Cloud Architect

About the role

We are seeking an experienced Cloud Architect to lead the design, implementation, and governance of secure, scalable, and resilient cloud solutions within AWS environments. The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in cloud security, infrastructure automation, DevOps practices, and platform engineering, while providing technical leadership and strategic guidance across enterprise cloud initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Cloud Security Architecture & Strategy Design
• Implement, and maintain enterprise-grade cloud architectures that align with NIST standards, cloud security best practices, and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Establish secure-by-default infrastructure frameworks, ensuring least-privilege access, resiliency, and governance across AWS cloud environments.
• Lead the implementation and integration of Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) solutions with SIEM, monitoring platforms, risk management systems, and compliance frameworks.
• Develop and enforce policy-as-code capabilities to automate security controls, compliance validation, and governance across cloud platforms.
• Drive cloud-native identity, authentication, and authorization strategies, including certificate-based service identities and fine-grained access controls.
• Act as a technical leader and subject matter expert for cloud architecture, mentoring engineering teams and promoting cloud best practices.
• Collaborate with platform, middleware, and infrastructure teams to modernize and migrate legacy solutions to secure cloud-native architectures.
• Partner with stakeholders across Technology Risk, Compliance, Security, and Business Units to define and execute enterprise cloud strategies.
• Provide architectural guidance and support for cloud platform operations within a global, follow-the-sun support model.
• DevOps & Infrastructure Automation
• Design and implement Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) solutions using AWS CDK, Terraform, CloudFormation, and similar technologies.
• Build and optimize CI/CD pipelines with integrated security controls, automated testing, and compliance enforcement.
• Drive adoption of DevSecOps practices and automate infrastructure provisioning, configuration management, and deployment processes.
• Support software development lifecycle improvements by embedding security, automation, and operational excellence into engineering workflows.
• Architect scalable containerized solutions and orchestration platforms to support modern application delivery.
• Observability, Reliability & Operations
• Implement enterprise monitoring and observability strategies using tools such as Splunk, Datadog, ELK, Fluentd, or equivalent platforms.
• Establish and manage Service Level Indicators (SLIs) and Service Level Objectives (SLOs), monitoring frameworks, and automated remediation solutions to improve cloud service reliability.
• Lead incident investigations, root cause analyses, and preventative improvement initiatives for cloud security and operational issues.
• Continuously improve application and infrastructure performance, availability, and resilience.
• Application & Solution Architecture
• Design secure, scalable microservices and API-based architectures that support enterprise business requirements.
• Create automated workflows for security findings management, remediation tracking, and compliance reporting.
• Create self-service cloud capabilities enabling business units to efficiently manage security posture and access controls.
• Evaluate emerging cloud technologies and recommend innovative solutions that enhance platform security, scalability, and operational efficiency.
• Collaboration & Documentation
• Produce comprehensive architectural documentation, standards, reference designs, and implementation roadmaps.
• Work closely with AWS and other cloud technology partners to resolve complex architecture challenges and optimize platform usage.
• Mentor and develop junior engineers, promoting cloud engineering best practices, security awareness, and operational excellence.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or related discipline.
• 12+ years of experience in Cloud Engineering, DevOps, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), Platform Engineering, or Cloud Architecture roles.
• 10+ years of hands-on AWS cloud experience with deep knowledge of core AWS services and architecture patterns.
• Strong expertise in cloud security frameworks, including NIST and industry-recognized cloud security standards.
• Extensive experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) technologies such as AWS CDK, Terraform, CloudFormation, or SaltStack.
• Proven experience building secure CI/CD pipelines and implementing DevSecOps practices.
• Strong understanding of containerization and orchestration technologies (Docker, Kubernetes, ECS, EKS, etc.).
• Experience with enterprise observability and monitoring platforms such as Splunk, Datadog, ELK, or Fluentd.
• Solid knowledge of microservices, APIs, cloud-native application design, and distributed systems.
• Strong troubleshooting, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional, AWS Security Specialty, or equivalent cloud certifications.
• Experience implementing Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) solutions.
• Experience with certificate-based authentication, identity management, and Zero Trust security models.
• Knowledge of compliance frameworks and regulatory standards within highly regulated environments.
• Experience leading global cloud transformation or large-scale cloud modernization initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to influence technical strategy and mentor engineering teams.

Benefits

• Cognizant offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:
• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
• Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off
• 401(k) plan and contributions
• Long-term/Short-term Disability
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Work Model

This is a hybrid role requiring 2-3 days a week at client site either in New York/ New Jersey/ Texas, USA. The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. This may change based on the project you’re engaged in, as well as business and client requirements.

Disclaimer

The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law. "Cognizant is an equal opportunity employer. Your application and candidacy will not be considered based on race, color, sex, religion, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws."