Azure Landing Zone Architect/Project Manager

About the role

We are seeking an experienced Azure Landing Zone Architect & Project Lead to lead the design, implementation, and operationalization of an enterprise Azure Landing Zone for a regulated financial services client. This is a hands-on role requiring deep expertise in Azure architecture, Terraform, CI/CD automation, security, governance, and hybrid connectivity. The candidate will lead client workshops, define the target-state architecture, oversee delivery, and provide technical leadership throughout the implementation lifecycle.

Location: Hybrid 2-3x weekly onsite in NYC, NY. Duration: 3+ months contract. Hours per week: 40. US citizens only.

Responsibilities

• Discovery & Planning: Lead stakeholder workshops to assess Azure infrastructure, subscriptions, security, networking, IAM, observability, and DevOps maturity. Define subscription strategy, governance model, naming standards, tagging strategy, and sprint-ready backlog. Translate business, security, and compliance requirements into Azure Landing Zone architecture.
• Architecture & Design: Design Azure tenant, management group, subscription, and resource hierarchy. Define identity and access management, RBAC, and least-privilege controls. Design Azure networking, including hybrid connectivity with on-premises and AWS via ExpressRoute. Architect Azure governance, security, observability, Terraform automation, and CI/CD integration. Develop and obtain approval for the Cloud Design Strategy.
• Implementation Leadership: Lead deployment of Azure Landing Zone, IAM, networking, security controls, monitoring, and governance policies. Oversee Terraform-based Infrastructure-as-Code implementation and CI/CD pipeline integration. Guide onshore and offshore engineering teams through build, testing, and deployment activities. Conduct solution reviews, technical demos, and stakeholder sign-off sessions. Manage technical risks, dependencies, and delivery milestones.

Requirements

• 5+ years of cloud infrastructure experience, including implementing Azure Landing Zones.
• Proven hands-on experience designing and deploying: Azure Management Groups and Subscriptions, Azure Policy and Governance, Microsoft Entra ID and RBAC, Azure Networking and ExpressRoute, Terraform-based Infrastructure as Code, CI/CD automation for cloud infrastructure, Azure Monitoring, Logging, and Security Services.
• Experience delivering cloud platforms in regulated enterprise environments.
• Strong client-facing communication, workshop facilitation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to lead architecture discussions while remaining actively involved in implementation.

Qualifications

• Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification (preferred).
• Terraform Associate certification (preferred).
• Experience in Financial Services and multi-cloud (Azure + AWS) environments (preferred).
• Familiarity with Azure Landing Zone Accelerator and Azure Verified Modules (preferred).