*** Must be based in the UAE

Our client, a leading utility-scale organisation in the UAE, is seeking an experienced Lead Infrastructure & Cloud Architect to provide technical leadership across its hybrid cloud and infrastructure environment.

The successful candidate will be responsible for managing and continuously improving cloud and on-premise infrastructure services, supporting cloud migration initiatives, and ensuring infrastructure environments are scalable, reliable, secure, cost-efficient and resilient.

Working closely with senior IT and infrastructure leadership, you will play a key role in delivering a robust hybrid-cloud strategy across Microsoft Azure and AWS, while ensuring seamless application performance across legacy and modern cloud-native environments.

Key Responsibilities

Cloud Management – Azure

• Lead the management and optimisation of Azure cloud infrastructure, ensuring scalability, availability, performance and cost efficiency.
• Support and execute cloud migration strategies for on-premise workloads into Azure, using Azure Migrate and associated tooling.
• Manage key Azure services including Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Blob Storage, Azure SQL Database, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Azure Active Directory / Entra ID, Azure Monitor, Azure ExpressRoute and Azure DevOps.
• Drive cloud cost optimisation through right-sizing, reserved instances, savings plans, auto-scaling and effective resource tagging.
• Establish effective cloud resource governance, including provisioning, monitoring, capacity management and decommissioning.
• Manage secure, reliable and high-performance hybrid connectivity between on-premise infrastructure and AWS/Azure environments, including AWS Direct Connect and Azure ExpressRoute.

Infrastructure Operations & Management

• Lead the management of on-premise and hybrid infrastructure covering servers, storage, virtualisation, networks and data-centre environments.
• Ensure high availability, reliability, security and performance across infrastructure services.
• Ensure seamless application performance across legacy on-premise systems and modern cloud-native architectures.
• Establish proactive infrastructure monitoring and alerting using Azure Monitor and third-party monitoring platforms.
• Lead infrastructure capacity planning to meet current and future business requirements.
• Oversee patching, vulnerability remediation and infrastructure maintenance to ensure security and compliance.
• Develop and maintain disaster recovery and business continuity capabilities, including Azure Site Recovery.

Security, Governance & Continuous Improvement

• Implement and enforce cloud and infrastructure security controls across Azure and AWS environments.
• Manage identity and access controls, encryption, network security, security monitoring and cloud security policies.
• Manage cloud governance frameworks using technologies such as AWS Control Tower, Azure Policy, IAM and Network Security Groups (NSGs).
• Partner closely with cybersecurity teams to ensure cloud environments meet regulatory and organisational security requirements.
• Identify opportunities to improve resilience, performance, automation and operational efficiency while reducing infrastructure costs.
• Drive Infrastructure-as-Code and automation using Terraform, AWS CloudFormation and Azure ARM/Bicep.
• Leverage appropriate AI/ML and cloud-native AI capabilities to improve infrastructure monitoring, anomaly detection and operational efficiency.
• Lead and develop the cloud and infrastructure team, providing technical direction, coaching and professional development.
• Manage relationships with Azure/AWS account teams, cloud resellers, technology partners and infrastructure vendors.

Strategy, Reporting & Governance

• Contribute to the development and execution of cloud strategy and infrastructure roadmaps aligned with business and digital transformation objectives.
• Ensure infrastructure services and operational activities comply with approved policies, procedures, processes, controls and delegation-of-authority requirements.
• Prepare and manage periodic management reports, progress reports and infrastructure performance updates for senior management.
• Support informed decision-making through accurate, timely and effective reporting.
• Maintain appropriate governance over cloud resources, infrastructure operations, costs, capacity, security and service performance.

Leadership & People Management

• Provide strategic and technical leadership to cloud and infrastructure teams.
• Build a high-performing, cloud-capable function through coaching, knowledge sharing and professional development.
• Promote a culture of collaboration, innovation, accountability and continuous improvement.
• Support talent development and career progression within the team.
• Communicate effectively with senior stakeholders and ensure alignment with organisational objectives.
• Demonstrate integrity, transparency and a strong commitment to organisational values.

HSE, Security & Risk

The successful candidate will be expected to comply with all applicable HSE, security and risk management policies and procedures, including:

• Taking reasonable care of their own health, safety and security.
• Taking reasonable care of colleagues and others who may be affected by their actions or omissions.
• Cooperating with organisational HSE and security requirements.
• Identifying and reporting risks, hazards or security concerns that cannot be resolved directly.
• Reporting HSE, security and work-related incidents and injuries.
• Not intentionally or recklessly interfering with workplace arrangements or equipment supporting HSE, security and employee welfare.

Required Competencies

Technical Competencies

The successful candidate should demonstrate Advanced to Expert-level proficiency in:

• Azure Cloud Services Management: Virtual Machines, AKS, Azure SQL Database, Azure AD / Entra ID, Azure Monitor, ExpressRoute and Azure DevOps.
• Hybrid Cloud Architecture & Connectivity: Designing and managing enterprise hybrid environments across on-premise infrastructure, Azure and AWS.
• Cloud Cost Optimisation & FinOps: Right-sizing, reserved instances, savings plans, auto-scaling, resource tagging, cost analysis and cloud financial governance.
• Cloud Security & Governance: AWS Control Tower, Azure Policy, IAM, NSGs, identity and access management, encryption and security controls.
• Infrastructure Operations, Monitoring & Capacity Planning: Enterprise servers, storage, virtualisation, monitoring, availability, performance management and capacity forecasting.
• Infrastructure-as-Code & Automation: Terraform, CloudFormation, ARM/Bicep and cloud-native automation.
• Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity: Infrastructure resilience, disaster recovery planning and Azure Site Recovery.

Strategic & Business Competencies

The successful candidate should demonstrate Intermediate to Advanced proficiency in:

• Cloud Strategy & Infrastructure Roadmap Development: Developing and executing cloud and infrastructure strategies aligned with business objectives.
• Vendor & Cloud Partner Management: Managing relationships with Azure/AWS account teams, cloud resellers, technology partners and infrastructure vendors.
• Financial Management & Cloud Cost Governance: Managing infrastructure budgets, cloud expenditure, financial controls and cost optimisation.
• Stakeholder Management & Technical Communication: Communicating complex technical matters clearly to senior management and business stakeholders.
• Continuous Improvement & Digital Transformation Enablement: Driving automation, modernisation, operational improvement and adoption of emerging technologies.

Candidate Profile

Essential Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering or equivalent.
• Minimum 9 years of relevant working experience in cloud infrastructure, enterprise infrastructure, IT architecture or a related field.
• Advanced to Expert-level technical competency across the core infrastructure and cloud disciplines outlined above.
• Strong enterprise experience with Microsoft Azure and AWS, particularly hybrid cloud environments.
• Proven experience in cloud migration, infrastructure operations, security, governance, monitoring, capacity planning and disaster recovery.
• Strong experience with Infrastructure-as-Code and automation, including Terraform, ARM/Bicep and/or CloudFormation.
• Experience managing cloud costs and implementing FinOps and cost optimisation practices.
• Experience working with senior stakeholders, vendors and cross-functional technology teams.
• Demonstrated technical leadership and people-management capability.

Desired Requirements

• Master's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering or equivalent.
• 12 years of relevant working experience.
• Relevant professional certifications in Microsoft Azure and/or AWS.
• Experience working within a large-scale, regulated, utility, energy or critical-infrastructure environment.
• Experience applying AI/ML or cloud-native AI services to infrastructure monitoring, anomaly detection and operational efficiency.

REF: FL V-207809