Architect, IT Infrastructure & Cloud Strategy

The Opportunity:

We are looking for a architecture leader who can connect infrastructure, cloud, automation, migration, and business outcomes. This role sits within Infrastructure & Operations / CloudOps and will help protect our current VMware-based production environment while advancing our Azure platform, automation practices, migration discipline, and digital platform readiness.

This is not a hands-off architecture role, and it is not a routine ticket-handling role. The right candidate is a leader and thinker with the experience of a doer - someone who can run workshops, shape roadmaps, guide engineers, challenge vendors, communicate with executives, and step into complex Azure or VMware escalations when required.

Any MLF team member interested in being considered for this role are encouraged to apply online by July 14. Applications received beyond that date are not guaranteed consideration.

Reason for vacancy: Existing Headcount

What You Will Help Us Do

• Facilitate cross-functional discovery and design workshops to translate business needs into secure, scalable, and supportable infrastructure, cloud, and edge platform requirements, and turn ideas into actionable roadmaps, solution options, and executive recommendations.
• Lead architecture decisions across Azure, VMware, datacenter, remote-site, and edge environments, balancing risk, cost, resilience, operational supportability, and business value.
• Shape solution designs that align with enterprise standards, security guardrails, compliance expectations, and CloudOps operating realities.
• Support cloud governance forums by bringing clear architecture options, decision-ready recommendations, and practical implementation guidance.
• Design practical hybrid cloud architecture across Azure, VMware, datacenters, remote sites, and edge-connected environments.
• Evolve Azure platform foundations including subscriptions, networking, identity integration, monitoring, backup, governance guardrails, and operational support patterns.
• Provide architecture-level guidance for VMware, NSX/NSX-T, storage integration, backup, disaster recovery, capacity, lifecycle planning, and production resilience.
• Lead workload placement and migration planning, including whether workloads should move to Azure, remain on-premises, modernize, retire, or use a transitional pattern.
• Guide IaC standards, including reusable patterns, environment separation, state practices, code review, deployment workflows, and drift reduction.
• Act as a Level 3 escalation resource for complex Azure or VMware platform issues when senior technical depth is required.
• Mentor CloudOps engineers and guide offshore implementation teams so execution is consistent, supportable, and aligned to architecture intent.

Digital Platform Enablement

This role supports digital, data, and AI initiatives from a platform foundation perspective. It does not own enterprise data strategy, analytics delivery, MES/SCADA applications, or AI model development.

• Design the cloud and infrastructure foundation needed for secure data collection, aggregation, storage, integration, and analytics enablement.
• Understand enough about Microsoft data platform concepts - such as Fabric, OneLake, Data Factory, Event Hubs, storage, lakehouse patterns, networking, identity, and monitoring - to partner effectively with Digital Innovation and BI/AI teams.
• Support infrastructure patterns for facility, edge, historian, MES/SCADA-adjacent, sensor, gateway, or vendor platform integration into approved cloud or data platforms.
• Evaluate digital/data vendor proposals for infrastructure fit, security, integration, cost, operability, supportability, and alignment to the Azure platform.

Security and Identity Partnership

We have a dedicated Security team. This architect is expected to understand security and identity well enough to design responsibly and partner effectively, but this role does not own security policy, identity governance, compliance interpretation, or risk acceptance.

• Partner with Security on Azure Policy, Defender for Cloud posture, identity/RBAC patterns, network segmentation, logging, and remediation planning.
• Design infrastructure that aligns with security guardrails without becoming the owner of enterprise security operations.
• Bring security-related platform risks and options forward clearly so the right accountable teams can decide.

What We Are Looking For

• Strong architecture leadership with the ability to run workshops, clarify requirements, create roadmaps, and communicate trade-offs to executives and technical teams.
• Production experience with Azure infrastructure architecture, including networking, subscriptions, hybrid connectivity, monitoring, backup, governance, and operational support models.
• Credible VMware and virtualization experience in production environments, including vSphere/vCenter/ESXi and familiarity with NSX, storage, backup, DR, or capacity planning.
• Hands-on experience or strong leadership experience with Terraform, Infrastructure as Code, automation, Git-based workflows, and infrastructure deployment standards.
• Experience planning or supporting migrations from on-premises or VMware environments to Azure or other cloud platforms.
• Ability to guide engineers and offshore teams through implementation without needing to personally click every button.
• Ability and willingness to provide Level 3 escalation support for complex Azure or VMware platform matters when required.
• Exposure to modern data, edge, or digital platform enablement patterns from an infrastructure perspective is strongly preferred.

Helpful Experience

• Azure landing zones, Azure VMware Solution, Azure Arc, Azure Migrate, Azure Site Recovery, VMware HCX, Zerto, Veeam, Rubrik, or similar migration/DR tools.
• Microsoft Fabric, OneLake, Power BI, Azure Data Factory, Event Hubs, Azure IoT-related services, lakehouse concepts, event-driven ingestion, or cloud data platform foundations.
• Manufacturing, industrial, remote-site, edge, IoT, historian, MES/SCADA-adjacent, gateway, or facility data collection environments.
• Vendor selection, RFP/RFI support, solution scoring, proof-of-concept planning, SOW development, or executive recommendation development.
• Relevant certifications such as TOGAF, PRINCE2, PMP, CISSP, Azure Solutions Architect Expert, HashiCorp Terraform Associate, VMware VCP/VCAP, or FinOps Practitioner.

What This Role Is - and Is Not

This role is:

• A senior infrastructure and cloud architecture role
• A platform enablement role for digital/data initiatives
• A partner to Security and Identity teams
• A hands-on escalation resource for complex issues
• A leader who guides engineers and vendors

This role is not:

• A pure VMware administrator role
• The owner of data strategy, analytics, MES/SCADA, or AI delivery
• The owner of security operations, identity governance, or compliance interpretation
• A routine ticket queue or always-on support engineer role
• A PowerPoint-only architect role

Application Note

Please do not submit a resume that only lists tools and technologies. To help us understand your real experience, include a short Real Experience Summary covering the following five examples.

Keep each example brief — a short paragraph or 4–6 bullets is enough. We are looking for what you personally owned, how you made decisions, and what the outcome was.

• Architecture Leadership / Business Translation Example: Describe a time you helped turn a business need or unclear idea into a practical infrastructure, cloud, or platform design
• Azure / Hybrid Platform Design Example: Describe one Azure or hybrid cloud platform environment you personally helped design, build, operate, or improve.
• VMware, Hybrid Infrastructure, or Migration Example: Describe one VMware, datacenter, remote-site, or cloud migration effort you personally supported.
• Digital, Data, or Edge Platform Enablement Example: Describe a time you supported a data, analytics, AI, manufacturing, edge, or facility-connected initiative from an infrastructure or cloud platform perspective.
• Infrastructure as Code / Automation Example: Describe one Terraform, Ansible, scripting, or automation implementation you personally worked on.
• One complex Azure, VMware, hybrid, or infrastructure issue where you acted as a senior technical escalation point.