Cloud Solutions Architect

The client is seeking a Cloud Solutions Architect to support the client in designing, securing, and optimizing cloud solutions with a primary focus on Google Cloud Platform (GCP), including legacy-to-cloud migrations, while providing technical leadership to development and operations teams.

Key Responsibilities

Design and develop cloud solutions that meet business and technical requirements (primary focus on GCP; AWS and Azure also relevant)

Collaborate with stakeholders, business product owners, and DevOps teams to gather requirements and translate them into architectural designs and technical roadmaps

Provide technical leadership and guidance on cloud best practices, application hosting, and distributed architecture

Create and maintain architectural documentation, including diagrams, integration processes, and specifications

Ensure solutions are secure, compliant, and optimized for performance, reliability, and scalability

Architect and maintain cloud database systems, BigQuery data pipelines, and public/private APIs to support application integration and legacy-to-cloud migrations

Evaluate and recommend new cloud technologies, tools, and services (e.g., containers, Kubernetes/GKE, BI analytics)

Conduct regular reviews of cloud environments to identify improvements and cost optimization opportunities

Support disaster recovery planning and backup strategies and ensure high availability of critical systems

Stay current on emerging cloud technologies and industry trends to inform architectural strategy

Required Technical Skills

In-depth knowledge of cloud platforms and services (demonstrated GCP expertise or other major public cloud provider); scalable, distributed systems and microservices architecture; Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Open Tofu, Ansible, CloudFormation, or Pulumi); networking (VPC, hybrid connectivity), security protocols, and IAM in cloud environments; containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes/GKE); AI-assisted developer tools and workflows for infrastructure provisioning, code maintenance, and automated testing; strong problem-solving and troubleshooting; effective communication and leadership skills; and experience working in a cloud environment for a government, higher education, or other public-sector entity.

Preferred Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in computer science, Information Technology, or a related field (or equivalent related experience, where 1 year of higher education substitutes for 1 year of experience)

7+ years of experience in IT, including 3+ years in cloud architecture, DevOps, or a similar technical leadership role

Certifications such as Google Professional Cloud Architect, Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer, AWS Certified Solutions Architect, or Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect

Experience with DevSecOps practices, CI/CD workflows (e.g., GitHub Actions), and database administration/migrations (PostgreSQL, MS SQL Server, BigQuery)

Familiarity with security frameworks such as NIST, CIS Benchmarks, or ISO/IEC 27001

Minimum Mandatory Requirements

GCP, AWS or Azure certification

Infrastructure as Code experience

Experience working in a cloud environment for a public sector entity (State, Federal, Higher Ed, etc.)

Notes:

20 hours per week.

VIVA is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants have an equal opportunity for placement, and all employees have an equal opportunity to develop on the job. This means that VIVA will not discriminate against any employee or qualified applicant on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status