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Principal Infrastructure Architect Jobs (NOW HIRING)

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$60K

$132.4K

$178K

How much do principal infrastructure architect jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 2, 2026, the average yearly pay for principal infrastructure architect in the United States is $132,442.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $123,000.00 and $157,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a Principal Infrastructure Architect?

A Principal Infrastructure Architect is a senior-level IT professional responsible for designing, planning, and overseeing the implementation of complex technology infrastructure systems within an organization. They develop strategies to ensure that technology platforms are scalable, secure, and aligned with business goals. Their role often involves collaborating with stakeholders, evaluating new technologies, and providing guidance to technical teams. Principal Infrastructure Architects also play a key part in setting architectural standards and ensuring the reliability and efficiency of IT operations.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Principal Infrastructure Architect?

To thrive as a Principal Infrastructure Architect, you need deep expertise in IT infrastructure design, cloud platforms, virtualization, and a relevant degree or certifications such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect or Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect. Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code tools (e.g., Terraform, Ansible), network and security protocols, and enterprise architecture frameworks is typically required. Strong leadership, communication, and strategic thinking skills help drive cross-functional alignment and effective stakeholder management. These competencies ensure robust, scalable, and secure infrastructure solutions that meet business goals and support digital transformation.

How does a Principal Infrastructure Architect typically collaborate with cross-functional teams during large-scale projects?

A Principal Infrastructure Architect works closely with cross-functional teams by facilitating communication between IT, development, security, and business stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle. They translate business requirements into scalable infrastructure solutions, guide technical decisions, and ensure alignment with organizational goals. Regular meetings, architectural reviews, and workshops are common ways they engage with diverse teams, helping to resolve complex technical challenges and maintain project momentum. Their leadership and broad technical expertise are essential for bridging gaps and ensuring cohesive project delivery.

What is the difference between Principal Infrastructure Architect vs Infrastructure Engineer?

AspectPrincipal Infrastructure ArchitectInfrastructure Engineer
CredentialsTypically requires a bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science or related field, with certifications like Cisco CCNP, AWS, or AzureUsually holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science or related field, with certifications such as Cisco CCNA or CompTIA Network+
Work EnvironmentFocuses on designing and planning large-scale infrastructure strategies, often in leadership rolesImplements, maintains, and supports infrastructure systems, working closely with architects and operations teams
Employer & Industry UsageCommonly employed in large enterprises, cloud providers, and consulting firmsFound in a wide range of organizations, including tech companies, service providers, and corporate IT departments

The Principal Infrastructure Architect primarily focuses on designing and overseeing complex infrastructure strategies, while the Infrastructure Engineer handles the implementation and maintenance of infrastructure systems. Both roles require relevant certifications and technical expertise, but differ in scope and responsibilities.

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Who are the top companies hiring for Principal Infrastructure Architect jobs?

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What states have the most Principal Infrastructure Architect jobs?

States with the most job openings for Principal Infrastructure Architect jobs include:

What job categories do people searching Principal Infrastructure Architect jobs look for?

The top searched job categories for Principal Infrastructure Architect jobs are:

Infographic showing various Principal Infrastructure Architect job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 91% Full Time, 6% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 84% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $132,442 per year, or $63.7 per hour.

Principal Infrastructure & Cloud Architect

Hollister Incorporated

Libertyville, IL • Hybrid

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 18 days ago


Abercrombie & Fitch rating

6.2

Company rating: 6.2 out of 10

Based on 155 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

51st of 104 rated fashion retailers


Job description

We Make Life More Rewarding and Dignified 

Location: Libertyville
Department: Information Technology 

Summary

The Principal Infrastructure & Cloud Architect is a senior individual contributor responsible for defining and governing enterprise architecture for global hybrid infrastructure and cloud platforms, with deep expertise in enterprise networking. This role establishes target-state architectures, reference designs, and engineering guardrails that enable secure, resilient, scalable, and cost-effective services across on-premises data centers, co-location environments, and public cloud (Azure).

The Principal Architect sets architecture rigor through documented standards and patterns (architecture decision records, design reviews, infrastructure-as-code blueprints, automation, and observability requirements) and serves as a technical authority and escalation point for complex cross-domain decisions (identity, network, compute, storage, and security). The role partners closely with Enterprise Architecture, Cybersecurity, Application and Product teams, Manufacturing IT, and key business stakeholders to modernize platforms, reduce operational risk, and deliver measurable improvements in service health (SLOs/SLAs), recovery readiness (RTO/RPO), and total cost of ownership in a 24x7x365 environment.

Responsibilities

Architecture leadership, standards, and governance

  • Define and evolve hybrid infrastructure and cloud architecture strategy, principles, and roadmaps aligned with business objectives, risk posture, and enterprise architecture.
  • Create and govern reference architectures, standards, and reusable templates (landing zones, network topologies, identity integration, logging/monitoring baselines) to drive consistency and adoption.
  • Lead architecture reviews and decision forums; document decisions, trade-offs, risks, and design controls.

Hybrid cloud foundations (Azure) and platform engineering

  • Architect Azure foundations, including management groups, subscriptions, policies, RBAC/PIM, logging, and connectivity aligned with CAF and internal standards.
  • Define patterns for hybrid compute, virtualization, storage, backup, and identity across data centers and cloud environments.
  • Guide modernization initiatives including migrations, consolidation, upgrades, and standardization with clear readiness and operational requirements.

Enterprise network and cloud network architecture

  • Own network architecture across data center, campus, WAN, and cloud environments, including routing, segmentation, IP addressing, DNS/DHCP, and resiliency.
  • Design hybrid connectivity solutions, including ExpressRoute, VPN, peering, hub-and-spoke, shared services, routing controls, firewalls, and private connectivity.
  • Define standards for SD-WAN/SASE and remote access aligned with Zero Trust principles.

Security architecture, risk management, and compliance readiness

  • Partner with Cybersecurity to ensure secure-by-design architectures across network, identity, compute, and cloud services, including hardening, least privilege, encryption, vulnerability remediation, and audit readiness.
  • Establish controls for data protection and secure connectivity for critical and regulated workloads.
  • Conduct and document risk assessments and compensating controls while ensuring compliance with policies and requirements.

Reliability, observability, and resilience (DR/BCP)

  • Define requirements for availability, performance, scalability, and recoverability; support establishment of SLOs, SLAs, and operational KPIs.
  • Establish monitoring, logging, and alerting standards to improve detection, troubleshooting, and root cause analysis.
  • Own disaster recovery architecture standards and testing, including RTO/RPO objectives, dependency mapping, and reporting.

Automation, IaC, FinOps, and vendor influence

  • Establish infrastructure-as-code and automation standards (Terraform, Bicep/ARM, PowerShell, Python), including source control, CI/CD integration, testing, and drift management.
  • Partner with Finance and platform teams on tagging standards, cost allocation, budgets, and optimization practices.
  • Evaluate technology solutions, provide technical leadership to vendors and partners, and ensure alignment with enterprise standards.
Essential Functions of the Role
  • Vision-setting and alignment with business strategy.
  • Oversight of compliance, risk, and organizational culture.
  • Collaborate across departments to support organizational goals.
  • Participate in cross-functional meetings and initiatives.
  • Lead or support special projects aligned with departmental objectives.
  • Demonstrate initiative in identifying process improvements or automation opportunities.
  • Serve as a point of contact for internal and external stakeholders.
  • Prepare reports and dashboards for internal stakeholders.
Education & Work Requirements
  • Bachelor's Degree with 12-15 years of related experience
Education & Work Preferences
  • Relevant certifications are a plus (e.g., Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, ITIL, VMware, networking, security). Advanced certifications such as AZ-305 (Azure Solutions Architect), AZ-500 (Security), and network/security certifications (e.g., CCNP/CCIE, JNCIP/JNCIE, PCNSE, Fortinet NSE) are strongly preferred.
  • Minimum 12 years of progressive IT infrastructure experience, including 8+ years architecting and operating enterprise hybrid infrastructure and cloud platforms in a 24x7 environment.
  • Minimum 5 years in an architecture role (principal, lead, solutions, or enterprise architect) owning reference architectures, standards, and governance across multiple domains, including network, identity, compute, storage, and security.
  • Travel via plane or automobile as required (typically 10% or less).
  • Demonstrated experience designing enterprise networking and connectivity at scale across data centers, campuses, WANs, and cloud environments, including segmentation, routing strategy, and Zero Trust-aligned designs.
  • Proven ability to influence and lead cross-functional teams without direct authority, including platform engineering, operations/SRE, cybersecurity, application teams, and vendors, delivering measurable improvements in reliability, security, and cost.
  • Fluency in English is required.
  • Principal-level architecture leadership with responsibility for standards, reference architectures, design reviews, and architecture decision records (ADRs), including trade-offs and risk acceptance.
  • Deep expertise in Microsoft Azure foundations and governance (CAF-aligned landing zones), including management groups, subscriptions, policy guardrails, RBAC/PIM, identity integration, monitoring, logging, and cost management.
  • Strong hybrid infrastructure expertise across Windows and/or Linux, virtualization, storage, backup, certificates, and data center operations, with the ability to set technical direction while enabling engineering teams to execute.
  • Network architecture expertise spanning routing and switching, segmentation, IP addressing, DNS/DHCP, load balancing, high availability, troubleshooting, and performance management.
  • Cloud networking expertise, including hub-and-spoke and shared services architectures, ExpressRoute/VPN connectivity, firewall/NVA patterns, Private Link/private endpoints, and routing controls such as BGP and UDRs.
  • Experience with SD-WAN/SASE and remote access architectures, including secure segmentation, inspection, and identity-based access aligned with Zero Trust principles.
  • Strong security and compliance focus, including hardening standards, least privilege, vulnerability management, audit readiness, and secure-by-design architecture practices.
  • Experience with reliability engineering and ITIL-aligned operations, including SLAs/SLOs, observability, incident/problem/change management, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement.
  • Infrastructure-as-code and automation experience (e.g., Terraform, Bicep/ARM, PowerShell, Python, and configuration management tools), including source control, CI/CD integration, and drift remediation.
  • Cost and capacity management expertise (FinOps-aligned), including tagging standards, chargeback/showback concepts, rightsizing, lifecycle management, and balancing cost, reliability, and security.
  • Executive presence and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to communicate risks and trade-offs, align priorities across IT and business leadership, and drive outcomes without direct authority.
Competencies
  • Be Agile - Innovates and adapts quickly, approaching change with curiosity while persisting through obstacles.
  • Be Customer Centric - Considers the needs, experiences and feedback of customers in all we do.
  • Be People-Focused - Builds trust and collaborates with an inclusive and empathetic approach.
  • Be Performance Driven - Operates with an ownership mindset, driving meaningful outcomes.
  • Live The Schneiders' Legacy, Our Noble Purpose - Passionately serves Our Mission and Vision, while demonstrating the Immutable Principles.

Our Total Rewards package in aggregate is above market and includes competitive pay, paid time off programs, peer-to-peer recognition, health and life insurance, wellness programs and incentives, and generous retirement savings.

  • The anticipated base pay range for this position is $140,000 - $200,000 yearly. The actual salary varies based on applicant's location, education, experience, skills, abilities, and other legitimate business factors.
  • This position is also eligible to participate in the Hollister Corporate Bonus Plan.
  • The Company's health and welfare benefits include medical, prescription, dental, vision, spending/savings accounts, disability, company paid (parental and caregiver) leaves, statutory leaves/disability programs, accident, life, wellbeing, education assistance, adoption assistance, and voluntary benefit programs.
  • The Company's 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan includes: auto-enrollment, ROTH, vesting and eligible participants "safe harbor" matching contributions.
  • The Company's paid time off benefits include: 11 paid holidays, paid vacation based on length of service and exempt/non-exempt status, and sick days based on statutory requirements and/or exempt/non-exempt status.
  • The Company's additional benefits include: education assistance and adoption assistance benefit programs. 

About Hollister Incorporated
Hollister Incorporated is an independent, employee-owned company that develops, manufactures and markets healthcare products worldwide. The company spearheads the advancement of innovative products for ostomy care, continence care and critical care, and also creates educational support materials for patients and healthcare professionals. Headquartered in Libertyville, Illinois, Hollister has manufacturing and distribution centers on three continents and sells in nearly 80 countries. Hollister is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Firm of John Dickinson Schneider, Inc., and is guided both by its Mission to make life more rewarding and dignified for people who use our products and services, as well as its Vision to grow and prosper as an independent, employee-owned company, and in the process, to become better human beings.

EOE Statement
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

Job Req ID: 36534


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