLab, GitHub Actions, Jenkins, etc.).
• Manage networking, security, and containerized workloads on Azure PaaS & IaaS services.
• Operations & Support:
• Oversee 45+ AKS clusters supporting 200+ applications across 16+ Azure subscriptions.
• Troubleshoot and optimize networking (NSG, firewall rules, load balancers, DNS, Prisma Security Tool, Akamai).
• Monitor environments using New Relic, Dynatrace, Grafana, Site24x7.
• Develop and execute service improvement plans, ensuring high availability and resilience.
• Work with business teams, vendors, and clients to resolve issues and optimize cloud security strategies.
• Governance & Documentation:
• Ensure compliance with IT security policies, industry regulations, and best practices.
• Maintain and evolve technology documentation, process templates, and knowledge management.
• Create implementation guides, SOPs, escalation management plans, and incident response procedures.

Required Skills & Qualifications:

Technical Skills:

• 8+ years of experience in Azure Cloud & Kubernetes (AKS).
• Expertise in Azure Kubernetes Services (AKS), Azure PaaS & IaaS, Terraform, Docker, and Microservices Architecture.
• Strong automation experience using Terraform, CloudFormation, Ansible, Chef, Puppet.
• Hands-on experience with CI/CD pipelines (GitLab CI, Jenkins, Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions).
• Advanced knowledge of Azure Networking, Security, Load Balancers, DNS, and Firewall configurations.
• Proficiency in Linux, Shell Scripting, Python.
• Azure Certifications (e.g., Azure Solutions Architect, Azure DevOps Expert) are required.

Process & Management Skills:

• Production support expertise in a large-scale enterprise environment.
• Experience in Project Management, ITIL, and Operations Management.
• Strong skills in risk analysis, incident management, and troubleshooting.
• Ability to act as a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for multiple customers.
• Strong knowledge management & escalation management experience.

Behavioral Skills:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong problem-solving, analytical, and decision-making abilities.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Experience in mentoring and coaching teams on best practices.