Manager, IT Cloud Architecture (Denver/Hybrid)

Ardent Mills; Denver (CO); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental and Vision Coverage

Health Savings Accounts

Life and Disability Programs

Voluntary Benefit Programs

Company Sponsored Wellness Programs

Retirement Savings with Company Match

Team Member and Family Assistance (EAP

Paid Time Off and Paid Holidays

Employee Recognition Program with RAVE

Job summary

Ardent Mills is seeking a Manager, IT Cloud Architecture in Denver (Hybrid). You will lead a Cloud Engineering team, own the infrastructure architecture, budgets, vendor relations, and cloud strategy for Azure and related platforms.

Ideal candidates have 7+ years in cloud/servers architecture, strong Azure/Microsoft stack skills, and a track record in cost controls and automation. This role follows a hybrid work model in Denver two days a week.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of cloud/servers architecture experience.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• Strong budgeting, vendor/contracts and licensing knowledge.
• Expertise in Azure IaaS/PaaS, RBAC, MFA, and identity services.
• Proficient with IaC, scripting, and cost optimization.

Responsibilities

• Lead cloud engineering team to meet current and future needs.
• Define architecture standards for cloud, server, and hyperconverged infra.
• Design scalable cloud solutions and automation patterns.
• Establish AI infra foundation for Microsoft Foundry and Copilot.
• Oversee Azure, AD, Entra ID, VDI, DNS, DHCP and related services.
• Advance security, resilience, and recovery practices.
• Manage budgets, vendors, contracts, and delivery priorities.
• Drive platform cost optimization and FinOps metrics.
• Resolve complex technical issues during major infra projects.

Skills

Cloud architecture

Budget management

Vendor & contract mgmt

Azure IaaS/PaaS

RBAC and MFA

Infrastructure as code

Automation & scripting

Security & resilience

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Azure

Nutanix

VMware

Azure Local

Entra ID

Azure Policy

Job description

Manager, IT Cloud Architecture (Denver/Hybrid)

Location:

Denver CO

The Manager, Cloud Architecture, is the senior architect for our cloud and server environment, leading a team of Cloud Engineers. This role is responsible for architecture and technical decisions, Cloud and Server roadmap, owns an operating and capital budget, and manages vendors, contracts, licensing, and RFPs. The Manager, Cloud Architecture owns the infrastructure, identity, and cost controls underneath it. This position reports to the Sr. Director, Enterprise Platforms.

• Lead, develop, and provide workforce planning to cloud engineering team to meet current platform needs and future capability requirements.
• Define cloud, server, and hyperconverged architecture standards that strengthen governance, resiliency, security, and scalability.
• Design scalable cloud solutions and automation patterns that translate business needs into reliable, cost-conscious platforms.
• Establish the AI infrastructure foundation for Microsoft Foundry, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and Copilot Studio across identity, data access, governance, and cost controls.
• Oversee core cloud, server, identity, and access platforms across Azure, Active Directory, Entra ID, VDI, DNS, DHCP, and related services.
• Advance security, resilience, vulnerability remediation, and recovery practices aligned to enterprise and plant system requirements.
• Manage the infrastructure roadmap, budgets, vendor relationships, contracts, and delivery priorities aligned to business needs.
• Drive platform cost optimization, reliability, monitoring, and health metrics through FinOps practices and continuous improvement.
• Resolve complex technical and stakeholder issues while leading major infrastructure projects and production-sensitive change planning.

Education

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.

Experience

• 7+ years of relevant experience.
• Hands-on cloud and server engineering or architecture experience.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Knowledge of operating and capital budget management, vendor and contract administration, software licensing, and request for proposal (RFP) processes.
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Azure IaaS and PaaS environments, including landing zones, management groups, Azure Policy, and role-based access control (RBAC).
• Advanced knowledge of Windows Server, hybrid Active Directory, Microsoft Entra ID, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, federation, single sign-on (SSO), conditional access, and multifactor authentication (MFA).
• Proficiency in supporting Nutanix, VMware, Azure Local, and related infrastructure platforms, including server hardware lifecycle management.
• Proficiency in infrastructure as code, scripting, automation, and Azure network design to improve the efficiency and reliability of platform delivery.
• Knowledge of backup and recovery, business continuity, recovery time objectives (RTO), recovery point objectives (RPO), and Azure FinOps practices.
• Proficiency in managing vendors, contracts, licensing agreements, and request for proposal processes.
• Ability to understand and support the identity, networking, data-access, cloud infrastructure, and cost-control requirements underlying artificial intelligence services.
• Ability to evaluate, learn, and apply new technologies and platforms quickly.
• Ability to balance technical, operational, financial, and business requirements when making infrastructure decisions.

Location:

Denver CO

Address:

1875 Lawrence Street, Denver CO, 80202

Employment Type:

Full time

Additional Information

Competitive Compensation

We provide market-driven base pay, based on skills, abilities, and level of experiences. Our salary ranges are broad, and individual salary will be market competitive based on a candidate’s unique set of skills and level of experience. The starting range for this position is $140,000.00 - $200,000.00, with additional earning potential possible commensurate with experience. Additionally, we believe that our team members are the reason for our success and all team members are incentive eligible with a target based on contribution, company performance, and individual results achieved. While the specific bonus plan and target amount will be determined based on the role and breadth of contributions, the targeted bonus plan and targeted percentage amount for this role is Bonus - MIP, 15% Annual.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental and Vision Coverage
• Health and Dependent Savings Accounts
• Life and Disability Programs
• Voluntary Benefit Programs
• Company Sponsored Wellness Programs
• Retirement Savings with Company Match
• Team Member and Family Assistance Program (EAP)
• Paid Time Off and Paid Holidays
• Employee Recognition Program with Rewards (RAVE).

Application Deadline

10/25/202610/25/2026

EEO Commitment

At Ardent Mills, everyone matters and everyone has a voice. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal opportunities are available to all applicants and team members and the decisions will be based on merit, competence, performance, and business needs. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, genetic information, veteran status, age, political affiliation, or any other non-merit characteristic protected by law or not. Together, celebrating our differences, we make Ardent Mills. The preceding position description has been designed to indicate the general nature and essential duties and responsibilities of work performed by employees within this position. It may not contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees in this position. The description, duties, functions, and responsibilities are subject to change at the discretion of Ardent Mills.En Ardent Mills, todos importan y todos tienen voz. Estamos comprometidos a brindar un ambiente de respeto mutuo donde haya igualdad de oportunidades disponibles para todos los solicitantes y miembros del equipo y las decisiones se basarán en el mérito, la competencia, el desempeño y las necesidades comerciales. Estamos orgullosos de ser un empleador que ofrece igualdad de oportunidades. No discriminamos por motivos de raza, color, religión, credo, origen nacional, ascendencia, estado civil, sexo, orientación sexual, identidad o expresión de género, discapacidad física o mental, embarazo, información genética, condición de veterano, edad, política. afiliación, o cualquier otra característica no meritoria protegida por ley o no. Juntos, celebrando nuestras diferencias, formamos Ardent Mills. La descripción del puesto anterior ha sido diseñada para indicar la naturaleza general y los deberes y responsabilidades esenciales del trabajo realizado por los empleados dentro de este puesto. Es posible que no contenga un inventario completo de todos los deberes, responsabilidades y calificaciones requeridas de los empleados en este puesto. La descripción, los deberes, las funciones y las responsabilidades están sujetos a cambios a discreción de Ardent Mills.

Role Designation

Ardent Mills is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.This role follows a hybrid work arrangement and will be basedinthe assigned work location. The successful candidate will be expected to work in person from theirassigned office location two days per week (Tuesday and Wednesday), except when traveling for business.

Recruitment Fraud Disclaimer

At Ardent Mills, the security of our employees and candidates is a priority. We will never request sensitive information such as your bank account information, social security number, or other non-publicly available information during the application and interview process. If someone asks you for sensitive information, we strongly advise that you assume that individual is not affiliated with Ardent Mills. Some things to watch out for:

• Slightly altered or unprofessional email addresses. Ardent Mills’ Recruitment team only corresponds from email addresses with the domain [e-mail] or [e-mail]
• Vague job requirements or job descriptions. Our open job opportunities and descriptions can be found at ardentmillscareers.com