AVP-Core Architecture & Services

Job Summary

The Cloud Core Architect & Services is responsible for defining and driving the architecture of the cloud-native core platform while shaping the company’s API strategy to enable scalable, secure, and interoperable services. This role ensures alignment between cloud infrastructure, 4G/5G core evolution, digital platforms, and API products—enabling faster innovation, improved service exposure, and ecosystem growth.

The role collaborates with Engineering, TechCo, Product, IT/Digital, Cybersecurity, and external partners to build an architecture that accelerates digital services, supports network modernization, and unlocks new monetization opportunities through APIs.

Key Responsibility

Key Responsibilities

Key Result Areas

Design and govern cloud‑native core architecture (EPC, IMS, 5G Core, UDM, PCF, NEF).

Stable, scalable cloud-native core platform

Define architecture patterns for CNFs/NFVs (e.g. Openstack, Kubernetes), network slicing, edge cloud, and distributed compute.

Deliver complete target-state and transition-state architecture maps aligned to the technology roadmap.

Create long-term roadmap and implementation plans for Telco cloud infrastructure

Strategic alignment and modernization readiness

Define The Company’s API Strategy Covering

• Network APIs (NEF, CAPIF/3GPP, CAMARA)
• Enterprise APIs (B2B exposure)
• Internal service APIs for microservices

Alignment with GSMA Open Gateway standards.

Lead API governance, standards, and lifecycle management (design, versioning, documentation, deprecation).

Consistent API governance and high adoption across internal/partner ecosystems.

Key Responsibility_2

Oversee API gateways, service mesh, identity, and access frameworks (OAuth2/OIDC/MTLS).

Robust, secure, and scalable API platform supporting Telco API monetization

Partner with Product teams to translate network capabilities into monetizable APIs.

Faster launch of network and digital services.

Drive automation (IaC, CI/CD, GitOps) and cloud reliability (SRE, observability).

Reduce time for changes through optimized CI/CD workflows

Ensure platform security, compliance, resilience, and Zero Trust principles.

Implement Zero Trust controls across identity, workload, and network layers with full policy coverage.

Maintain architecture blueprints, reference models, and decision records.

Publish and update architecture blueprints quarterly with version control and stakeholder sign-off.

Lead vendor evaluation, architecture reviews, and technology roadmaps.

Conduct Architecture Review Boards with ≥90% project compliance to standards.

Complete vendor evaluations with standardized scoring, benchmarks, and TCO for 100% major procurements.

Skills

• Strong experience in cloud-native telco core (EPC, 5G Core SA, IMS, UDM, PCF, NEF).
• Deep expertise in Kubernetes, containers, service mesh (Istio/Linkerd), and distributed systems.
• Strong understanding of API frameworks (REST, gRPC), gateways, OAuth2, OIDC, JWT, rate limiting, throttling.
• Familiarity with GSMA Open Gateway / CAMARA and CAPIF architecture.
• Proficiency with IaC (Terraform, Ansible), CI/CD, GitOps.
• Strong grasp of cloud networking (BGP, CNI, overlay networks).
• Understanding of SRE practices and cloud observability stacks (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK, Jaeger).

Leadership Competency

Competency

Definition

Expected Behavior

Technology Vision

Shapes cloud-native evolution roadmap

Defines cloud stack direction for on-prem Telco Core workloads

Innovation & Automation

Drives automation in operations

Delivers scalable, resilient, and cost-effective cloud infrastructure

Execution Oversight

Ensures timely delivery of infrastructure goals

Tracks infra delivery milestones, issue resolution, and performance optimization

API Strategy Leadership

Leads API enablement and adoption

Develop robust frameworks for Telco API infrastructure and exposure

Stakeholder Engagement

Collaborates across teams and vendors

Drives alignment and smooth integration across domains and suppliers

Operational Discipline

Ensure system stability and compliance

Embeds governance, monitoring, and security standards

Infrastructure Strategy

Guides to hardware and orchestration technology choices

Selects optimal platform combinations for performance, efficiency, and cost

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field
• 8–15+ years in network/cloud architecture or platform engineering.
• Hands-on experience with large-scale cloud-native telco systems.
• Experience designing or leading API ecosystems (internal or external).
• Proven leadership in multi-vendor, cross-functional environments.
• Experience initiating or leading AI-based network operations and automation projects in cloud, SDN, or Telco Core domains
• Familiarity with multi-vendor Telco environments, open-source ecosystems, and hardware platform benchmarking
• Strong understanding of infrastructure hardware design including x86, ARM, and AMD platforms, as well as NIC technologies, DPDK, and high-performance network interface requirements
• Strong analytical and architectural thinking,
• Ability to communicate complex material to both technical and business stakeholders.
• Proactive leadership, vendor management, and decision-making.
• Excellent documentation and modelling (UML, ArchiMate).