Senior Cloud Solutions Architect - Strategy & Delivery

CDM Smith; Aurora (IL); On-site; USD 123,000 - 215,000; Full time

Job summary

CDM Smith is seeking a Lead Cloud Solutions Architect to serve as the senior client-facing technology leader for the Cloud Solutions team. You will partner with business stakeholders to identify opportunities, develop solution strategies, and guide complex cloud, application, and technology initiatives from discovery through deployment and operation.

You will work with the Cloud Center of Excellence, vendors, and delivery teams to ensure solutions align with business needs and enterprise

Qualifications

• Experience serving in solution architecture, consulting, technical leadership, or customer-facing technology roles, including designing, implementing, and delivering enterprise technology solutions.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, cross-functional technology initiatives from discovery through implementation, including solution strategies, roadmaps, and recommendations that deliver measurable business outcomes.
• Strong experience engaging business leaders and stakeholders to gather requirements, translate strategic objectives into practical technology solutions, and develop implementation-ready solution designs.
• Advanced understanding of Microsoft Azure services, cloud solution architecture, application modernization, identity services, networking, and security concepts.
• Working knowledge of AWS services and cloud architecture principles.
• Strong understanding of enterprise networking concepts, including DNS, routing, firewalls, load balancing, VPNs, private connectivity, and hybrid networking architectures.
• Experience designing solutions that incorporate relational and non-relational databases, data integrations, and application data architectures.
• Strong experience working with Linux-based operating systems, application platforms, and enterprise workloads.
• Experience designing and integrating enterprise applications, SaaS platforms, APIs, and business systems.
• Strong communication, presentation, facilitation, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly and influence technical and business decisions across organizational levels.
• Strong leadership, mentoring, and team development experience, with the ability to lead, influence, and collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders without direct authority.
• Strong business acumen with experience evaluating solution costs, licensing models, operational support requirements, security considerations, and technology investments to develop cost-effective recommendations aligned with organizational objectives and client outcomes.
• Strong organizational, planning, prioritization, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple initiatives, priorities, and stakeholder expectations in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience identifying project risks, dependencies, and delivery challenges and developing effective mitigation strategies.
• Ability to drive organizational adoption of technology solutions, architecture standards, and delivery best practices across business and technical teams.
• Self-motivated and outcome-focused with the ability to work independently while driving collaboration and delivery across diverse teams.
• Commitment to continuous learning, emerging technology evaluation, and staying current with cloud, application, and technology trends.

Responsibilities

• Lead client engagement activities, including solution discovery, requirements gathering, stakeholder workshops, and business case development.
• Translate business needs into practical, scalable, and supportable technology solutions that align with organizational goals.
• Experience supporting the full solution lifecycle, including implementation, operational transition, upgrades, support planning, and technology lifecycle management.
• Develop solution strategies, implementation roadmaps, and delivery plans for cloud, application, and technology initiatives.
• Lead complex solution engagements from initial concept through implementation and operational transition.
• Collaborate with business leaders, project teams, vendors, and technical resources to ensure successful delivery of technology solutions.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to Solution Architects, Engineers, and delivery teams throughout the solution lifecycle.
• Evaluate technology options and recommend solutions based on business value, functionality, cost, risk, and long-term supportability.
• Identify project risks, dependencies, and implementation challenges and develop mitigation strategies to support successful outcomes.
• Lead vendor evaluations, proof-of-concept initiatives, and technology assessments to support solution selection and delivery decisions.
• Work closely with the Cloud Center of Excellence (CCOE) to ensure solutions leverage approved platform services, established capabilities, and enterprise standards.
• Drive accountability for solution delivery outcomes, stakeholder satisfaction, and successful adoption of implemented solutions.
• Support portfolio planning, demand management, and prioritization activities to align delivery efforts with business priorities.
• Identify opportunities to improve delivery processes, increase solution reuse, and accelerate implementation timelines.

Skills

Solution architecture

Cloud leadership

Azure

AWS

Stakeholder mgmt

Security concepts

Networking concepts

Data architectures

DevOps

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Job description

CDM Smith is seeking a Lead Cloud Solutions Architect to serve as the senior client-facing technology leader for the Cloud Solutions team. You will partner with business stakeholders to identify opportunities, develop solution strategies, and guide complex cloud, application, and technology initiatives from discovery through deployment and operation.

You will work with the Cloud Center of Excellence, vendors, and delivery teams to ensure solutions align with business needs and enterprise