Role Purpose

The Cloud Solution Architect is a senior technology leader responsible for defining, designing, and governing enterprise cloud solutions that support the bank's cloud adoption, data modernisation, digital transformation, and application modernisation agenda.

The role requires deep expertise in cloud architecture, security, enterprise integration, modern engineering practices, and large-scale transformation delivery. The Cloud Solution Architect will work across business, technology, security, engineering, data, and governance teams to ensure cloud solutions are secure, scalable, resilient, cost-effective, compliant, and aligned to enterprise architecture standards.

Key Responsibilities

Cloud Strategy & Architecture

• Define and maintain cloud architecture standards, principles, patterns, guardrails, and reference architectures.

• Translate business and technology strategy into practical cloud solution roadmaps.

• Design enterprise-scale cloud solutions across infrastructure, applications, data platforms, AI/ML platforms, integration, and digital channels.

• Provide architectural leadership across cloud transformation, migration, modernisation, and platform enablement initiatives.

• Evaluate cloud technologies, services, and architecture patterns to support current and future business needs.

• Ensure solution designs align with enterprise architecture, security, risk, regulatory, and operational standards.

Solution Design & Delivery

• Design secure, scalable, highly available, and resilient cloud-native and hybrid cloud solutions.

• Lead architecture across application modernisation, infrastructure migration, data platform modernisation, DevOps enablement, and cloud operating model improvements.

• Review and approve solution designs, technical patterns, and architecture decisions.

• Support migration of applications, infrastructure, and data from on-premise environments to cloud platforms.

• Guide engineering teams on cloud-native design, integration patterns, containerisation, automation, and platform best practice.

• Ensure solutions are fit-for-purpose, cost-conscious, operationally sustainable, and aligned to business outcomes.

Security, Risk & Compliance

• Embed security-by-design principles into cloud architecture and delivery.

• Define cloud security architecture across identity, access management, encryption, key management, network security, monitoring, and compliance.

• Work closely with cybersecurity, risk, audit, infrastructure, and governance teams to ensure regulatory alignment.

• Support cloud governance, risk management, compliance reviews, and architecture assurance processes.

• Promote Zero Trust principles and secure landing zone patterns.

• Ensure solutions meet the requirements of a highly regulated financial services environment.

DevOps, Automation & Modern Engineering

• Promote modern engineering practices including Infrastructure as Code, CI/CD, automated deployment, automated testing, observability, and platform engineering.

• Guide teams on Azure DevOps, GitHub, Terraform, Bicep, Ansible, PowerShell, Python, and cloud automation practices.

• Support containerisation and modern platform adoption using Kubernetes, Docker, OpenShift, and container security principles.

• Drive standardisation of reusable cloud assets, patterns, templates, and architecture artefacts.

• Encourage engineering excellence, reusability, quality, and operational resilience.

Cloud Operations, Resilience & Optimisation

• Define architecture standards for availability, resilience, disaster recovery, backup, monitoring, and business continuity.

• Promote cloud operational excellence through automation, observability, capacity planning, and performance optimisation.

• Drive cloud cost optimisation and FinOps practices.

• Identify opportunities to reduce technical debt, simplify legacy infrastructure, and improve operational efficiency.

• Support cloud platform stability, resilience metrics, cost optimisation, and value realisation.

Data, Analytics & AI Platform Architecture

• Provide architecture guidance for cloud-based data platforms and analytics ecosystems.

• Support data modernisation initiatives involving Azure Databricks, Microsoft Fabric, Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Data Lake Storage, and AI/ML platform architecture.

• Ensure data platform designs are secure, scalable, governed, integrated, and fit for advanced analytics consumption.

• Partner with data engineering, analytics, governance, and business teams to enable reliable enterprise data products.

Stakeholder Engagement & Leadership

• Engage with executives, business leaders, product owners, enterprise architects, solution architects, engineers, security teams, and technology partners.

• Present architecture strategies, recommendations, risks, and trade-offs to senior management and governance forums.

• Provide architectural input into planning, budgeting, delivery prioritisation, and technology decision-making.

• Mentor solution architects, engineers, and technical teams on cloud architecture and best practice.

• Influence stakeholders across complex enterprise environments and drive alignment between business strategy and technology execution.

Required Experience

• 8–12+ years’ IT experience, with at least 5 years in cloud architecture, solution architecture, or enterprise architecture roles.

• Proven experience designing and delivering enterprise-scale cloud solutions.

• Strong experience with Microsoft Azure; exposure to AWS and/or GCP is advantageous.

• Experience with cloud migration, application modernisation, data modernisation, and hybrid cloud environments.

• Track record of leading or influencing large-scale transformation programmes.

• Experience in banking, financial services, insurance, or another highly regulated enterprise environment is strongly preferred.

• Experience working with senior stakeholders, governance forums, architecture review boards, and cross-functional delivery teams.

Technical Skills

Cloud Platforms

• Microsoft Azure — preferred

• AWS

• Google Cloud Platform

• Hybrid cloud and multi-cloud architecture

• Cloud landing zones

• Cloud governance and operating models

Infrastructure & Networking

• Virtual networks

• Software-defined networking

• VPN and ExpressRoute connectivity

• Load balancing and traffic management

• Private endpoints and secure connectivity patterns

• Infrastructure as Code

DevOps & Automation

• Azure DevOps

• GitHub

• CI/CD pipelines

• Terraform

• Bicep

• Ansible

• PowerShell

• Python

Containers & Modern Platforms

• Kubernetes

• Docker

• OpenShift

• Container security

• Cloud-native architecture

• Microservices architecture

Security & Compliance

• Cloud security architecture

• Identity and access management

• Zero Trust architecture

• Encryption and key management

• Network security

• Security monitoring

• Regulatory compliance frameworks

• Risk and audit support

Data & AI Platforms

• Azure Databricks

• Microsoft Fabric

• Azure Synapse Analytics

• Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2

• AI/ML platform architecture

• Data platform modernisation

• Enterprise analytics enablement

Preferred Certifications

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional

• Google Professional Cloud Architect

• TOGAF

• Certified Kubernetes Administrator

• FinOps Practitioner

Key Competencies

• Strategic thinking

• Enterprise architecture

• Cloud solution architecture

• Executive stakeholder engagement

• Technical leadership

• Security and risk awareness

• Commercial and financial acumen

• Strong communication and presentation skills

• Decision-making and problem-solving

• Governance and architecture assurance

• Innovation and continuous improvement

• Ability to influence across business and technology teams

Success Measures

• Successful delivery of cloud adoption and transformation initiatives.

• Architecture compliance and quality of solution review outcomes.

• Improved cloud platform resilience, availability, and operational maturity.

• Reduction in technical debt and legacy infrastructure dependency.

• Effective cloud cost optimisation and value realisation.

• Positive security, risk, and audit outcomes.

• Delivery of strategic cloud initiatives within agreed timelines.