Senior Cloud Solutions Architect (Azure)

BlueFlag LLC; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); Remote; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Generous annual leave

Comprehensive health plans

401(k) with company match

Ongoing training opportunities

Job summary

A leading cloud solutions company is seeking a Senior Cloud Solutions Architect with extensive experience in Azure to lead cloud architecture initiatives. This remote position involves designing, implementing, and optimizing cloud solutions for large enterprises, specifically for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Candidates should have strong data engineering skills and a passion for optimizing cloud environments. Join this innovative team to make a meaningful impact in cloud solutions.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in cloud architecture with a focus on Microsoft Azure.
• Demonstrated experience leading large-scale cloud migration projects.
• Knowledge of system security and compliance requirements in a federal environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead cloud architecture design and implementation for a large data platform.
• Drive migration of complex workloads to the cloud-based platform.
• Mentor engineers in cloud-native architecture best practices.

Skills

Cloud architecture

Azure Databricks

Data engineering

Client engagement

Infrastructure as code

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Terraform

GitHub Actions

Azure Data Factory

Job description

Senior Cloud Solutions Architect (Azure)

Overview

BlueFlag is seeking an ambitious, senior-level Cloud Solutions Architect specializing in Azure to join our dynamic team. This opportunity is remote. As a key player in our cloud infrastructure initiatives, you'll architect, implement, and optimize cloud solutions for large enterprise environments, including a data and analytics platform for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

What You'll Do

• Lead cloud architecture design and solutioning for a large data and analytics platform, with emphasis on Azure-based services including Azure Databricks, Synapse Analytics, Azure Data Factory, Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2, Azure Kubernetes Service, and Azure Cognitive/ML Services
• Drive the migration of large, complex workloads from the legacy warehouses and on-premises VA systems into the cloud-based platform, ensuring security, compliance, and performance optimization
• Architect data ingestion, processing, and integration patterns using batch, near-real-time (GoldenGate), streaming (Event Hubs), SFTP, and API-based ingestion methods
• Support data preparation, wrangling, transformation, enrichment, normalization, and integration pipelines leveraging Databricks, Synapse, and Starburst
• Define and implement solution accelerators (e.g., Databricks notebooks, ingestion patterns, reporting and ML workspace templates) to support repeatable, scalable implementations across workstreams
• Partner with customer success teams to support onboarding of VA customers, including migration of workgroups with extensive and complex VM/application footprints
• Provide architectural guidance for system-to-system integrations using APIs, SHIR (Self-Hosted Integration Runtime), and various API frameworks
• Ensure Identity and Access Management (IAM) and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) models are consistently applied across Azure Entra (Active Directory), service principals, managed identities, and data lake ACLs
• Work closely with platform engineers, data governance engineers, data management engineers, and application development teams to design, review, and improve deployment patterns
• Align architecture decisions with VA security and compliance requirements, including FISMA, NIST 800-53, FIPS 199/200, VA Handbook 6500, and the VA Authority to Operate (ATO) boundary constraints
• Provide architectural input into platform roadmap planning, ensuring that DevOps, initiatives, and customer projects are aligned with VA's strategic priorities and capacity planning processes
• Document all solution architectures in the platform's unified architecture framework within Confluence, ensuring traceability across enterprise, platform, data, integration, and consumption layers
• Mentor engineers, data scientists, and other technical staff in cloud-native architecture best practices, automation, and data product development
• Research and evaluate emerging cloud technology trends and best practices to enhance company offerings

Why Join BlueFlag

At BlueFlag, we're passionate about leveraging cutting-edge technology to make a real difference. You'll be at the forefront of cloud innovation, working on projects that directly impact people's lives. We offer a high-growth, entrepreneurial environment that values fresh ideas and authentic teamwork. If you're ready to take your cloud engineering career to new heights and contribute to meaningful projects that push the boundaries of technology, we want to hear from you. Join BlueFlag and be part of a team that's shaping the future of cloud solutions!

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field.
• 8+ years of experience in cloud architecture, with at least 5 years focused on Microsoft Azure.
• Demonstrated experience leading large-scale cloud migration projects, including VM and application migrations from on-premises environments to Azure.
• Proven expertise in data engineering and analytics workloads, with hands-on experience in:
  • Azure Databricks (data processing, ML pipelines, advanced analytics)
  • Azure Synapse Analytics (SQL Pools, big data analytics, enterprise data warehouse)
  • Azure Data Factory and Event Hubs (batch, near real-time, and streaming ingestion)
  • Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2, Neo4J, and SQL databases

Technical Skills

• Strong background in cloud-native solution architecture within multi-cloud environments (Azure Gov, AWS).
• Experience with infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, GitHub Actions) for provisioning and deployment automation.
• Deep understanding of data governance frameworks (Collibra, Immuta for ABAC, RBAC group models in Azure Entra).
• Knowledge of system security and compliance requirements in a federal environment, including NIST 800-53, FISMA, FedRAMP High, and VA Handbook 6500.
• Familiarity with disaster recovery, system integrity, and secure communications controls (e.g., Contingency Planning, System and Information Integrity, System and Communications Protection SOPs).

Professional Skills

• Experience leading cross-functional teams (architecture, DevOps, data governance, application development) in a program environment.
• Strong client engagement skills, with ability to work directly with VA stakeholders, data providers, and consumers to translate business needs into technical solutions.
• Proven ability to design scalable, secure, and compliant data and analytics solutions that align with organizational strategy and regulatory requirements.
• Excellent communication skills to support stakeholder engagement, intake processes, and solution handoffs.

Certifications (preferred)

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate or Azure Data Scientist Associate
• Experience with Azure security certifications (e.g., SC-100, SC-200) is a plus
• US Citizen: Must be a citizen of the United States
• Security Clearance: Must be able to obtain a public trust clearance. Must be eligible to work in the United States

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Generous annual leave and paid holidays
• Comprehensive group health and dental plans
• 401(k) with company match
• Life insurance and AD&D coverage
• Ongoing training and professional development opportunities