About the position
The Senior Director Cloud Architecture is a senior leadership role responsible for shaping and executing an organization’s cloud strategy, overseeing cloud infrastructure design, and ensuring secure, scalable, and cost‑effective cloud operations. You will lead a team of cloud architects responsible for designing and maintaining cloud-native reference architectures for Azure, AWS, GCP, and OCI that align with enterprise security, scalability, compliance, and operational requirements.
Responsibilities
• Strategic Leadership: Oversee and guide every element of cloud systems analysis and strategic planning, covering both Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS). Define the vision, mission, and objectives for the CCoE, including cloud adoption, migration, and innovation initiatives.
• Architecture & Design: Develop and communicate cloud architecture strategies aligned with enterprise objectives and client delivery needs; design secure, scalable, and resilient cloud architectures.
• Governance & Compliance: Oversee governance, audit standards, controls, and processes to monitor and optimize cloud infrastructure; ensure adherence to frameworks like CIS, HIPAA, and NIST. Review and approve cloud-native tool usage, standardize platform components, and automate deployment processes.
• Technology Oversight: Maintain deep knowledge of cloud products, technologies, and best practices; evaluate and implement solutions to meet organizational needs. Identify opportunities to modernize systems and integrate new cloud technologies.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration: Work with stakeholders, vendors, cloud operations, and other service providers to align cloud solutions with business goals. Facilitate knowledge sharing and cross-team collaboration.
• Operational Excellence: Establish and manage infrastructure‑as‑code (e.g., Terraform, GitHub, Azure DevOps), champion DevOps best practices, and improve deployment velocity and reliability.
• Cost & Performance Optimization: Forecast and optimize cloud costs; improve performance by reducing outages through automation and implementing effective controls.
• Team Leadership: Build, lead, and manage a multidisciplinary team of cloud architects, Terraform developers, FinOps practitioners and DevOps architects. Provide technical guidance, mentorship, and performance management for team members.
Requirements
• 5+ years of managerial experience in cloud architecture, engineering, or IT leadership; deep expertise in cloud technologies and architecture.
• 5+ years of experience in cloud architecture with deep expertise in at least two public cloud providers (Azure, AWS, GCP, and/or OCI)
• 5+ years’ hands-on experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS EC2, S3, RDS, Kubernetes, Lambda) and cloud architecture
• 5+ years supporting the State of Texas or comparable sized Public Sector organizations
• Must have experience designing referenced architectures and public cloud deployment patterns used across large enterprise environments
Nice-to-haves
• Cloud certifications (e.g., AWS Solutions Architect Pro, Azure Architect Expert, GCP Professional Cloud Architect, OCI Architect)
• Experience in multi-cloud FinOps and cloud cost governance
• Familiarity with enterprise architecture frameworks such as TOGAF or Zachman
• Strategic thinker with attention to technical detail
• Passion for developing reusable frameworks and automation
• Strong communication and leadership skills
• Collaborative mindset with a focus on enablement and mentorship
Benefits
• medical
• dental
• vision insurance
• flexible spending or health savings account
• life and AD&D insurance
• short- and long-term disability coverage
• paid time off
• employee assistance
• participation in a 401k program with company match
• additional voluntary or legally required benefits