Head of Cloud

JR United Kingdom; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Head of Cloud to lead and scale cross-functional teams in developing innovative cloud strategies. This role involves establishing best practices for cloud services, driving governance, and ensuring secure, efficient utilization of cloud technologies. With a focus on professional development, you will create pathways for growth in cloud roles and lead training initiatives on major platforms like AWS, Azure, and GCP. If you have a passion for cloud technologies and a proven leadership track record, this is an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in cloud architecture and management roles.
• In-depth knowledge of AWS, Azure, and GCP platforms.
• Expertise in cloud automation and DevOps practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Cloud Center of Excellence to define cloud strategy.
• Establish governance policies for cloud security and compliance.
• Promote a collaborative culture focused on cloud innovation.

Skills

Cloud Architecture

Cloud Engineering

DevOps

Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

Team Leadership

Communication Skills

Cloud Security

Project Management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science

Master’s degree in Computer Science

Tools

Terraform

Ansible

CloudFormation

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

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As the Head of Cloud, you’ll be responsible for building, leading, and scaling cross-functional teams to establish best practices, drive innovation, and implement governance standards for cloud services throughout the organization. This role requires collaboration with various departments, including engineering, client support, IT, and talent acquisition, to ensure cloud technologies are utilized securely, efficiently, and cost-effectively.

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and lead a Cloud Center of Excellence to define the organization's cloud strategy and best practices.
• Set standards for cloud adoption, policies, and frameworks across departments.
• Align cloud initiatives with overarching business objectives to foster innovation and optimize efficiency.

Cloud Governance & Best Practices

• Establish governance policies around security, compliance, architecture, and operational standards for cloud.
• Oversee cloud operations to ensure security, resilience, and adherence to regulatory and audit requirements.
• Design and maintain an internal and external service catalog for cloud solutions, aligning with business priorities.
• Partner with stakeholders to update offerings as new cloud technologies and services emerge.

Professional Development in Cloud

• Create pathways for career growth in cloud roles across the organization.
• Develop and implement initiatives to foster skill development, certifications, and ongoing education in cloud technologies.
• Lead training initiatives on cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP), and deliver workshops, courses, and mentorship.
• Ensure teams stay updated with evolving cloud technologies and best practices through continuous training programs.
• Guide client engagements through discovery, scoping, and architecture phases to align solutions with their business goals.
• Partner with clients to understand cloud requirements and develop customized solutions.

Project Staffing & Resource Allocation

• Support the allocation of cloud engineers to projects, ensuring optimal expertise alignment.
• Collaborate with project management to allocate resources efficiently and maximize team effectiveness.

Industry Engagement & Thought Leadership

• Represent the organization at industry events, sharing insights on best practices and cloud strategy.
• Engage in thought leadership to drive discussion on innovation, governance, and cloud advancements.

Collaboration & Knowledge Transfer

• Act as an intermediary between business units, development teams, and cloud engineers to enhance cloud usage.
• Promote a collaborative culture focused on knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.
• Provide expertise in cloud-native development, migration strategies, and infrastructure optimization.
• Identify and promote opportunities for cloud-driven innovation to increase operational efficiency and cost savings.
• Champion cloud-native solutions, such as serverless computing, containerization, and microservices.
• Cultivate a learning environment around emerging technologies like AI/ML, IoT, and edge computing within the cloud landscape.
• Advocate for automation, DevOps practices, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to streamline cloud operations.
• Implement monitoring, alerting, and analytics tools to enhance cloud performance, availability, and scalability.
• Ensure effective use of cloud management and automation tools (e.g., Terraform, Ansible, CloudFormation).
• Recruit, develop, and manage a team of cloud professionals, including architects, security experts, and engineers.
• Mentor and guide teams on cloud best practices, tools, and platforms.
• Foster an environment of accountability, continuous learning, and innovation.
• Work with external cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP) and other partners to maximize business value from cloud investments.
• Communicate cloud strategies, milestones, and challenges to senior leadership and key stakeholders.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience, including 5+ years in cloud architecture, engineering, or management roles.
• In-depth knowledge of cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and experience with multi-cloud or hybrid environments.
• Expertise in cloud automation, DevOps, and IaC tools (e.g., Terraform, Ansible).
• Proven track record of leadership in cross-functional teams and cloud project management.
• Strong communication skills with both technical and business stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Cloud certifications (e.g., AWS Solutions Architect, Azure Architect Expert, Google Cloud Architect).
• Experience in cloud-native design, serverless computing, and container orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Familiarity with data lakes, AI/ML infrastructure, and analytics in cloud environments.
• Knowledge of cloud security and compliance standards (e.g., ISO, SOC, GDPR) and cost management practices.

For more information, please contact Alice Armstrong at Hayward Hawk.