IT Cloud Architect

About the role

The Information Technology (IT) Cloud Architect is responsible for shaping the strategic vision and technical direction of the Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH) cloud platform. This role ensures cloud solutions align with architecture principles, operational excellence, business goals, and best practices. As a key technical leader within the Cloud Platform Engineering team, the Cloud Architect collaborates with Cloud Engineers, Infrastructure Engineers, and Application, Security, and Development teams to establish best practices for cloud architecture, automation, and governance. The role ensures HMH cloud environments are designed for high availability, performance, security, and cost efficiency while leveraging industry best practices for modernization and digital transformation.

Responsibilities

• Architect and design cloud solutions for scalability, performance, security, and cost efficiency across HMH's cloud environments.
• Define cloud strategy and standards, enforcing best practices, governance, and automation to align with enterprise architecture principles.
• Promote cloud-native architectures, containers, serverless computing, and DevSecOps practices to accelerate digital transformation.
• Understand and communicate HMH Enterprise Architecture (e.g., Hub and Spoke) and Enterprise Sprawl, mentoring teams to align resources, projects, and security.
• Provide guidance on cloud automation and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) for provisioning, maintaining, and monitoring complex cloud environments.
• Lead cloud platform engineering efforts, mentoring cloud engineers in best practices for architecture, automation, security, and operational excellence.
• Collaborate with Architects, Security, Application, and Infrastructure teams to design resilient, compliant, and scalable cloud solutions.
• Evaluate and integrate emerging cloud technologies to enhance platform capabilities and operational efficiencies.
• Partner with Cloud Security Architects and Cybersecurity teams to embed security controls, compliance frameworks, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Develop cloud governance and best practices, including architectural patterns, guardrails, and automation frameworks.
• Conduct cloud architecture reviews, performance assessments, and cost optimization analyses to maximize business value.
• Drive thought leadership and technical vision for long-term cloud strategy, innovation roadmaps, and architectural blueprints.
• Create and maintain architectural documentation, including reference architectures, whitepapers, implementation guides, and operational runbooks.
• Serve as an escalation point for complex cloud-related issues, troubleshooting performance, security, and operational challenges.
• Engage with senior IT leadership and business stakeholders to guide cloud adoption, technology roadmaps, and modernization strategies.
• Support business continuity and disaster recovery planning for highly available, fault-tolerant, and resilient cloud architectures.
• Participate in Architecture Review Boards, advocating for cloud-first and cloud-smart solutions.
• Champion DevOps and cloud automation tooling, including CI/CD pipelines, GitOps workflows, and tools like GitHub, Terraform, and Cloud Build.
• Provide technical oversight for cloud platform projects, driving end-to-end architecture design, implementation, and operational readiness.
• Build and maintain relationships across IT and business teams to ensure cloud architectures support strategic business objectives.
• Adhere to HMH organizational competencies and standards of behavior.
• Perform other duties and/or projects as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field, or a combination of education and experience totaling four years.
• Minimum of 10+ years of experience in IT infrastructure, cloud engineering, and cloud architecture, focused on designing and leading cloud-based solutions.
• Deep expertise in cloud platforms, specifically Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Microsoft Azure, including IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS architectures.
• Strong understanding of cloud-native architectures, automation, DevOps, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) methodologies, including tools such as Terraform, GitHub, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Extensive experience designing highly available, resilient, and scalable cloud architectures with a focus on security, compliance, and cost efficiency.
• Strong knowledge of networking, security, and identity management in cloud computing, including zero trust, hybrid cloud networking, and secure cloud architectures.
• Experience with governance frameworks, cloud security principles, and compliance standards such as HIPAA, SOC 2, and NIST.
• Ability to define and drive cloud strategy and technical roadmaps aligned with business goals and technology modernization.
• Demonstrated experience with enterprise IT environments, including applications, middleware, storage, networking, information security, and operations.
• Ability to provide technical leadership, mentoring, and architectural guidance to cloud engineering teams.
• Strong consultative, communication, and collaboration skills for engaging with executive leadership, architects, engineers, developers, and business stakeholders.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills to assess complex environments, identify risks, and develop scalable cloud solutions.
• Experience working in agile and DevOps environments, leveraging automation, CI/CD practices, and cloud-native development methodologies.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to create technical documentation and architecture diagrams for diverse audiences.
• Knowledge of container modernization and methodologies (e.g., Google Kubernetes Engine, Azure AKS).
• Ability to work under deadlines and handle multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency in Google Suite and/or Microsoft Office platforms.

Qualifications (Preferred)

• Experience in healthcare or highly regulated industries.
• Strong leadership in cloud transformation initiatives, including large-scale cloud migrations and workload modernization.
• Expertise in architecting containerized and event-driven systems, including Kubernetes and Docker.
• Proven track record in cloud financial management (FinOps), including cost optimization and budgeting.
• Experience defining and enforcing cloud architectural standards, reference architectures, and governance frameworks.
• Multi-cloud expertise, including GCP, Microsoft Azure, and Amazon Web Services (AWS), with a focus on interoperability and hybrid cloud strategies.
• Experience leading enterprise-wide cloud adoption efforts, including governance models and DevSecOps best practices.

Licenses and Certifications

• Required: Google Cloud Platform Certified Professional Cloud Architect at hire or within one (1) year of hire.
• Preferred: Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification.
• Preferred: Google Cloud Platform Certified Professional Cloud Security Engineer.

Pay

The posted rate of pay is a reasonable good faith estimate of the minimum base pay for this role at the time of posting, in accordance with the New Jersey Pay Transparency Act. The starting rate of pay is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guarantee of a specific offer. Posted hourly rates may be stated as an annual salary in the offer, and posted annual salaries may be stated as an hourly rate, depending on the level and nature of the job duties and credentials of the candidate.