Azure Cloud Architect (Sandton) at Blue Label Telecoms

Job Purpose

• Blu Label Unlimited is seeking an experienced Azure Cloud Architect to join our Enterprise Architecture team during a critical period of digital transformation.
• This role is essential to our New platform modernization initiative, which represents a strategic migration from legacy systems to a modern, cloud-native Azure infrastructure serving customers across multiple touchpoints.
• The successful candidate will be responsible for the operational administration, governance, and optimization of Azure subscriptions across the Blu Label Group, while providing architectural guidance for our multi-subsidiary fintech ecosystem encompassing telecommunications, financial services, utilities, and digital distribution operations.

Key Responsibilities

Cloud Architecture & Platform Engineering

• Lead the design and architecture of cloud solutions for clients based on their specific requirements.
• Assess client needs and recommend appropriate cloud services and configurations on private / public and hyperscaler clouds.
• Create detailed technical documentation and diagrams outlining proposed solutions.
• Design and implement scalable, resilient cloud architectures aligned with Azure Well-Architected Framework principles.
• Provide architectural guidance for BluSky platform modernization, including TCP-to-REST API transformations.
• Develop and maintain Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform, ARM templates, and Azure Bicep.
• Design and implement Azure networking solutions including VNets, NSGs, Application Gateway, and ExpressRoute.
• Architect Azure PaaS solutions leveraging App Services, Container Apps, AKS, Functions, and Logic Apps.

Presales Support, Security, Compliance & FinOps

• Collaborate with the sales team to understand client objectives and challenges.
• Develop and present compelling technical proposals to clients, demonstrating the value of proposed solutions.
• Participate in client meetings and discussions to answer technical inquiries and address concerns.
• Implement Azure security best practices including Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Key Vault, and security baselines.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements (POPIA, PCI-DSS) and industry standards in cloud deployments.
• Develop and maintain disaster recovery and business continuity strategies for Azure workloads.
• Lead Azure FinOps initiatives to optimize cloud spend, implement cost allocation, and drive cost efficiency.
• Establish cloud governance frameworks and enforce architectural standards across Azure subscriptions.

Azure Cloud Operations & Solution Development

• Work closely with the technical teams to translate client requirements into actionable technical solutions.
• Identify and recommend best practices for cloud infrastructure design and optimization.
• Stay up-to-date with the latest cloud technologies and trends to provide innovative solutions.
• Manage and administer Azure subscriptions across Blu Label Group entities, ensuring optimal configuration, security, and compliance.
• Implement and maintain Azure governance frameworks including Azure Policy, RBAC, resource tagging, and management groups.
• Monitor Azure resource utilization, performance, and costs using Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, and Cost Management tools.
• Perform regular health checks, capacity planning, and optimization activities across all Azure environments.
• Manage Azure Active Directory (Entra ID), identity and access management, and conditional access policies.

Technical Write-ups, Integration & Modernization Support

• Produce high-quality technical write-ups and solution architecture documents that clearly outline proposed technical solutions.
• Articulate the benefits and advantages of the proposed solutions in a way that resonates with clients.
• Support integration architecture initiatives including WSO2 Micro Integrator implementations on Azure.
• Collaborate with development teams on Azure DevOps CI/CD pipeline implementations.
• Provide technical guidance for legacy system migrations to Azure cloud-native architectures.
• Design and implement API Management solutions for enterprise integration patterns.
• Participate in architecture review boards and provide cloud architecture recommendations.

Customer Centricity

• Coordinates contact with Business Partners as needed to assist with support activities.
• Establish and maintain a positive professional relationship with Business Partners and customers.
• Maintain regular and timely communications with Business Partners and customers.
• Maintain strong working relationship with customers and Business Partners.
• Work with customers and Business Partners to execute consistent service processes throughout the organization.
• Establish a single point of contact for issue resolution and change management.
• Drive customer centricity in levels of the organization.

Work Collaboratively

• Build a culture of integrity, respect and understanding across the organisation.
• Recognise outcomes which resulted from effective collaboration between teams.
• Build co-operation and overcome barriers to information sharing, communication, and collaboration across the organisation. 
• Facilitate opportunities to engage and collaborate with external stakeholders (Retailers and POS Companies) to develop joint solutions.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment.

Other Responsibilities

• Understanding of virtualization, hybrid computing environments, storage technology and cloud native technologies.
• Understanding of cloud networking and security.
• Advising on and the writing of automation playbooks using tools such as Morpheus and Hostbill.
• Translating client’s workload requirements into specific systems, applications and/or process designs.
• Must understand the requirements and put up quality proposals for Data Centre Transformation and Managed Services.
• Ability to conclusively present and defend technical solutions through strong presentation skills and executive client management.
• Ability to handle multiple complex proposals, with tight deadlines concurrently.
• Demonstrate ability to write and present effective materials, including presentations, status reporting, technical diagrams and flowcharts.

Requirements

Competencies

• Tech Savvy
• Attention to detail.
• Customer focused.
• Evaluating problems
• Processing details and information
• Building relationships & Trust
• Communicating information
• Providing leadership
• Showing resilience

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer science, Information Systems - Essential 
• Relevant postgraduate qualifications in Cloud Computing, Enterprise Architecture, or Information Systems - Preferred
• Certifications in cloud platforms (e.g., AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect, Google Professional Cloud Architect) are a plus Technology governance and legislative framework (such as COBIT, ITIL, TOGAF, SDLC, ASAP, SOA)
• Additional Azure certifications (AZ-500 Security, AZ-700 Networking, DP-203 Data Engineering) - Advantageous

Experience

• 8+ years of enterprise cloud architecture experience with 5+ years focused on Azure
• Extensive experience leading large-scale cloud transformation programs
• Deep expertise in Azure Well-Architected Framework, landing zones, and enterprise architecture patterns
• Proven expertise in designing and architecting cloud solutions on Azure, GCP, AWS and VMWare cloud solutions

Other Requirements

• Strong understanding of cloud services, virtualization, networking, and security.
• Strong Microsoft Office productivity tools knowledge (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Atlassian and Jira knowledge (advantageous)
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) - Mandatory
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305) - Highly Preferred