Senior Infrastructure Architect – Storage & Data

SmartChoice International GCC; Abu Dhabi Emirate; On-site; AED 420,000 - 540,000; Full time

Job summary

SmartChoice International GCC is seeking a Senior Infrastructure Architect with deep expertise in storage, data protection and resilience to shape large-scale cloud and infrastructure environments. The role requires translating complex requirements into robust architectural solutions and long-term platform strategies.

You will lead design across block, file and object storage, influence technology roadmaps, and collaborate with engineering and cloud teams to ensure secure, scalable deployments

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of experience in infrastructure architecture with enterprise-scale storage experience.
• Strong expertise across block, file and object storage, including software-defined and distributed storage architectures.
• Proven experience designing large-scale, highly available and geographically distributed storage platforms.
• Deep understanding of storage architecture, data protection, backup, disaster recovery and resilience principles.
• Strong knowledge of storage networking and data access technologies (NFS, S3, iSCSI, NVMe).
• Experience with OpenStack or comparable cloud infrastructure environments is highly desirable.
• Experience with distributed and software-defined storage technologies.
• Strong security, encryption, access controls, hardening and compliance in infrastructure platforms.
• Experience with cloud-native backup, replication and disaster recovery technologies; strong Linux scripting skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture and design of large-scale block, file and object storage platforms across cloud and infrastructure environments.
• Define architectural standards, technology roadmaps and evolution of storage and data protection services.
• Translate complex requirements into practical technical architectures for performance, scalability and security.
• Evaluate storage, backup and data protection technologies and make recommendations.
• Design resilient data protection and disaster recovery strategies with RPO/RTO considerations.
• Lead capacity, performance and lifecycle planning for storage environments.
• Conduct architecture reviews to improve resilience, efficiency and operational risk.
• Produce high/low-level architecture documentation and procurement material.
• Support technology selection and vendor evaluation for major investments.
• Work with engineering teams to ensure implementation aligns with the architecture.
• Define monitoring, observability and logging requirements across storage platforms.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to infrastructure teams.

Skills

Storage architecture

Linux administration

Python/Bash scripting

Architecture documentation

Stakeholder management

Cloud infrastructure

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in CS/Engineering/IT

Tools

OpenStack

Terraform/Ansible

Job description

Senior Infrastructure Architect – Storage & Data

About the Client

Our client is a high-growth technology powerhouse operating at the forefront of AI, cloud and digital infrastructure. With an ambitious vision for the future of technology, the organization is bringing together world-class engineering talent, advanced infrastructure and next-generation platforms to solve some of the most complex technology challenges at scale.

This is an opportunity to join an environment where deep engineering, ambitious technology and genuine innovationcome together, with the chance to influence the architecture of critical platforms and help shape what comes next.

The Opportunity

We are looking for an experienced Infrastructure Architect with strong expertise in storage, data protection and resilience to play a key role in the design and evolution of large-scale cloud and infrastructure environments.

You will take ownership of architecture across enterprise storage platforms, ensuring solutions are highly available, scalable, secure, resilient and commercially sustainable. Working closely with engineering, cloud and infrastructure teams, you will translate complex requirements into robust technical solutions and long-term platform strategies.

This is a senior technical role suited to someone who enjoys operating at architecture level while remaining close enough to the engineering detail to challenge designs and drive implementation quality.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture and design of large-scale block, file and object storage platforms across cloud and infrastructure environments.
• Define architectural standards, technology roadmaps and the evolution of storage and data protection services.
• Translate complex business, performance, scalability, availability and security requirements into practical technical architectures.
• Evaluate storage, backup and data protection technologies and make architecture and technology recommendations.
• Design resilient data protection and disaster recovery strategies, including recovery objectives, data integrity and recovery validation.
• Lead capacity, performance and lifecycle planning for storage environments.
• Conduct architecture and configuration reviews, identifying opportunities to improve performance, resilience, efficiency and operational risk.
• Produce and review high-level and low-level architecture documentation, technical specifications, statements of work and procurement documentation.
• Support technology selection and vendor evaluation, providing technical input into major infrastructure investments.
• Work closely with engineering teams throughout implementation to ensure solutions are delivered in line with approved architecture.
• Define requirements for monitoring, observability and logging across storage and data protection platforms.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to infrastructure engineering teams.
• Establish and improve architecture standards, technical documentation and operational practices.

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of experience in infrastructure architecture, with significant experience designing and managing enterprise-scale storage environments.
• Strong expertise across block, file and object storage, ideally including software-defined and distributed storage architectures.
• Proven experience designing large-scale, highly available and geographically distributed storage platforms.
• Deep understanding of storage architecture, data protection, backup, disaster recovery and resilience principles.
• Strong knowledge of modern storage networking and data access technologies, with experience across protocols such as NFS, S3, iSCSI and NVMe-based technologies.
• Experience working with enterprise storage platforms and/or modern distributed storage technologies.
• Experience with OpenStack or comparable cloud infrastructure environments is highly desirable.
• Experience with distributed and software-defined storage technologies is highly desirable.
• Strong understanding of security, encryption, access controls, hardening and compliance considerations within infrastructure platforms.
• Experience with cloud-native backup, replication and disaster recovery technologies is highly desirable.Strong Linux administration skills, with scripting or programming experience in Python, Bash or similar.
• Good understanding of modern APIs and integration patterns.
• Familiarity with enterprise identity and access management concepts is advantageous.
• Experience with architecture methodologies or frameworks is beneficial.
• Strong ability to produce clear architecture documentation, diagrams, technical standards and design artefacts.
• Demonstrable experience delivering complex, large-scale infrastructure or cloud transformation programmes.
• Excellent analytical, communication and stakeholder management skills.

We're looking for someone who can operate comfortably at enterprise architecture level while understanding the realities of large-scale infrastructure engineering.

You’ll be someone who can challenge assumptions, make sound technology decisions, communicate complex concepts to senior stakeholders and ultimately turn architecture into platforms that perform reliably at scale.

Experience in cloud, HPC, AI infrastructure or other highly demanding technology environments would be particularly valuable.