Projectstudy

Senior Cloud Architect (m/f/d) - Enterprise Cloud Architecture, Migration and Governance

For one of our clients in the food retail sector, Expert Select GmbH is looking for an experienced Senior Cloud Architect (m/f/d) to support the design, modernization and further development of business-critical cloud and IT architectures.

This is not a junior cloud role and not a pure operations position. The focus is on architectural ownership, technical decision-making, cloud transformation and the ability to translate business requirements into scalable, secure and maintainable technology solutions.

As a Senior Cloud Architect, you will evaluate existing systems, define target architectures, guide migration initiatives and establish architecture standards that enable stable, secure and future-ready cloud platforms.

This position is suitable for candidates who have already taken responsibility for cloud architecture, platform design or enterprise-level solution concepts. You should be comfortable working with technical teams, IT security, operations, management and business stakeholders.

Your role as Senior Cloud Architect

In this position, you will take a leading role in shaping cloud architectures for a large and operationally demanding organization. You will assess technical landscapes, identify modernization potential and develop architecture concepts that support scalability, availability, security and long-term maintainability.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Designing scalable, resilient and highly available cloud architectures for business-critical systems
• Planning and supporting cloud migration initiatives from existing IT environments into modern cloud platforms
• Evaluating current application, infrastructure and integration landscapes
• Defining technical target architectures, architecture principles, standards and reusable patterns
• Translating business and IT requirements into structured cloud architecture concepts
• Integrating security, compliance, data protection and governance requirements into the architecture from the beginning
• Working closely with software development, infrastructure, IT operations, IT security, product teams and business departments
• Assessing new technologies with regard to business value, operational risk, cost, complexity and long-term maintainability
• Supporting project teams during implementation and ensuring architectural alignment
• Documenting architectural decisions, technical dependencies, risk assessments and recommended implementation paths
• Acting as a senior technical advisor for cloud-related decisions
• Contributing to architecture boards, governance structures and strategic technology discussions where required

This role requires the ability to think beyond individual services or isolated tools. You will need to understand how platforms, applications, networks, identity models, security requirements, data flows and operational processes interact in a productive enterprise environment.

Your profile

We are looking for a technically strong and experienced cloud professional with proven architectural responsibility. The ideal candidate has already designed, reviewed or migrated productive cloud platforms and understands the challenges of enterprise IT environments.

You should bring:

• Several years of experience as a Cloud Architect, Solution Architect, Enterprise Architect or Senior Cloud Engineer with clear architecture responsibility
• Practical experience in designing, building or migrating productive cloud platforms
• Strong knowledge of at least one major cloud platform, such as AWS, Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code, for example Terraform, Bicep, CloudFormation or comparable technologies
• Solid understanding of cloud-native architectures, distributed systems, microservices, containers and serverless concepts
• Strong knowledge of network architectures, identity and access management, security concepts and integration patterns
• Experience with security, compliance, governance and data protection requirements in cloud environments
• Ability to evaluate architecture options based on scalability, resilience, cost, operational effort and risk
• Experience working with development teams, operations teams, IT security and management stakeholders
• Structured documentation skills and the ability to communicate architectural decisions clearly
• Very good German language skills, both written and spoken
• Good English skills for technical documentation, vendor communication and international technology environments

Additional experience that would be beneficial

The following qualifications are not mandatory, but they would be a strong advantage:

• Certifications such as AWS Solutions Architect, Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect, Google Professional Cloud Architect or comparable credentials
• Experience with Kubernetes, CI/CD, DevOps, DevSecOps or platform engineering
• Experience in retail, food retail, e-commerce, logistics or transaction-intensive IT environments
• Knowledge of hybrid cloud or multi-cloud architectures
• Experience with architecture boards, technical governance or enterprise architecture processes
• Familiarity with cost optimization, cloud operating models and platform lifecycle management
• Experience in designing secure and compliant landing zones
• Understanding of observability, monitoring, incident management and operational readiness in cloud environments

What makes this opportunity relevant

Cloud architecture in retail environments is rarely simple. Systems must be reliable, secure, scalable and operationally efficient. Business processes depend on availability, data flow, integration quality and the ability to adapt technology without creating unnecessary risk.

In this position, you will work on architectures that matter. The systems you influence are not isolated technical experiments. They are connected to operational processes, commercial requirements and long-term IT strategy.

You will be expected to evaluate technology with a clear view of business impact. A cloud service may be technically attractive, but it still needs to fit into governance, security, cost control, operating models and existing integration structures. This role requires precisely that balance: technical depth, architectural discipline and practical implementation awareness.

The position is a strong fit if you already think in target architectures, migration paths, security models, platform standards and operational consequences. It is less suitable if your experience has mainly been in IT support, first-level or second-level operations, or junior cloud administration without broader architectural responsibility.

What our client offers

Our client offers a stable and professionally structured environment with long-term technology relevance. You will work in a sector where IT systems are closely connected to business continuity, operational efficiency and customer-facing processes.

You can expect:

• Attractive compensation aligned with senior-level experience
• Holiday and Christmas bonuses
• A fixed employment contract with Expert Select GmbH
• A very strong opportunity to transition into the client’s internal IT organization
• Capital-forming benefits
• Training and professional development opportunities in cloud, architecture and modern IT platforms
• Long-term prospects in a stable retail organization
• Clear contact persons and a transparent recruitment process
• Employee benefits, including discounts for fitness, cinema, streaming and selected partner offers

Through Expert Select GmbH, you will be supported by a recruiting team that understands the importance of senior technical profiles. The process is designed to be direct, structured and respectful of your experience.

Your working environment

You will work closely with technical and non-technical stakeholders. This includes development teams, operations, IT security, architecture functions, project teams and business representatives. Your contribution will help define how cloud platforms are designed, migrated, governed and continuously improved.

The organization requires architecture that is not only conceptually strong, but also feasible in implementation. Therefore, you should be comfortable moving between strategic discussions, technical deep dives and pragmatic delivery support.