Infrastructure Architect

Duration:
3–4 Months (Contract)

Location:
Toronto, ON (Hybrid)

Level:
Senior / Lead

Job Summary

We are seeking a high-caliber
Infrastructure Architect
for a strategic 4-month engagement to lead the design and governance of our Azure-centric ecosystem. As a senior technical leader, you will be the architectural authority responsible for ensuring our infrastructure is scalable, secure, and resilient.

Your mission is to translate complex business and operational needs into "cloud-forward" designs. You will focus on establishing standards, reference patterns, and automation guardrails that enable the organization to adopt cloud services efficiently while maintaining strict adherence to regulatory and cost-management requirements.

Main Activities

1. Architectural Design & Governance

• Define and enforce cloud infrastructure standards, architectural principles, and reusable patterns.
• Establish "cloud-forward" designs emphasizing automation, elasticity, and security.
• Develop and maintain clear, actionable architecture documentation (HLDs, LLDs, and diagrams).
• Lead the Infrastructure Architect Forum to facilitate discussions on standards and tactical challenges.

2. Strategy & Analysis

• Evaluate emerging Azure services and infrastructure platforms for business alignment.
• Perform technical and financial (FinOps) analysis to support cloud investment decisions and cost optimization.
• Develop roadmaps for cloud adoption, modernization, and technical debt reduction.

3. Security & Compliance

• Ensure all architectures comply with risk and regulatory requirements (e.g., OSFI guidelines).
• Define policies and guardrails for deployment, security, and lifecycle management.
• Partner with security and operations teams to identify and mitigate architectural risks.

4. Technical Leadership

• Serve as a trusted advisor to platform, DevOps, and application teams.
• Bridge the gap between abstract business requirements and practical technical execution.
• Provide mentorship and architectural guidance throughout the project lifecycle.

Knowledge & Skill Requirements

• Experience:
  10+ years in IT, with 5+ years in a senior/lead Infrastructure Architecture role.
• Azure Mastery:
  Deep expertise in Azure IaaS/PaaS, Landing Zones, and hybrid cloud connectivity.
• Containers:
  Practical experience with Docker and Kubernetes (AKS) platform architecture.
• DevOps/IaC:
  Strong proficiency in Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Bicep) and CI/CD pipelines.
• Networking:
  Solid understanding of enterprise networking (routing, segmentation, load balancing).
• Systems:
  Deep knowledge of Linux/Unix (Red Hat) and middleware environments.
• Data:
  Working knowledge of relational database architectures (OLTP/Data Warehousing) from an infrastructure perspective.
• Tools:
  Expert proficiency in Visio, Lucidchart, or