Enterprise Architect – Cloud & Technology Governance

Location: New York, NY
Work Arrangement: Hybrid – 3 Days Onsite / 2 Days Remote
Contract Duration: 12 Months
Work Schedule: 37.5 Hours/Week

Position Summary

We are seeking a strategic and technically proficient Enterprise Architect – Cloud & Technology Governance to lead enterprise-wide architecture standards, cloud modernization initiatives, technical debt management, and the Architecture Review process for technology procurement.

The ideal candidate will provide strong technical leadership across Azure and hybrid cloud environments, establish architecture governance frameworks, reduce technology redundancy, and ensure technology investments align with business objectives. The role will also contribute to the evaluation and adoption of emerging technologies, including AI and modern cloud platforms.

Key Responsibilities

1. Enterprise Architecture Standards & Governance

• Define, publish, and maintain architecture standards across application, data, infrastructure, and integration domains.
• Develop reusable reference architectures and enforce architectural standards through solution reviews and design checkpoints.
• Collaborate with domain architects, engineering teams, and technical leaders to ensure consistency across enterprise platforms.
• Establish and contribute to enterprise standards for AI technologies and emerging technology capabilities.

2. Cloud Architecture & Platform Strategy

• Design scalable, resilient, secure, and cost-effective cloud solutions, primarily utilizing Microsoft Azure and AI technologies.
• Develop cloud governance frameworks, landing zones, architecture patterns, and implementation guidelines.
• Lead hybrid and multi-cloud integration strategies across Azure, AWS, and GCP environments.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, including AI, observability platforms, and modern data platforms, for enterprise adoption.
• Define cloud architecture strategies that support scalability, security, performance, and business objectives.

3. Technical Debt Management

• Maintain and manage an enterprise-wide technical debt inventory.
• Partner with product, application, infrastructure, and platform teams to identify and prioritize technical debt remediation.
• Evaluate technical debt based on risk, cost, business impact, and strategic value.
• Integrate technical debt metrics into technology planning, budgeting, and funding processes.

4. Architecture Review Board & Technology Procurement

• Chair or lead the Architecture Review Board (ARB).
• Review technology requests and procurement proposals for alignment with enterprise architecture standards.
• Evaluate proposed technologies for architectural fit, security, scalability, integration, and operational readiness.
• Collaborate with Procurement, Legal, Cybersecurity, and Technology teams to incorporate architecture governance into sourcing and procurement workflows.
• Serve as a key architectural decision-maker for enterprise technology investments.

5. Infrastructure as Code & Automation

• Implement and govern Infrastructure as Code (IaC) solutions using tools such as:
  • Terraform
  • Azure ARM
  • Pulumi
• Support CI/CD automation using:
  • GitHub Actions
  • GitLab CI/CD
  • Jenkins
• Implement configuration management and automation using tools such as:
  • Ansible
  • Chef
  • Puppet

6. Security, Compliance & Performance Optimization

• Apply cloud security best practices across IAM, RBAC, WAF, NSG, Key Vault, and Defender for Cloud.
• Design and promote Zero Trust security architectures.
• Align architecture practices with industry frameworks and standards, including:
  • CIS
  • NIST
  • ISO 27001
• Optimize cloud environments using Azure Advisor, Azure Cost Management, and FinOps principles.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity teams to ensure enterprise architecture meets security and compliance requirements.

7. Application Lifecycle & Portfolio Rationalization

• Support application rationalization and lifecycle management through architecture-led assessments.
• Partner with ServiceNow APM and CMDB teams to maintain accurate application and technology inventories.
• Identify opportunities to eliminate redundant technologies and applications.
• Contribute to enterprise architecture dashboards, metrics, and KPI reporting.
• Support lifecycle governance and technology portfolio optimization.

8. Stakeholder Engagement & Communication

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including:
  • Network
  • DevOps
  • Cybersecurity
  • Finance
  • Procurement
  • Infrastructure
  • Application Development
• Translate complex technical concepts into clear, business-oriented recommendations.
• Participate in strategic planning, cloud strategy discussions, architecture reviews, and enterprise technology decision-making.
• Build strong relationships with technical and business stakeholders across the organization.

Required Skills & Experience

• Azure Cloud Platform: 7–9 years of experience
• GCP (Google Cloud): 1–2 years of experience preferred
• AWS / OCI: 1–2 years of experience preferred
• Hybrid On-Premises / Cloud: 4–6 years of experience
• Cloud Networking: 4–6 years of experience
• Cloud Security: 2–3 years of experience
• Cloud FinOps: 1–2 years of experience
• Microsoft Visio: 2–3 years of experience
• Architecture Review Board (ARB) / Governance Leadership: 3+ years of experience
• Technical Procurement Oversight: 2+ years of experience

Required/Preferred Qualifications

• Extensive experience in Enterprise Architecture, Cloud Architecture, and Technology Governance.
• Strong expertise in Microsoft Azure and hybrid cloud environments.
• Experience developing enterprise architecture standards, reference architectures, and governance frameworks.
• Experience leading Architecture Review Boards or similar architecture governance processes.
• Experience evaluating technology solutions and supporting technical procurement decisions.
• Strong understanding of cloud security, networking, automation, and cost optimization.
• Experience with emerging technologies, including AI and AI-related enterprise standards.
• Strong communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.

Certifications

Preferred certifications include:

• Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert
• AWS or GCP Architect Certification – Nice to Have
• TOGAF (The Open Group Architecture Framework) – Preferred
• ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) – Preferred