Senior Azure Architect

Kforce has a client that is seeking a Senior Azure Architect in Chicago, IL. Summary: We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Azure Architect with deep expertise in Azure Local solutions to design, implement, and optimize hybrid cloud architectures. This role will focus on enabling secure, scalable, and compliant deployments that integrate on-premises environments with Azure services, ensuring seamless connectivity and performance for mission-critical workloads. Key Responsibilities:

• Architect and Design Solutions: Develop end-to-end Azure architectures leveraging Azure Local capabilities for hybrid and edge scenarios
• Integration and Migration: Lead migration strategies from on-premises or other cloud platforms to Azure, ensuring minimal downtime and optimal performance
• Security and Compliance: Implement robust security frameworks, identity management, and compliance controls aligned with industry standards
• Performance Optimization: Monitor and optimize Azure Local deployments for scalability, resilience, and cost efficiency
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Work closely with business leaders, developers, and operations teams to align technical solutions with business objectives
• Documentation and Governance: Create detailed architecture diagrams, technical documentation, and governance models for Azure environments
• Mentorship: Provide guidance and technical leadership to junior architects and engineering teams
• Certifications: Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (required); Azure Stack Hub Operator Associate (preferred)
• Experience: 8+ years in cloud architecture with at least 5 years focused on Microsoft Azure
• Azure Expertise: Proven experience with Azure Local, Azure Stack HCI, and hybrid cloud solutions
• Soft Skills: Strong communication, leadership, and problem-solving abilities
• Technical Skills: Networking (VPN, ExpressRoute, SD-WAN); Identity and Access Management (Azure AD, Conditional Access); Virtualization and Containers (Hyper-V, Kubernetes); Infrastructure as Code (ARM, Bicep, Terraform)

• Experience in regulated industries (finance, healthcare, government)
• Familiarity with edge computing and IoT integrations
• Knowledge of DevOps practices and CI/CD pipelines