Principal Cloud Architect

Founded in Switzerland in 1968, Zühlke is owned by its partners and located across Europe and Asia. We are a global transformation partner, with engineering and innovation in our DNA. We’re trusted to help clients envision and build their businesses for the future – to run smarter today while adapting for tomorrow’s markets, customers, and communities. Our multidisciplinary teams specialise in tech strategy and business innovation, digital solutions and applications, and device and systems engineering. We excel in complex, regulated spaces including health and finance, connecting strategy, tech implementation, and operational services to help clients become more effective, resilient businesses.

If you share our values and want to do the best work, for the right reasons, we can offer you the chance to do it on a global scale and play a real role in shaping our exciting journey.

The Role

As a Principal Cloud Architect, you will provide strategic guidance and long‑term vision, encompassing strategic planning and alignment with business goals whilst working closely with our clients to solve complex cloud optimisation & migration challenges. As part of your role, you will design and deliver cloud architectures and strategies which are fit for purpose, assessing the environment and constraints whilst showing a desire to challenge conventional thinking.

How you’ll make impact

• Being a trusted advisor, guiding our clients towards a successful solution to their Cloud challenges.
• You’ll lead design sessions, architecture reviews, proof‑of‑concept projects and evaluation of new cloud technologies and vendors.
• Taking part in early engagement to help create a compelling vision for our client’s cloud optimisation and migration journeys.
• Guiding and de‑risking the delivery of programmes and projects, promoting working iteratively to incrementally add value.
• Mediating, resolving conflicts and escalating when necessary.
• Supporting cross‑functional teams delivering and prototyping Cloud platforms, services and products in multi‑cloud, hybrid and private cloud environments.
• Helping stakeholders define both functional and non‑functional requirements and ensuring solutions meet these requirements for performance, capacity, scalability, availability, security, manageability and sustainability.
• Providing expertise on privacy and information security topics ensuring our clients’ regulatory compliance.
• You will architect enterprise‑grade infrastructure across networking, compute, storage, identity and observability in collaboration with security, platform engineering, operations and FinOps teams to ensure scalable, secure and compliant cloud environments.
• Keeping your skills current with emerging technologies, approaches and paradigms such as Generative AI, Foundation Models, Mainframe Transformation and Quantum Computing, as well as keeping up with the well‑known cloud hyperscalers.
• Manage and mentor your team, fostering cloud skills and the adoption of cloud‑native architecture, automation, DevSecOps and Infrastructure as Code.

What’s important to us

• A clear understanding of the business value of your work and focus on delivering that value to your stakeholders in a transparent manner.
• Confident decision making and the ability to explain processes or choices as needed.
• Capable of articulating a technical solution and its value to both technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Experience gained as a Principal or Lead Cloud Architect across multiple programmes and projects.
• Expert in AWS and have cross‑trained to multi‑cloud or have the aspiration to do so.
• Accustomed to working in fast‑paced, Agile delivery‑oriented environments, with an emphasis on quality and a ‘show by doing’ approach.
• Experience of guiding, mentoring junior colleagues, supporting their growth, giving feedback and career coaching.
• You’re open, proactive, responding to changes quickly and with agility while learning in the process.
• Experience in presales activities and bid management will be a differentiator.

What we offer

• Work life blend: we offer a safe & healthy workplace, with flexible working hours and the possibility to work from home.
• Profit share scheme: In addition to your annual salary, you may receive a profit share defined by the company’s success in the previous year.
• Global and Diverse Zühlke community: witness how colleagues from all our 16 offices across the globe come together to create a unique, positive and inclusive work culture, learning from one another at annual team camps, and celebrating year‑end parties and other local festivities.
• Committed to development: we are committed to the growth of our people and are investing in your development. We’re empowering you to build the skills you need to make a positive impact, both personally and for our clients, today and in the future.

How to Apply

Important: To ensure a smooth review process, please submit all application documents (CV, cover letter) in English only. If you feel you don’t meet all the requirements, we are still happy to get to know you, learn more about your ambitions and ideas and look forward to receiving your application!

We welcome people from all backgrounds, regardless of their gender, personality, national origin, race, religion, colour, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, disability or veteran status.