Cloud Architect (Contract)

The Focus Group; Sandton; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

The Focus Group in South Africa seeks an experienced Cloud Architect to lead enterprise cloud architecture, governance, and standards. You will define cloud adoption roadmaps, assess technologies, and ensure designs align with business strategies.

You will provide architectural leadership across cloud transformation, application modernisation, data platforms, AI, and digital initiatives; review designs for compliance; support migration from on‑premise to cloud; and drive automation, cost

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain enterprise cloud architecture standards, principles, and reference architectures.
• Define cloud adoption roadmaps aligned to business and technology strategies.
• Evaluate cloud technologies and services to support current and future business requirements.
• Establish cloud governance frameworks, architecture patterns, and best practices.
• Design secure, scalable, highly available, and resilient cloud solutions.
• Provide architectural leadership across cloud transformation, application modernisation, data platforms, AI, and digital initiatives.
• Review and approve solution designs to ensure alignment with enterprise architecture standards.
• Support migration of applications, data, and infrastructure from on-premise to cloud environments.
• Ensure cloud solutions comply with security, risk, regulatory, and governance requirements.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity teams to implement cloud security controls and monitoring.
• Define cloud identity, access management, encryption, and network security architectures.
• Support audit, compliance, and risk management activities.
• Promote cloud operational excellence through automation, monitoring, and observability.
• Drive cloud cost optimisation and FinOps practices.
• Establish standards for availability, resilience, disaster recovery, and business continuity.
• Support performance optimisation and capacity planning initiatives.
• Work closely with business leaders, product owners, engineering teams, and technology partners.
• Provide architectural guidance during planning, budgeting, and project execution.
• Present architecture strategies and recommendations to senior management and governance forums.
• Mentor solution architects, engineers, and technical teams on cloud best practices.

Job description

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain enterprise cloud architecture standards, principles, and reference architectures.

• Define cloud adoption roadmaps aligned to business and technology strategies.

• Evaluate cloud technologies and services to support current and future business requirements.

• Establish cloud governance frameworks, architecture patterns, and best practices.

• Design secure, scalable, highly available, and resilient cloud solutions.

• Provide architectural leadership across cloud transformation, application modernisation, data platforms, AI, and digital initiatives.

• Review and approve solution designs to ensure alignment with enterprise architecture standards.

• Support migration of applications, data, and infrastructure from on-premise to cloud environments.

• Ensure cloud solutions comply with security, risk, regulatory, and governance requirements.

• Collaborate with cybersecurity teams to implement cloud security controls and monitoring.

• Define cloud identity, access management, encryption, and network security architectures.

• Support audit, compliance, and risk management activities.

• Promote cloud operational excellence through automation, monitoring, and observability.

• Drive cloud cost optimisation and FinOps practices.

• Establish standards for availability, resilience, disaster recovery, and business continuity.

• Support performance optimisation and capacity planning initiatives.

• Work closely with business leaders, product owners, engineering teams, and technology partners.

• Provide architectural guidance during planning, budgeting, and project execution.

• Present architecture strategies and recommendations to senior management and governance forums.

• Mentor solution architects, engineers, and technical teams on cloud best practices.