Azure Solution Architect

Azure Solution Architect – Financial Services Cloud Migration

12 Month Contract

Hybrid - Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin or Hamburg

German Speaking

Role Summary

We are seeking an experienced Azure Solution Architect to lead the design and delivery of complex cloud transformation initiatives within the Financial Services sector. The successful candidate will architect, design, and oversee migrations from on-premises Data Centres (DC) and Microsoft SQL Server environments to the Microsoft Azure cloud, ensuring solutions meet stringent regulatory, security, resilience, and performance requirements.

The role will be responsible for designing and implementing Azure Landing Zones, establishing enterprise governance frameworks, and leveraging Azure Migrate and associated Microsoft migration services to deliver large-scale migration and modernization programmes.

This role requires a strong blend of technical architecture expertise, financial services domain knowledge, stakeholder management, and hands-on experience delivering cloud migration programmes at enterprise scale.

Key Responsibilities

Solution Architecture & Design

• Define end-to-end Azure cloud architecture for financial services clients.
• Develop migration and modernization strategies for applications, databases, and infrastructure moving from on-premises data centres to Azure.
• Architect Azure-native and hybrid solutions aligned with business, security, compliance, and operational requirements.
• Produce architecture deliverables including:
• High-Level Designs (HLDs)
• Low-Level Designs (LLDs)
• Architecture Decision Records (ADRs)
• Migration Runbooks
• Platform and Security Architecture Documentation
• Ensure solutions align with Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF) and Azure Well-Architected Framework principles.

Cloud Migration Leadership

• Lead discovery, assessment, and migration planning activities for enterprise migration programmes.
• Utilize Azure Migrate to assess, discover, right-size, and migrate workloads from on-premises environments to Azure.
• Conduct infrastructure, application, and database dependency mapping.
• Define migration waves, cutover strategies, testing approaches, and rollback plans.
• Design migration approaches for:
• VMware and Hyper-V environments
• Physical servers
• Windows and Linux workloads
• SQL Server databases
• Data warehouses and reporting platforms
• Business-critical financial applications
• Identify migration risks, dependencies, and remediation strategies.
• Support post-migration optimization and modernization initiatives.

Azure Landing Zone & Platform Architecture

• Design and implement enterprise-scale Azure Landing Zones aligned with Microsoft's Cloud Adoption Framework.
• Define target-state cloud operating models and governance structures.
• Establish Azure governance frameworks covering:
• Management Groups
• Subscription Strategy
• Resource Organisation Standards
• Azure Policy
• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
• Cost Management
• Tagging Strategies
• Security Baselines
• Monitoring and Logging Standards
• Design secure networking architectures including:
• Hub-and-Spoke
• Virtual WAN
• Azure Firewall
• ExpressRoute
• VPN Connectivity
• Implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC) patterns using Terraform, Bicep, or ARM templates.
• Drive platform automation and operational excellence across Azure environments.

Database Migration & Modernisation

• Lead SQL Server migration and modernization initiatives.
• Conduct database assessments and migration planning activities.
• Design migration solutions utilizing:
• Azure SQL Database
• Azure SQL Managed Instance
• SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines
• Azure Synapse Analytics
• Utilize Azure Database Migration Service (DMS) and Azure Migrate capabilities where appropriate.
• Design high availability, disaster recovery, backup, and business continuity solutions.
• Optimize database performance, scalability, and cost efficiency within Azure.

Required Experience

Essential

• 10+ years of experience in Solution Architecture, Cloud Architecture, or Enterprise Infrastructure Architecture roles.
• Proven experience leading large-scale Azure migration and modernization programmes.
• Strong experience within Financial Services, Banking, Insurance, Wealth Management, Capital Markets, or FinTech environments.
• Extensive experience migrating workloads from on-premises data centres to Microsoft Azure.
• Proven experience designing and implementing Azure Landing Zones in enterprise-scale environments.
• Hands-on experience using Azure Migrate for workload discovery, assessment, migration, and modernization.
• Strong experience migrating and modernizing Microsoft SQL Server environments.
• Deep understanding of Azure governance, security, operational management, and cloud operating models.
• Experience implementing Microsoft's Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF) and Azure Well-Architected Framework.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.