Azure Public Infrastructure as a Service Architect

Please note, this position is designated as flexible (aka hybrid), and the expectation is that the selected candidate will report to the assigned office 3 days per week in Greensboro, North Carolina. Candidates for this position must have valid work authorization to work in the United States that does not now or in the future require employer sponsorship of a visa or signature by the employer on any immigration-related form.

Job Summary:

The Public Azure Cloud Architect works within the Click to Cloud or virtual infrastructure as a service (IaaS) organization, developing and enhancing internal products and capabilities that enable general availability of Azure Public IaaS supporting virtualized operating systems such as Linux and Microsoft. The role oversees enterprise-wide core infrastructure architecture decisions, governance, and architecture risk management. It combines enterprise architecture, design, IT service support, security, and continuous service and technology improvements to strengthen how architecture standards are defined, assessed, adopted, and sustained. The architect serves as product owner and architecture partner for Azure Public frameworks, and tools supporting operational standards management, architecture risk identification, and compliance visibility. Using process analysis and design skills, the architect assesses existing capabilities and operational practices, identifies risks and inconsistencies, and develops scalable solutions and processes that promote consistent decisions and transparency across technology domains. The role partners with compute and enterprise architects, delivery teams, operations, and governance stakeholders to design solutions supporting Kaiser Permanente-s application and software delivery services, enabling the business to serve its members.

This senior level individual contributor is primarily responsible for leading development of the IT strategic technology direction over technical domains and developing the IT enterprise architecture, while ensuring alignment on IT architecture and technology direction across business and IT leaders.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Drives the execution of multiple work streams by identifying customer and operational needs; developing and updating new procedures and policies; gaining cross-functional support for objectives and priorities; translating business strategy into actionable business requirements; obtaining and distributing resources; setting standards and measuring progress; removing obstacles that impact performance; guiding performance and developing contingency plans accordingly; solving highly complex issues; and influencing the completion of project tasks by others.
• Practices self-leadership and promotes learning in others by soliciting and acting on performance feedback; building collaborative, cross-functional relationships; communicating information and providing advice to drive projects forward; adapting to competing demands and new responsibilities; providing feedback to others, including upward feedback to leadership; influencing, mentoring, and coaching team members; fostering open dialogue amongst team members; evaluating and responding to the strengths and weaknesses of self and unit members; and adapting to and learning from change, difficulties, and feedback.
• Leads development of the architecture strategy and technology direction over technical domains by collaborating with executives to translate business and IT objectives into architectural approach.
• Provides expertise and shares an understanding of current capability gaps, architectural gaps, and market and industry trends that can be used to set future direction.
• Leads the definition and communication of architecture standards, guidelines, and statements of direction by providing expertise and guidance to architects on the design and establishment of architecture standards to ensure alignment with IT strategy and target architecture.
• Reviews, contributes to, and approves architecture standards or controls which allow business needs to be met.
• Develops and establishes architectural best practices that guide the design of technology solutions.
• Develops and maintains the architecture for assigned domain(s) (for example, data, infrastructure), and takes accountability for ensuring alignment with IT strategy and target state architecture.
• Provides the vision for strategic roadmaps to align business, applications, data, integration, and/or infrastructure architecture.
• Manages the development of transition plans for moving from the current to the target state architecture.
• Provides consulting to architects on developing architecture designs.
• Helps create the vision for adopting new high-impact technologies by researching technical trends and developments.
• Partners with IT and business senior leadership to facilitate and influence decisions regarding technology investment.
• Drives innovation across the team using a deep understanding of how enterprise architecture works within the organization.
• Takes accountability for ensuring adoption of architecture best practices for assigned domain(s) and educates others throughout the organization on the function of architecture methodologies, governance, and standards by serving as a subject matter expert across business and/or IT teams, and presenting to internal and external audiences, including senior leadership.
• Builds partnerships with architects and other stakeholders to facilitate the continuous development and drive consensus on changes to the companys architecture practices.
• Takes accountability for ensuring appropriate reporting to executives, business leaders, and IT management to communicate the impact of architecture practices.