Lead Infrastructure Architect - Data Centre & Cyber Recovery

Gazelle Global; Amsterdam; On-site; EUR 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Gazelle Global in Amsterdam is seeking a Lead Infrastructure Architect to drive a major European Data Centre and Cyber Recovery programme. You will shape a brand-new data centre, delivering cyber-resilient, compliant infrastructure across regions.

The role requires extensive experience in large-scale infrastructure architecture within regulated banking environments, with leadership across enterprise teams and a strong focus on DR and resilience.

Qualifications

• 7-10+ years in Infrastructure/Technical Architecture
• Banking or regulated financial services experience
• Experience architecting large-scale datacentre environments
• Strong knowledge of datacentre tech: storage, compute, networking, virtualization
• Experience in cyber resilience, disaster recovery and business continuity
• Ability to translate business needs into architectural designs and technical solutions

Responsibilities

• Lead the Data Centre architecture and High-Level Concept Design for a new European Cyber Recovery Data Centre
• Design secure, scalable, and highly resilient enterprise infrastructure for mission-critical banking services
• Develop architecture covering datacentre infrastructure, compute, storage, networking, virtualization, backup and recovery
• Incorporate immutable storage, air-gapped vaults and clean-room recovery environments
• Contribute to business cases, feasibility, and long-term datacentre strategy
• Engage with senior stakeholders and lead architectural workshops and design reviews
• Provide technical direction to multidisciplinary teams across infra, cloud, networking and security
• Ensure alignment with regulatory requirements and enterprise standards

Skills

Infrastructure architecture

Stakeholder engagement

Cyber resilience

Banking domain knowledge

Data centre design

Tools

TOGAF

CDCDP

AWS/Azure

VMware VCP/VCF

CISSP

CCIE

Job description

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands (3 days onsite per week)
Contract: Initial 6 months | Potential extension to 18 months
Hours: 36 hours per week
Industry: Banking & Financial Services

Payroll Contract - No ZZPers

Lead Infrastructure Architect - Data Centre & Cyber Recovery

We are looking for an experienced Lead Infrastructure Architect to play a key role in a major European banking infrastructure transformation programme.

This is an opportunity to help shape the architecture of a brand-new, third European Data Centre, purpose-built to strengthen cyber resilience, disaster recovery capabilities and operational continuity across a global financial services environment.

With an anticipated multi-million‑euro investment programme, this is a strategically important initiative that will directly influence how critical banking infrastructure is protected against cyberattacks, large-scale outages and operational disruptions.

You will join an established global Infrastructure, Resilience & Recovery function, working closely with senior technology leadership, enterprise architects, security specialists and engineering teams.

Unlike traditional architecture positions focused on maintaining existing systems, this role offers the opportunity to design a new cyber-resilient environment from the ground up, influencing key technology decisions from initial business requirements and feasibility assessments through to concept design and future implementation.

What You'll Be Doing

Data Centre Architecture & Design

• Lead the development of the High-Level Concept Design for a new European Cyber Recovery Data Centre.
• Design secure, scalable and highly resilient enterprise infrastructure architectures supporting mission-critical banking services.
• Develop architecture solutions covering datacentre infrastructure, compute, storage, networking, virtualisation, backup and recovery.
• Design cyber recovery environments incorporating immutable backups, isolated recovery vaults, air‑gapped infrastructure and clean‑room recovery capabilities.
• Define resilient infrastructure patterns involving replication, failover, cross‑region recovery and hybrid environments.
• Ensure architecture decisions align with global technology strategy, security policies and enterprise architecture standards.

Strategic Infrastructure Transformation

• Translate complex business needs into clear functional and non‑functional technical requirements.
• Develop a comprehensive Business & Technical Requirements Matrix.
• Contribute to the business case, feasibility assessments and long‑term datacentre strategy.
• Support datacentre site assessments, technical evaluations and infrastructure planning across Europe.
• Assess technology solutions, architectural trade‑offs, infrastructure dependencies and operational risks.
• Help establish the foundations for subsequent design, proof‑of‑concept and implementation phases.

Cyber Resilience & Disaster Recovery

• Design infrastructure that can withstand and recover from major cyber incidents, ransomware attacks and critical technology failures.
• Incorporate cyber resilience and disaster recovery principles into the overall datacentre architecture.
• Apply regulatory and industry requirements, including DORA, NIS2, ISO 27001, ISO 22301, ISO 22237 and NIST frameworks.
• Work with Information Security, Risk Management and IT Resilience teams to establish robust recovery architectures.
• Ensure proposed solutions support business continuity, recovery objectives, security and regulatory compliance.

Technical Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement

• Collaborate with enterprise architects, infrastructure engineering teams, cybersecurity specialists and senior IT leadership.
• Provide architectural direction to multidisciplinary engineering teams working across infrastructure, cloud, networking and security.
• Communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Facilitate architecture discussions, technical workshops and design reviews.
• Challenge existing approaches, evaluate alternative solutions and influence strategic infrastructure decisions.
• Work alongside an established in-house architect to ensure architectural consistency and delivery alignment.

What We're Looking For

We are seeking a technically credible, experienced Infrastructure Architect who has delivered complex infrastructure solutions within regulated banking or financial services environments.

Essential Requirements

• 7‑10+ years of experience in Infrastructure / Technical Architecture, including large-scale enterprise environments.
• Banking experience is mandatory, with a strong understanding of the complexities of regulated financial infrastructure.
• Proven experience architecting large‑scale datacentre environments and enterprise infrastructure solutions.
• Strong understanding of datacentre technologies, including storage, compute, networking, virtualisation and infrastructure platforms.
• Demonstrable knowledge of cyber resilience, disaster recovery and business continuity architecture.
• Experience designing or integrating backup, replication, failover and recovery solutions.
• Understanding of modern cyber recovery approaches, including immutable storage, isolated recovery environments and ransomware recovery.
• Experience translating business requirements into architecture designs and practical technical solutions.
• Ability to engage with senior stakeholders and explain complex infrastructure concepts to non‑technical audiences.
• Strong understanding of infrastructure security, governance, risk and regulatory requirements.
• Experience working with and providing technical direction to multidisciplinary infrastructure engineering teams.

Highly Desirable

• Direct involvement in designing or building a new enterprise datacentre.
• Experience with datacentre transformation, migration, consolidation or relocation programmes.
• Exposure to datacentre construction, infrastructure site selection or technical feasibility assessments.
• Experience designing cyber recovery vaults, air‑gapped environments or clean‑room recovery infrastructure.
• Familiarity with hybrid cloud and cross‑region disaster recovery architectures.
• Understanding of DORA, NIS2, NIST, ISO 22237, ISO 27001 and ISO 22301.

Relevant Certifications

Certifications are advantageous but not mandatory:

• TOGAF or equivalent Enterprise Architecture certification
• Certified Data Centre Design Professional (CDCDP)
• AWS or Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect
• VMware VCP / VCF
• CISSP
• CCIE or equivalent networking certification

Project Roadmap

You will join during the crucial initiation phase of the programme.

Phase 1 - Discovery & Requirements (First 2 Months)

Understand the existing enterprise infrastructure, assess business and technical requirements, engage key stakeholders and evaluate architectural constraints.

Phase 2 - Architecture & Proof of Concept (Following 3 Months)

Develop the proposed architecture, produce the high‑level concept design, establish technical requirements and support proof‑of‑concept activities.

Phase 3 - Future Delivery & Transformation

Subject to programme progression and contract extension, support the transition from concept design towards implementation of the new Cyber Recovery Data Centre.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

• Major investment programme: Contribute to a multi‑million‑euro European infrastructure transformation initiative.
• Build something new: Influence the creation of a third datacentre rather than simply maintaining existing infrastructure.
• High‑impact architecture: Design infrastructure that protects critical banking services from cyber threats and major outages.
• Strategic visibility: Work closely with senior IT leadership, enterprise architects and cybersecurity decision‑makers.
• Global environment: Collaborate with teams supporting operations across Europe, Asia‑Pacific and the Americas.
• Long‑term potential: Initial 6‑month assignment with the possibility of extensions as the programme develops.
• Technical ownership: Take a leading role in defining architectural direction while working alongside experienced internal specialists.