Overview
Define, design, and govern the end-to-end technical architecture across cloud and on-premise systems, ensuring scalability, security, maintainability, and alignment with business and enterprise architecture objectives. The role is responsible for establishing Azure-based solution architectures, guiding delivery teams, and ensuring that technology decisions drive long-term value, resilience, and performance across the organisation.
Responsibilities
- Solution Architecture & Design
- Design end-to-end solution architectures across applications, data, integrations, and infrastructure within Microsoft Azure environments
- Define architectural patterns for cloud-native, hybrid, and distributed systems
- Develop high-level and low-level designs (HLD/LLD), ensuring clarity for delivery teams
- Ensure solutions are scalable, resilient, secure, and cost-optimised
- Azure Cloud Architecture
- Define and implement architecture using Azure services, including:
- Compute: Azure App Services, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Azure Functions
- Data: Azure SQL, Cosmos DB, Data Lake, Synapse Analytics
- Integration: Azure API Management, Logic Apps, Service Bus, Event Grid
- Security: Azure Active Directory (Entra ID), Key Vault, Managed Identities
- Design for high availability, disaster recovery, and business continuity using Azure-native capabilities
- Ensure effective use of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Bicep, ARM templates, or Terraform
- Define and implement architecture using Azure services, including:
- Integration & System Design
- Define integration patterns and system interactions across microservices and enterprise systems
- Design APIs and event-driven architectures using REST, messaging, and asynchronous patterns
- Ensure interoperability between legacy systems and modern cloud-based platforms
- Technical Leadership & Governance
- Provide technical leadership and architectural guidance to development and engineering teams
- Review and approve solution designs and key technical decisions
- Ensure alignment with enterprise architecture standards, governance frameworks, and design principles
- Define and enforce architecture governance processes, design reviews, and checkpoints
- Technology Evaluation & Innovation
- Evaluate new technologies, frameworks, and tools within the Azure ecosystem
- Conduct proofs of concept (PoCs) and recommend solutions based on business and technical fit
- Drive adoption of cloud best practices, DevSecOps, and modern engineering approaches
- Security, Compliance & Risk Management
- Ensure compliance with security best practices, regulatory requirements (e.g., GDPR), and organisational policies
- Embed zero-trust architecture principles and secure design practices
- Identify and mitigate technical risks, vulnerabilities, and architectural gaps
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Engage with business stakeholders, product owners, and leadership teams to understand requirements
- Translate business needs into scalable and pragmatic technical architecture solutions
- Communicate architecture decisions, trade-offs, and risks clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences
- Delivery Support & Collaboration
- Collaborate with Agile delivery teams, DevOps engineers, QA teams, and architects
- Support programme delivery, roadmap planning, and release strategies
- Provide guidance during implementation, integration, and deployment phases
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related discipline
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
- TOGAF or equivalent architecture certification
- Azure DevOps / Security certifications (advantageous)
Essential skills
- Deep expertise in Microsoft Azure cloud platform
- Strong knowledge of the Azure Well-Architected Framework, including reliability, security, cost optimisation, operational excellence, and performance efficiency
- Strong knowledge of cloud-native architecture patterns and microservices-based design
- Strong understanding of distributed systems design
- Strong understanding of event-driven architectures
- Strong understanding of API-first design principles
- Ability to produce architecture diagrams, artefacts, and standards documentation
Strong understanding of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) - Familiarity with Docker containerisation and AKS/Kubernetes orchestration
- Knowledge of Azure security services and identity management
- Familiarity with DevSecOps practices and security automation
- Knowledge of data governance, data pipelines, and real-time processing
- Strong leadership and decision-making capability
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills
- Strategic thinking with attention to technical detail
- Ability to balance innovation with delivery pragmatism
- High level of accountability and ownership
Experience
- Experience with enterprise architecture frameworks (e.g., TOGAF)
- Experience implementing CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps and GitHub Actions
- Experience implementing secure design principles and compliance frameworks
- Experience designing data platforms and integration architectures
- Proven delivery of robust, scalable, secure, and future-proof architecture
- solutions
- Experience delivering highly resilient systems with minimal downtime and strong performance outcomes
- Experience providing clear and consistent technical direction across multiple delivery teams
- Experience driving adherence to architecture standards, governance, and best practices
- Experience improving system performance, cost optimisation, and resource utilisation within Azure environments
- Experience reducing technical debt through standardisation and modernisation initiatives
- Experience aligning business objectives with technical solutions
- Proven track record of delivering programme milestones and transformation objectives
- Experience reducing architecture-related risks and security vulnerabilities
- Experience ensuring compliance with enterprise, regulatory, and security standard
Benefits
- Collaborative working environment – we stand shoulder to shoulder with our clients and our peers through good times and challenges
- We empower all passionate technology loving professionals by allowing them to expand their skills and take part in inspiring projects
- Expleo Academy - enables you to acquire and develop the right skills by delivering a suite of accredited training courses
- Competitive company benefits
- Always working as one team, our people are not afraid to think big and challenge the status quo
#LI-BM1
- As a Disability Confident Committed Employer we have committed to:
- Ensure our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible
- Communicating and promoting vacancies
- Offering an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job
- Anticipating and providing reasonable adjustments as required
- Supporting any existing employee who acquires a disability or long term health condition, enabling them to stay in work at least one activity that will make a difference for disabled people
“We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age”.
We treat everyone fairly and equitably across the organisation, including providing any additional support and adjustments needed for everyone to thrive
