Lead Cloud Architect – GCP Focus
We are seeking a Lead Cloud Architect with deep expertise in Google Cloud Platform (GCP) to drive our multi-cloud strategy and modernize our IT landscape. This role will lead the design, development, and deployment of scalable cloud solutions, with a strong emphasis on GCP-native architectures, while supporting hybrid and Azure environments as needed.
The ideal candidate will have prior experience architecting cloud solutions in pharmaceutical distribution, logistics, or supply chain domains, and will play a critical role in shaping our cloud journey, ensuring compliance, performance, and agility in a cost-effective and resilient manner.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop and maintain cloud architecture strategy with a strong emphasis on GCP reference architectures, decision records, and design patterns for networking, hybrid connectivity, and core services (DNS/DHCP/IPAM).
- Architect and implement secure, scalable infrastructure on Google Cloud Platform, including VPC design, interconnects, VPNs, service segmentation, and secure communication protocols.
- Lead cloud migration initiatives from on-premises to GCP, minimizing disruption and aligning with business and technical requirements.
- Establish governance frameworks to ensure compliance, security, and performance in regulated environments such as pharma and healthcare.
- Drive FinOps practices by optimizing cloud costs and performance through tagging strategies, guardrails, and right-sizing of interconnects and egress patterns.
- Automate infrastructure deployment using Terraform and GCP Deployment Manager, with secondary support for Azure ARM Templates.
- Mentor junior staff, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and provide strategic guidance on GCP technologies and industry trends.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience; typically requires 10+ years of relevant experience (less with Master’s or Doctorate).
Critical Skills
- Proven experience leading cloud architecture in GCP-centric environments, ideally within pharma, logistics, or supply chain sectors.
- Deep expertise in GCP-native design principles, including containerization (Kubernetes, Docker), serverless computing, and microservices.
- Strong proficiency in Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) using Terraform and GCP Deployment Manager.
- Experience with CI/CD pipelines and cloud-native monitoring solutions.
- Author and maintain GCP reference architectures and decision records for cloud networking and hybrid connectivity.
- Implement guardrails, tagging/cost attribution, and right-sizing strategies with strong FinOps awareness.
- Knowledge of GxP compliance, data sovereignty, and operational resilience in pharma/healthcare contexts.
- Strong understanding of cloud security controls, identity management, and networking fundamentals including SD-WAN, MPLS, VPN, and WAN design.
- Experience standardizing telemetry (NetFlow, packet capture, metrics, traces, logs).
Preferred Certifications
- Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect certification (required or equivalent).
- Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification (AZ-305 or equivalent) is a plus.
