Job Description – Lead Cloud Architect (Onshore)
Location: London
Role Summary
The Lead Cloud Architect is the technical authority and design owner for cloud migration and modernisation programme. They are accountable for defining the end-to-end cloud strategy, shaping the Landing Zone architecture, and overseeing all technical designs and implementation across AWS infrastructure, security, identity, networking, migration planning, and EUC (Amazon WorkSpaces / Citrix modernisation).
This role ensures that all architectural decisions are aligned to the functional, non-functional, financial, and security requirements, including resilience, Conditional Access, CIS/NCSC compliance, and cost efficiency. The Lead Architect provides technical governance across all phases: Discovery, Strategy & Design, Landing Zone Build, Amazon WorkSpaces deployment, Pilot & Full Migration, and BAU transition.
Key Responsibilities
1. Architectural Leadership & Technical Governance
- Act as the overall technical design authority, ensuring cohesion across all workstreams.
- Lead workshops with SMEs to validate requirements.
- Own and maintain the Cloud Architecture Blueprint.
- Conduct architecture assurance across offshore and onshore teams.
- Chair and drive the Technical Design Authority (TDA) process.
2. Discovery, Assessment & Cloud Strategy
- Lead and validate discovery findings.
- Develop Target Architecture and Migration Roadmap.
- Produce cloud adoption strategy aligned to public-sector frameworks.
3. Landing Zone Design & Governance Controls
- Design secure multi-account AWS Landing Zone.
- Define SCP guardrails, IAM role model, logging, monitoring, KMS strategy.
- Ensure compliance with CIS, NCSC, Cyber Essentials.
- Oversee network segmentation, VPC connectivity, and DR patterns.
4. EUC & Amazon WorkSpaces / Citrix Modernisation Design
- Lead architecture for virtual desktop estate.
- Oversee FSLogix, conditional access, MFA, RBAC.
- Provide technical assurance during UAT and rollout.
5. Migration Planning & Execution Governance
- Own migration architecture, runbooks, and cutover plans.
- Select pilot workloads and define success criteria.
- Oversee AWS MGN/CloudEndure migrations.
- Provide technical escalation during cutovers.
6. Security, Identity & Compliance Assurance
- Ensure encryption, MFA, identity federation, patching, and threat detection.
- Embed compliance into solution design.
- Oversee security engineer deliverables.
7. Operational Readiness, Hypercare & BAU Transition
- Define operational model, dashboards, alerting rules.
- Lead defect triage and tuning during hypercare.
- Shape steady-state governance and FinOps optimisation.
Key Deliverables
- Cloud Adoption Strategy
- Target Architecture (HLD/LLD)
- Landing Zone Architecture Pack
- Detailed Implementation Plan
- EUC/WorkSpaces/Citrix design
- Migration Strategy & Runbooks
- Security & Compliance Architecture
- Operational Readiness & Handover Packs
Required Skills & Experience
- 10+ years cloud architecture; 5+ years AWS in regulated sectors.
- Deep knowledge of: AWS Organisations, Control Tower, IAM, VPC, WorkSpaces, AppStream, FSLogix, AWS MGN, Terraform/CloudFormation, KMS, GuardDuty, CloudTrail, Entra ID.
- Strong stakeholder communication.
- Experience defining governance, stage-gate assurance.
Soft Skills
- Strong communicator
- Structured thinker
- Risk-focused
- Delivery-oriented
Preferred Certifications
- AWS Solutions Architect – Professional
- AWS Security Specialty
- AWS Networking Specialty
- ITIL
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