Principal Cloud and Data Engineering Architect

Job Title: Principal Cloud and Data Engineering Architect Consultant Job Duration: 12 months Job Location: Remote, Columbia SC 29201 Note: Remote, with on-site attendance at the offices in Columbia, SC as required by project needs. The consultant should anticipate being on-site approximately 2-4 business days per month, or more frequently as directed by leadership Job Summary: The client requires Principal Azure Cloud and Integration Architecture with extensive experience designing, implementing, and governing enterprise-scale cloud solutions. This resource will provide senior-level architecture leadership for modernization initiatives, including the development of a cloud-native integration platform supporting integrations between statewide agencies, SCEIS, and enterprise business applications. The consultant will provide technical architecture expertise across Azure cloud services, enterprise integration patterns, API management, data platforms, DevOps practices, and cloud governance. This role will work closely with enterprise architects, application teams, infrastructure teams, cybersecurity, vendors, and business stakeholders to ensure solutions are scalable, secure, maintainable, and aligned with enterprise technology strategy The client is developing a cloud-native integration platform in Microsoft Azure to support enterprise integration between statewide agencies, SCEIS, and internal applications. The platform will provide modern synchronous and asynchronous integration capabilities using RESTful APIs, event-driven architecture, enterprise messaging patterns, data lake house technologies, and enhanced observability capabilities. The consultant will provide principal-level architecture expertise to guide solution design, technical implementation, and enterprise adoption of the platform. Job Description: Lead the architecture, design, and implementation of a modern Azure cloud-native integration platform supporting statewide agencies, SCEIS, and enterprise HR and ERP systems. Establish scalable integration patterns using APIs, event-driven architecture, asynchronous messaging, and cloud-native Azure services. Design and guide implementation of a statewide Azure data lake and supporting data engineering capabilities. Provide technical leadership for DevOps, GitOps, CI/CD, security, observability, and operational readiness. Define architecture standards, technical patterns, and governance practices that support secure, reliable, and maintainable enterprise solutions. Mentor developers, engineers, and architects while supporting knowledge transfer and long-term internal capability development. Required Skills: Minimum of 10 years of experience designing, developing and implementing enterprise technology solutions. Minimum of 7 years of experience designing and implementing cloud solutions and cloud-native architectures using Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), or comparable enterprise cloud platforms. Demonstrated experience designing enterprise integration solutions utilizing REST APIs, event-driven architecture, asynchronous messaging, and distributed systems. Experience designing and implementing enterprise data platforms using cloud-based data lake, analytics, or data engineering technologies. Experience with Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC), CI/CD pipelines, DevOps practices, and development automation using tools such as Terraform, Bicep, ARM templates, or equivalent technologies. Strong understanding of cloud security, identity and access management, scalability, performance optimization, monitoring, and operational support. Experience establishing cloud architecture standards, technical design patterns, governance practices, and solution documentation. Bachelor's degree in computer science, Information Technology, Engineering Data Science, or a related technical field. An equivalent combination or relevant education, professional certifications, and progressively responsible experience may be considered in lieu of the degree requirement Preferred Skills: Experience integrating SAP, SAP S/4HANA, ERP platforms, HR systems, or enterprise financial applications. Experience supporting large-scale government, public-sector, or highly regulated technology environments. Experience with Azure API Management, Azure Functions, Logic Apps, Event Grid, Ivalua, or other ERP systems. Experience establishing enterprise architecture standards, cloud governance practices, and technical design patterns. Microsoft Azure, TOGAF, or comparable cloud and enterprise architecture certifications Azure Solutions Architect Expert Azure Developer Associate Azure Data Engineer Associate TOGAF or equivalent Enterprise Architecture certification