Principal Cloud Lead

Consultz is supporting our client, a well-renowned SWF in the region in their search for Principal Cloud Lead.

We are seeking a visionary and execution-focused Principal Cloud Architect to lead our enterprise cloud transformation agenda. This role is pivotal in shaping and driving our multi-year cloud strategy, strengthening key vendor relationships, and building a world-class cloud engineering function. You will be responsible for the strategic, technical, and financial dimensions of our cloud infrastructure, with an initial focus on Azure, in collaboration with key delivery partners.

Core Responsibilities

• Define and drive the enterprise-wide cloud strategy across short- and long-term horizons (1-, 2-, and 3-year plans).
• Align cloud initiatives with business objectives, innovation priorities, and digital transformation roadmaps.
• Regularly report progress and roadmap updates to executive leadership and governance bodies.
• Own commercial relationships with key cloud service providers.
• Lead procurement negotiations, service-level agreements, and ongoing performance reviews.
• Manage and optimize the cloud budget, ensuring alignment with FinOps principles and cost-efficiency goals.
• Establish and enforce enterprise cloud standards, including architectural frameworks and automation patterns.
• Develop and scale technical capabilities across the domains of high availability, cloud security, infrastructure-as-code, and DevSecOps.
• Champion cloud automation, observability, and modern infrastructure practices (e.g., IaC, CI/CD pipelines, policy-as-code).
• Lead cloud governance and compliance efforts, collaborating with InfoSec and Risk teams.

People Management Responsibilities

• No direct people management but expected to have solid stakeholder management skills to work across the SWF with multiple departments.

Requirements

• Proven experience (10+ years) in cloud architecture, engineering, or strategy roles in large-scale environments.
• Strong track record of owning and delivering enterprise cloud strategy and operations.
• Deep understanding of Microsoft Azure, including architecture, billing, governance, and security models.
• Experience managing third-party vendors and procurement lifecycle within cloud environments.
• Demonstrated leadership in FinOps, cloud cost optimization, and performance benchmarking.
• Experience with multi-cloud or hybrid strategies and technologies.
• Strong understanding of automation tools (e.g., Terraform, Ansible), CI/CD pipelines, and cloud-native security.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills across technical and executive audiences.
• Cloud certifications (e.g., Azure Solutions Architect Expert, FinOps Practitioner).