Principal Cloud Architect

Principal Cloud Architect
UK

Why This Role

This is a senior technical leadership opportunity for an experienced cloud architect who wants to shape major cloud transformations strategic bids and complex customer solutions.

You will act as a delegated design authority across high-value and high-risk engagements ensuring cloud solutions are secure scalable commercially viable and deliverable.

Working across presales and delivery you will influence architecture strategy at engagement level advise senior customers and improve architecture capability across the wider team.

What Youll Be Doing

• Lead the cloud architecture strategy for strategic accounts major bids RFPs and complex transformation programmes.
• Act as a delegated design authority for high-value high-risk or technically ambiguous cloud engagements.
• Shape enterprise cloud solutions across Azure AWS landing zones migration modernisation security resilience governance and FinOps.
• Translate complex business requirements into secure scalable supportable and commercially viable architecture recommendations.
• Provide programme-level architecture direction across multiple projects workstreams and technical dependencies.
• Assure complex solution designs and ensure alignment between presales commitments programme architecture and delivery outcomes.
• Advise senior customer stakeholders on cloud strategy transformation roadmaps architecture options and technical risk.
• Work with commercial portfolio engineering and delivery teams to challenge assumptions and improve solution viability.
• Support architecture governance design reviews and Architecture Review Board activity for strategic engagements.
• Develop reusable reference architectures design patterns accelerators and architecture guidance.
• Mentor Cloud Solutions Architects and Senior Cloud Solutions Architects improving design quality and consistency across the team.
• Identify opportunities to use automation and AI to improve architecture productivity assurance and reusable solution development.

What Were Looking For

Essential

• Significant experience leading architecture for complex enterprise-scale cloud transformations.
• Expert knowledge of public cloud architecture with strong Azure or AWS experience and relevant multi-cloud awareness.
• Experience operating as a senior design authority across complex high-risk or commercially sensitive engagements.
• Strong knowledge of cloud landing zones migration modernisation cloud-native architecture and cloud operating models.
• Deep understanding of cloud security identity networking resilience observability automation governance and FinOps.
• Proven experience leading the technical strategy for major bids RFPs proposals or strategic customer opportunities.
• Ability to define architecture roadmaps solution options reference architectures design patterns and governance approaches.
• Strong understanding of platform engineering DevOps Infrastructure as Code and operational service transition.
• Ability to balance customer outcomes technical quality cost risk delivery practicality and long-term operability.
• Confidence presenting complex architecture recommendations to senior customer and internal stakeholders.
• Strong commercial awareness including scope assumptions dependencies delivery models and technical risk.
• Experience influencing multidisciplinary teams through technical authority expertise and trust.

Desirable

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert including AZ-305.
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional.
• TOGAF or an equivalent enterprise solution or security architecture qualification.
• FinOps cloud governance cloud security AI or programme architecture credentials.
• Experience supporting an Architecture Review Board or formal architecture assurance process.
• Experience creating reusable architecture assets accelerators and standardised design patterns.
• Experience mentoring or developing senior cloud and solution architects.
• Public speaking technical thought leadership or architecture community leadership experience.

Why This Opportunity Stands Out

• Shape major cloud transformations from initial opportunity through to delivery.
• Influence strategic customer decisions as a senior trusted technical advisor.
• Work across Azure AWS cloud security landing zones migration modernisation FinOps and platform engineering.
• Lead architecture for complex bids and high-profile customer programmes.
• Act as a delegated design authority without requiring direct line management responsibility.
• Improve architecture standards reusable patterns and technical assurance across the wider function.
• Mentor experienced architects and help develop the organisations cloud architecture capability.
• Explore how automation and AI can improve architecture quality consistency and productivity.

Additional Information :

At Telefónica Tech we believe inclusion is the bridge that empowers everyone to be their authentic selves. We celebrate and respect our differences because diversity drives innovation and makes us stronger.
 
Be yourself with us and feel that you belong. 

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and identities regardless of age disability gender reassignment marital or civil partnership status pregnancy or maternity race religion or belief sex and sexual orientation. 
 
We are also committed to equity accessible hiring practices and creating an inclusive culture through many means including TogetHer (Womens network) and our Employee Resource Groups which include Diversity and Inclusion Telefónica Tech Pride Neurodiversity ELEVATE (African and Caribbean heritage network) and Sustainability.

 We dont believe hiring is a tick box exercise so if you feel that you dont match the job description 100% but would still be a great fit for role please get in touch. 

Remote Work :

Yes

Employment Type :

Full-time