Job Title: Azure Cloud Architect
Location: Austin, TX - Hybrid
Type: Independent Contract (Contractor / Non-Employee)
Start Date: ASAP

Duration: 12-18 months

Pay Rate: $100/hr-$110/hr 1099 or corp to corp

We are undertaking a major initiative to migrate on-premises technologies to the cloud. We are seeking an experienced consultant with the following qualifications:

• Architect-level expertise in Microsoft Azure
• Extensive experience with data migration and cloud adoption projects
• Demonstrated capability in designing and delivering enterprise-grade applications and cloud-native architectures
• Proven leadership in developing scalable, secure, and high-performance solutions
• Superior communication skills

This position will commence as a consulting engagement, with the primary objective of delivering a comprehensive cloud readiness assessment. Responsibilities include evaluating existing on-premises infrastructure, designing effective migration strategies, and providing a detailed report featuring actionable recommendations.  Candidates should possess 15–22 years of relevant industry experience.

Solution Architecture & Infrastructure Design:

• Oversee and define comprehensive solution architecture across enterprise applications.
• Define end-to-end infrastructure architecture for on-premises, hybrid, and cloud environments.
• Translate business requirements into scalable, secure, and robust technical designs.
• Design scalable, resilient, and secure infrastructure solutions aligned with organizational objectives.

Modernization & Migration Initiatives:

• Drive modernization initiatives, including transitions from monolithic to microservices architectures and migrations from on-premises to cloud environments.
• Lead migration programs including data center migration, cloud adoption, and workload modernization initiatives.
• Assess existing infrastructure landscapes and develop comprehensive migration strategies (e.g., rehost, replatform, refactor).
• Drive cloud transformation projects (across Azure/AWS/GCP), with focus on cost optimization and enhanced performance.

Governance & Standards:

• Lead architecture governance processes, conduct design reviews, and facilitate informed technical decision-making.
• Establish infrastructure standards, industry best practices for coding standards, CI/CD pipelines, DevOps methodologies, and cloud adoption strategies.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement:

• Collaborate with stakeholders including application, security, business, product, delivery, and infrastructure teams to ensure seamless execution of projects.
• Provide support for pre-sales engagements, solution proposals, and advisory efforts.

Risk Management & Compliance:

• Ensure compliance with established security protocols, performance benchmarks, and regulatory requirements.
• Identify risks, dependencies, and formulate effective mitigation strategies throughout the migration lifecycle.
• Conduct capacity planning, disaster recovery, and business continuity design.

Technical Leadership & Recommendations:

• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to development and engineering teams.
• Evaluate and recommend appropriate tools, frameworks, and platforms in alignment with enterprise strategy.

Technical Skills:

Application Development & Architecture:

• Demonstrated expertise in the .NET ecosystem, including .NET Core/.NET 6+ and ASP.NET MVC/Web API.
• In-depth understanding of microservices architecture and distributed systems.
• Experience with API-first design, RESTful services, and event-driven architectures.
• Strong background in databases, including SQL Server, Cosmos DB, and NoSQL.

Cloud Platforms & Infrastructure:

• Hands-on experience with cloud platforms, primarily Azure (App Services, AKS, Functions, Service Bus, API Management) with knowledge of AWS and GCP.
• Proficient in migration tools and frameworks such as Azure Migrate, AWS Migration Hub, CloudEndure, and Carbonite.
• Deep expertise in infrastructure architecture covering compute, storage, networking, and virtualization (VMware, Hyper-V).
• Thorough understanding of networking concepts (VPC/VNet, load balancers, DNS, VPN, ExpressRoute/Direct Connect).

Containerization & Orchestration:

• Proficiency in containerization technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes/OpenShift.

Automation & Infrastructure as Code:

• Advanced proficiency in infrastructure as code tools like Terraform, ARM templates, and Bicep.
• Experience with automation and configuration management tools, including Ansible, PowerShell, and Python.

Monitoring & Observability:

• Experience with observability and monitoring tools, including Application Insights, Splunk, Prometheus, and ELK.

DevOps & CI/CD Practices:

• Proven skills in DevOps practices, including Azure DevOps and GitHub Actions for CI/CD pipelines.

Security & Compliance:

• Understanding and implementation of security standards and concepts, such as OAuth2, OpenID Connect, IAM, encryption, Zero Trust architecture, and compliance frameworks.

Migration & Transformation Expertise

• Leadership experience managing large-scale migrations (100+ servers/workloads).
• Expertise in diverse migration strategies: rehost (lift & shift), replatform, refactor, retire, retain.
• Proficient in application dependency mapping and discovery tools.
• Ability to design phased migration plans and wave execution strategies.
• Experience with data and database migration, as well as storage transitions.
• Competence in downtime minimization techniques and cutover planning.
• Experience implementing hybrid cloud and multi-cloud architectures.

Leadership & Stakeholder Management

• Proven ability to serve as architect or lead in major transformation initiatives.
• Strong stakeholder engagement, including collaboration with business units, CIO organizations, and external partners.
• Capable of facilitating technical workshops, architecture review sessions, and migration planning meetings.
• Adept at managing cross-functional teams and leveraging global delivery models.
• Excellent documentation and presentation skills suitable for executive audiences.

Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related disciplines.

Professional Certifications (Preferred):

• Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification.
• AWS Solutions Architect certification.
• TOGAF or equivalent architecture certification.
• VMware and Kubernetes certifications.

Nice to Have

Industry Experience:

• Experience in regulated sectors such as BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance) or Healthcare.

Integration & Specialized Practices:

• Familiarity with EDI/B2B platforms (e.g., Seeburger, Mulesoft) or integration-centric environments.
• Exposure to Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) principles and practices.

Cloud & Advanced Technologies:

• Knowledge of FinOps and cloud cost optimization or governance strategies.
• Experience with AI/ML integration within enterprise solutions.

Other Duties: Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job.  Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Cayuse is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  All employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, skills, and abilities. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment in accordance with any applicable federal, state, or local law.