Platform Engineer / Architect - Google Cloud (GCP)

RONIN Dynamics; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 170,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

RONIN Dynamics seeks a Principal Google Cloud Architect to drive complex migration strategies, hands-on delivery from Rehost to Refactor, and end-to-end architecture across Compute, Serverless, GKE, and Cloud Run. You will implement IaC/GitOps and guide AI/ML integration with Vertex AI/BigQuery, while mentoring engineers and aligning with client goals.

This role is based in Sydney with hybrid work, focusing on large, migration-heavy engagements rather than purely diagramming.

Qualifications

• Real commercial experience architecting and shipping on Google Cloud.
• Depth across Compute, Serverless, GKE, Cloud Run, networking, and data services.
• Terraform and GitOps fluency at the “clients can maintain this” level.
• Proficiency in Python, Go, or Bash; Vertex AI/BigQuery exposure is a plus.
• Professional Cloud Architect certs (or equivalent hands-on runway).
• Consulting instincts: run requirements sessions and defend proposals.
• Track record of delivering end-to-end builds.

Responsibilities

• Lead migration strategies: Rehost, Replatform, and Refactor onto GCP.
• Stay hands-on through go-live, not just the pitch deck.
• Select compute models per workload; avoid default choices.
• Develop IaC and GitOps pipelines clients can own after you leave.
• Incorporate AI/ML with Vertex AI and BigQuery pipelines.
• Translate technical trade-offs into a narrative executives will approve.
• Mentor engineers and raise the team’s capabilities.

Skills

GCP Expertise

Compute & Serverless

GKE & Cloud Run

Terraform & GitOps

Scripting: Python/Go/Bash

Cloud Certifications

Consulting Skills

Architecture Delivery

Tools

Terraform

GitOps

BigQuery

Job description

kubectl apply --dry-run: hire_principal_cloud_architect

$ kubectl apply -f principal-architect.yaml --dry-run=server

architect.roles/principal-cloud-architect configured (dry run)

+ spec.title: "Principal Google Cloud Architect"

+ spec.location: "Hybrid, 3 days"

+ spec.reportsTo: "Head of Cloud Practice"

+ spec.status: "SCALING"

+ status.legacyMigrations: "in-progress"

1 role to create, several legacy diagrams to retire, 1 practice to scale!

The honest version of this ad:

Most Principal Engineer and Solution Architect ads read like a certification checklist wearing a blazer. We're not doing that.

Here's what's actually true:

We're supporting a Google Cloud Partner working with genuinely large, complex customers, the kind still mid-migration off VMware and other clouds, not the kind who “just need someone to tidy up the diagrams.” You'd be the person customers trust to turn a messy Rehost / Replatform / Refactor decision into an architecture that actually survives contact with production.

If you’ve ever sat in a stakeholder meeting translating "why is this so slow" into a real GCP fix, keep reading!

What you'd actually be doing:

• Designing the migration, not just diagramming it: Leading Rehost, Replatform, and Refactor strategies off VMware and other clouds onto GCP, and staying hands-on through to go-live, not handing it off after the pitch deck.
• Running Compute, Serverless, GKE, and Cloud Run like they're all in your muscle memory: Picking the right compute model per workload instead of defaulting to whatever's familiar.
• Making IaC and GitOps the default, not the exception: Terraform modules and GitOps pipelines that clients can actually own after you leave the room.
• Bringing AI/ML into the architecture conversation: Vertex AI and BigQuery pipelines, with a working knowledge of where agentic frameworks (Agent Builder, ADK) genuinely fit vs. where they're hype.
• Being the "why" behind the "what": Translating gnarly technical trade-offs into a narrative an exec will actually approve.
• Mentoring as you go: Levelling up the Engineers around you, not hoarding the interesting problems.

What you won't be doing:

Sitting in an ivory tower producing architecture diagrams nobody implements. This is a build-and-ship role, you're the Architect and the Engineer!

What you'd bring to the role to have a meaningful impact:

• Real commercial experience, specifically architecting and shipping on Google Cloud (not just “cloud-adjacent”).
• Real depth across Compute, Serverless, GKE, Cloud Run, networking, and data services, the stuff that holds up under a real client audit, not just a whiteboard.
• Terraform and GitOps fluency at the “clients can maintain this” level.
• Python, Go, or Bash comfort, bonus points if you've touched Vertex AI or BigQuery pipelines in anger.
• Professional Cloud Architect certs (or the hands‑on runway to prove you don't need it).
• Consulting instincts: you can run a requirements session and defend a proposal without a script.
• A genuine track record of building things, not just approving other people's builds.

We have a long-term history with this team, and we know exactly who you would be working with and supporting in this key role, so look no further if you are motivated by working for genuine down to earth humans who roll up their sleeves and lead from the front with their team, whilst they strive to stay at the forefront of the Google tech landscape...