Data & AI Architect -Azure

Job description

- Under general direction, participates as high level technical expert in design development, coding, testing, and debugging new software or significant enhancements to existing software for third party customers. Works with technical staff to understand problems with software and develops specifications to resolve them. Resolves customer complaints and responds to suggestions for improvements and enhancements from third party customers. Participates in the development of software user manuals. May act as team leader on less complex projects. Assists in training less-experienced software development staff. Note: If the incumbent is responsible for the development of software for internal use, please match to a position in the Application Development sub-family grouping. - **Job DescriptionAbout the Role** We are seeking an experienced **Azure Architect** to lead the design, development, and governance of our cloud ecosystem. The ideal candidate will have strong expertise across **Azure architecture**, **data engineering**, **data science enablement**, **security**, and **enterprise integrations**. This role partners closely with engineering, product, and business teams to deliver scalable, secure, and futureready cloud solutions. **Key Responsibilities** **1. Azure Cloud Architecture** • Design highly available, scalable, and costoptimized solutions using Azure services (Compute, Storage, Networking, App Services, AKS, Event Hub, API Management). • Lead architecture reviews, cloud adoption frameworks, and bestpractice implementations. • Define reference architectures, patterns, and guardrails for development teams. **2. Data Engineering & Analytics** • Architect endtoend data pipelines using Azure Data Factory, Synapse, Delta Lake, Databricks, ADLS Gen2, and Event Streaming solutions. • Establish data ingestion, transformation, and governance frameworks. • Optimize data models for analytics, machine learning workloads, and enterprise insights. • Collaborate with Data Scientists to operationalize ML models using MLOps (Azure ML, Model Registry, CI/CD pipelines). **3. Data Science & AI Enablement** • Enable scalable training, deployment, and monitoring of ML/AI workloads. • Evaluate and integrate Azure AI services (OpenAI, Cognitive Services, search vectors, embedding pipelines). • Define best practices for feature engineering, model lifecycle management, and ML observability. **4. Security, Compliance & Governance** • Implement ZeroTrust architecture and industry standards for identity, access, encryption, and network security. • Establish governance via Azure Policy, Blueprints, Defender for Cloud, RBAC, and resource hygiene. • Lead security assessments, threat modeling, and compliance auditing (SOC2, ISO, HIPAA, etc.). **5. Integrations & API Ecosystem** • Architect enterprise integrations using Azure Integration Services (API Management, Service Bus, Logic Apps, Event Grid). • Oversee API standards, versioning, gateway policies, and enterprise messaging frameworks. • Ensure reliable async and realtime integrations across internal/external systems. **6. DevOps & Automation** • Drive InfrastructureasCode (Terraform/Bicep), CI/CD (GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps), and automated deployments. • Optimize cost, performance, observability, and operational resilience (Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, App Insights). **7. Stakeholder Leadership** • Serve as a technical advisor to business and product teams. • Conduct architecture workshops, capability roadmaps, and cloud modernization strategies. • Mentor engineering teams and cultivate cloud engineering excellence. **Required Skills & Experience** **Technical Expertise** • 815+ years of experience in cloud, data, or application architecture roles. • Strong handson experience with Azure services across compute, data, network, security, and integration domains. • Expertise in: o **Data Engineering:** Data Factory, Synapse, Databricks, Lakehouse, streaming pipelines o **Data Science:** Azure ML, model deployment, MLOps o **Security:** IAM, Azure AD, Defender, Network Security, Policies o **Integrations:** API Management, Service Bus, Logic Apps o **DevOps:** Bicep, Terraform, YAML pipelines, GitOps • Solid understanding of distributed systems, microservices, eventdriven architectures. **Soft Skills** • Strong architecture documentation and communication skills. • Ability to translate business needs into scalable technical designs. • Experience influencing CXOlevel stakeholders. • Problemsolving mindset with endtoend ownership.