/Cloud Specialist in Bracknell

A specialist financial services organisation is seeking an experienced Cloud Delivery Lead to join its IT function. The organisation maintains a complex and diverse technology estate and is undertaking significant cloud transformation initiatives across its infrastructure and platforms. The Cloud Delivery Lead will play a key role within the IT Infrastructure team, with responsibility for cloud implementation, engineering design, operational support, and delivery across the Microsoft cloud ecosystem. The successful candidate will provide technical leadership for next-generation cloud solutions supporting both internal and customer-facing services.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the technical lead and subject matter expert for cloud infrastructure and operations.
• Design, implement, and maintain scalable cloud solutions aligned to business requirements.
• Collaborate with internal and third-party development teams to support smooth deployment and operation of cloud-hosted applications.
• Implement and manage CI/CD pipelines to automate software releases in line with operational best practices.
• Lead the design and build of resilient production and non-production environments with a strong focus on performance, security, and data protection.
• Monitor and optimise cloud infrastructure for availability, scalability, security, and cost efficiency.
• Develop and maintain cloud infrastructure standards, documentation, and best practices.
• Ensure effective transition of new services into BAU support, including knowledge transfer and operational readiness.
• Identify opportunities to reduce infrastructure cost, complexity, and operational risk.
• Support governance, compliance, and operational controls within a regulated environment.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Strong understanding of Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework and Azure Well-Architected Framework.
• Proven experience leading cloud delivery projects involving multiple stakeholders.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience managing cloud operations within Microsoft Azure environments.
• Hands-on expertise across:
• Azure Firewall
• Azure Container Apps
• Azure API Management
• Terraform-based enterprise Landing Zones
• Automated CI/CD deployments
• DevSecOps methodologies and tooling
• Experience managing hybrid environments spanning on-premise and public cloud infrastructure.
• Experience delivering complex cloud migration programmes.
• Strong knowledge of Azure Governance including:
• Azure Policy
• Management Groups
• Defender for Cloud
• Cost management and reporting
• Advanced experience in:
• Hybrid cloud infrastructure deployment
• Networking and firewall security
• Load balancing technologies
• Advanced knowledge of hybrid identity management using Microsoft Entra ID, including:
• Single Sign-On (SSO)
• Identity Federation
• Authentication and access management
• Strong understanding of cloud service models including IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, and Serverless.
• Experience working within highly regulated industries, ideally financial services.
• Scripting capability using PowerShell and/or Bash.
• Relevant Microsoft Azure certifications such as:
• AZ-305
• AZ-700
• SC-300
• or equivalent

Desirable Skills & Experience

• Experience migrating legacy on-premise applications and infrastructure to cloud platforms.
• Familiarity with ISO27001 and NIST 800-171 frameworks.
• Experience using the full Azure DevOps suite.
• Knowledge of:
• Azure Databricks
• Azure Front Door
• Azure Function Apps
• Microsoft Cloud Data Gateways
• Understanding of event-driven and RESTful architectures.
• Knowledge of modern security principles including OAuth2 and JWT.
• Awareness of Microsoft 365 Copilot, AI Agents, and Azure AI technologies.
• ITIL v3 or v4 Foundation certification.

Personal Attributes

• Positive and proactive approach with a strong problem-solving mindset.
• Self-motivated and able to work independently.
• Strong organisational and prioritisation skills.
• Ability to build effective relationships with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Comfortable operating within small, collaborative teams.
• Takes ownership and accountability for delivery outcomes.
• Able to communicate progress and updates effectively to senior stakeholders.
• Demonstrates creativity, initiative, and continuous improvement thinking.
• Professional, diligent, and dependable work ethic.