Senior Azure Cloud Architect

SGS is the world’s leading Testing, Inspection and Certification company. We operate a network of over 2,500 laboratories and business facilities across 115 countries , supported by a team of over 100,000 dedicated professionals . With more than 145 years of service excellence , we combine the precision and accuracy that define Swiss companies to help organizations achieve t he highest standards of quality, compliance and sustainability.

Our brand promise – “when you need to be sure” – underscores our commitment to trust, integrity and reliability , enabling businesses to thrive with confidence . We proudly deliver our expert services through the SGS name and a portfolio of trusted specialized brands , including Applied Technical Services , Brightsight , Bluesign and Nutrasource .

Job Description

The Senior Azure Cloud Architect is responsible for designing, governing, and evolving the organization's Microsoft Azure cloud architecture strategy, with Azure positioned as the primary enterprise cloud platform. The role ensures Azure environments are secure, scalable, resilient, cost-effective, and aligned with business objectives, while maintaining awareness of AWS and Google Cloud Platform capabilities where required for interoperability or future-state planning.

The Cloud Architect works closely with enterprise architects, cybersecurity teams, application owners, DevOps engineers, infrastructure teams, and business stakeholders to drive cloud adoption, modernization initiatives, and digital transformation programs.

Responsibilities

Azure Strategy & Architecture

• Develop and maintain Azure architecture roadmaps aligned with business and technology strategies.
• Define target-state architectures, modernization approaches, and cloud migration strategies.
• Establish Azure architecture standards, reference patterns, and governance guardrails for secure enterprise-scale adoption.
• Apply the Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework and Azure Well-Architected Framework to guide cloud design, governance, and modernization initiatives.
• Promote Azure as the primary cloud platform while supporting interoperability with AWS and GCP where required.
• Lead the design, governance, and evolution of Azure Landing Zones.
• Define subscription strategies, management groups, resource organization, naming standards, tagging, and policy controls.
• Design secure Azure networking and hybrid connectivity architectures, including hub-and-spoke, private connectivity, DNS, and segmentation.
• Architect solutions across Azure IaaS, PaaS, containers, data, analytics, integration, AI, disaster recovery, and business continuity services.
• Establish security baselines using Azure Policy, RBAC, Microsoft Entra ID, Defender for Cloud, Key Vault, and monitoring capabilities.
• Ensure integration between Azure, on-premises, and other cloud environments where required.

Governance, Compliance & Security

• Define and maintain cloud governance frameworks aligned with security, risk, compliance, and operational requirements.
• Ensure compliance with relevant industry standards and regulations, including ISO 27001, ISO 22301, SOC 2, GDPR, and NIS2.
• Design secure-by-default cloud architectures using Zero Trust principles, identity and access management, encryption, monitoring, and threat protection services.
• Conduct architecture reviews, security assessments, and design assurance activities using Azure Well-Architected principles.
• Lead cloud transformation and migration initiatives.
• Assess workloads and define migration strategies, including rehost, replatform, refactor, retire, and replace approaches.
• Drive application modernization, containerization, and cloud-native adoption.

FinOps, DevOps & Automation

• Develop cloud cost optimization and governance strategies, including KPIs and reporting.
• Promote Infrastructure as Code, CI/CD automation, and cloud-native architecture practices.
• Support the adoption of DevOps and Platform Engineering capabilities.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Present technical solutions to technical and business stakeholders, including executive leadership.
• Mentor engineering and operations teams and serve as a trusted advisor on cloud strategy and architecture decisions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field.
• Master's degree preferred.

Experience

• 8+ years of experience in IT infrastructure, systems engineering, or architecture.
• 5+ years designing and implementing Azure cloud solutions at enterprise scale.
• Proven experience with Azure Landing Zones, cloud governance, security, and modernization initiatives.
• Experience integrating Azure with on-premises environments. Exposure to AWS and/or GCP is desirable.
• Strong understanding of Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework and Azure Well-Architected Framework.

Technical Expertise

• Deep expertise in Microsoft Azure, including networking, governance, security, identity management, monitoring, and cost optimization.
• Experience with Azure services such as AKS, App Services, API Management, Azure Monitor, and cloud-native architectures.
• Strong knowledge of Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Bicep, ARM) and CI/CD automation using Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, or similar tools.
• Solid understanding of cloud security, including Microsoft Entra ID, Defender for Cloud, Sentinel, Azure Policy, RBAC, and Key Vault.
• Experience with containerization and Kubernetes.

Certifications (Preferred)

• Azure Solutions Architect Expert.
• Azure Administrator Associate and/or Azure Security Engineer Associate.
• CCSP, TOGAF, or CKA.
• AWS and GCP architect certifications are advantageous.
• Strategic thinking and enterprise architecture.
• Leadership, stakeholder management, and influencing skills.
• Strong communication and presentation abilities.
• Problem solving, innovation, and risk management.

Additional Information

Why SGS?

• Join a globally recognized and stable company, a leader in the Testing, Inspection, and Certification (TIC) industry.
• Enjoy a flexible schedule and a hybrid work model.
• Access continuous learning opportunities through SGS University and Campus.
• Collaborate in a multinational environment with colleagues from various continents.