Associate Director – Application Transformation & Modernization

Who We Are

At Kyndryl, we run and reimagine the mission-critical technology systems that drive advantage for the world’s leading businesses. We are at the heart of progress; with proven expertise and a continuous flow of AI-powered insight, enabling smarter decisions, faster innovation, and a lasting competitive edge. For our people—Kyndryls—that means doing purposeful work that powers human progress. Join us and experience a flexible, supportive environment where your well-being is prioritized and your potential can thrive.

The Role

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Associate Director - Application Transformation & Modernization to lead and deliver application modernization and cloud migration initiatives for enterprise clients. This role blends client-facing consulting, pre-sales solutioning, and hands-on delivery leadership, supporting customers as they modernize legacy applications and transition to cloud platforms.

The ideal candidate has strong architectural depth in application platforms, a consultative mindset, and the ability to articulate value during pre-sales while guiding teams through successful modernization execution.

Key Responsibilities

·Engage with clients to understand business goals, application landscapes, and modernization drivers.

·Lead pre-sales activities, including solution shaping, architecture definition, effort estimation, and proposal development.

·Support RFP responses, client presentations, and technical workshops focused on application modernization and cloud migration.

·Articulate modernization value propositions, including cost optimization, agility, scalability, and resilience.

·Act as a trusted advisor to client stakeholders during early engagement and solution definition phases.

Application Architecture & Modernization

·Assess legacy application portfolios to identify modernization opportunities and cloud readiness.

·Define modernization strategies (rehost, replatform, refactor, rearchitect, replace, retire) aligned with business needs.

·Design cloud-native and modern application architectures, including microservices, containerization, and platform services.

·Lead modernization of monolithic and legacy applications into scalable, maintainable, cloud-based solutions.

·Define target application architectures, integration patterns, and non-functional requirements.

Cloud Migration & Transformation Delivery

·Lead or support delivery of application migration and modernization projects across cloud platforms.

·Provide architectural oversight throughout the delivery lifecycle, ensuring alignment to target architecture.

·Guide development teams on best practices for cloud-native development, DevOps, and CI/CD.

·Collaborate with infrastructure, security, and data teams to ensure end-to-end solution integrity.

·Identify and mitigate technical risks, dependencies, and modernization challenges.

·Promote adoption of DevOps and CI/CD pipelines to improve application delivery speed and quality.

·Support use of Infrastructure as Code and automated testing frameworks.

·Encourage modern development practices including API-first design, event-driven architecture, and observability.

·Ensure performance, scalability, security, and reliability requirements are met.

·Contribute to development of modernization frameworks, reference architectures, and accelerators.

·Share best practices and lessons learned across teams and engagements.

·Mentor junior architects and developers on modernization and cloud-native practices.

·Stay current with emerging application modernization, cloud, and DevOps trends.

Your Future at Kyndryl

Every position at Kyndryl offers a way forward to grow your career. We have opportunities that you won’t find anywhere else, including hands-on experience, learning opportunities, and the chance to certify in all four major platforms. Whether you want to broaden your knowledge base or narrow your scope and specialize in a specific sector, you can find your opportunity here.

Who You Are

Qualifications & Experience

• 8+ years of application development and architecture experience.

• Proven experience in application modernization and cloud migration initiatives.

• Hands-on experience modernizing legacy platforms (monoliths, client-server, mainframe-adjacent, or tightly coupled systems).

• Experience in pre-sales, including solution design, client presentations, and estimation.

• Strong consulting background with enterprise clients.

Technical Skills

Application & Architecture:

• Application modernization patterns and strategies

• Microservices and distributed systems architecture

• API management and integration patterns

• Containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes)

Cloud Platforms (one or more):

• Microsoft Azure (App Services, AKS, Functions, Data services)

• AWS (ECS/EKS, Lambda, EC2, RDS)

• Google Cloud Platform (GKE, Cloud Run, App Engine)

DevOps & Tooling:

• CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps, GitHub, GitLab, Jenkins)

• Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Bicep, ARM, CloudFormation)

• Monitoring and observability tools

Certifications (Preferred)

• Cloud Architect or Developer certifications (Azure, AWS, or GCP)

• Kubernetes or DevOps certifications

• TOGAF or architecture certifications (advantageous)

Key Competencies

• Strong client-facing and consulting skills

• Ability to translate business needs into technical solutions

• Experience balancing pre-sales responsibilities with delivery execution

• Excellent communication and presentation skills

Collaborative mindset and delivery leadership capabilities

Being You

The “Kyn” in Kyndryl means kinship, which represents the strong bonds we have with each other, our customers and our communities. We focus on ensuring all Kyndryls feel included and we welcome people of all cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. Even if you don’t meet every requirement, we encourage you to apply. We believe in growth, and we’re excited to see what you can bring. At Kyndryl, employee feedback has told us that our number one driver of employee engagement is belonging. That sense of belonging — being a valued, respected, trusted member of the team — is fundamental to our culture and fueling great experiences for our customers. This dedication to welcoming everyone into our company means that Kyndryl gives you the ability to thrive and contribute to our culture of empathy and shared success. That’s The Kyndryl Way.

What You Can Expect

Your career with us isn’t just a job—it’s an adventure with purpose. We offer a dynamic, hybrid-friendly culture that supports your well-being and empowers you to grow. Our Be Well programs are thoughtfully designed to support your financial, mental, physical, and social health—because we know that when you feel your best, you do your best.

From your very first day, you’ll dive into impactful work that powers the systems our customers rely on every day. You won’t just contribute—you’ll make a difference, tackling meaningful projects that sharpen your skills and fuel your growth.

We’re here to champion your journey. With powerful tools to chart your career path, personalized development goals aligned with your ambitions, and continuous feedback to keep you inspired and on track, you’ll have everything you need to thrive and evolve. You’ll develop in-demand skills to grow your career and achieve your ambitions with access to cutting-edge learning opportunities—from certifications with Microsoft, Google, and Amazon to coaching and hands-on experiences. And through it all, you’ll be part of a culture that values empathy, restless learning, and a devotion to shared success.

We want you to thrive here—and we’re committed to helping you do just that. Ready to make an impact? Join us and help shape what’s next.