Container Solution Architect

About the Role

We are hiring a seasoned Container Solution Architect to support our federal government clients. This senior position involves designing and leading enterprise-scale containerized solutions across complex distributed infrastructures, ensuring strict adherence to government compliance, enterprise standards, and strategic objectives. The role reports to the Account Chief Architect and demands expertise in container strategies and cloud modernization projects primarily within Azure environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and architect comprehensive container strategies and roadmaps in compliance with federal government regulations.
• Lead design efforts for containerized applications spanning multiple departments.
• Define enterprise standards, patterns, and best practices for container architectures.
• Guarantee container solutions meet security, compliance, and performance standards unique to government operations.
• Assess and recommend container technologies, platforms, and related tools.
• Act as technical lead on container platform and cloud modernization initiatives, mentoring engineering teams on best practices.
• Drive platform engineering through reusable architectures, automation, and standardized deployment techniques.
• Oversee Azure Container solutions design and Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster management, including governance and security policy establishment.
• Manage container registries and image security across Azure environments.
• Architect cloud infrastructure to optimize container workloads, ensuring alignment with enterprise Azure Landing Zone standards.
• Lead enterprise-wide migrations from traditional infrastructure to containerized platforms.
• Architect hybrid and multi-cloud container strategies as needed, while ensuring compliance with Australian Government security frameworks such as ISM, PSPF, and Essential Eight.
• Evaluate and incorporate OpenShift and hybrid container platforms to complement Azure solutions, ensuring interoperability.
• Implement container platform security practices including image scanning, runtime security, and adherence to Zero Trust principles leveraging Microsoft Entra ID and managed identities.
• Establish monitoring, logging, observability standards, and operational runbooks for containerized environments to maintain performance and disaster recovery readiness.
• Implement CI/CD pipelines and automate container deployments.

Qualifications and Experience

• Over 10 years' experience in IT architecture and infrastructure design.
• Minimum 7 years of hands-on expertise with container technologies like Docker and Kubernetes.
• At least 5 years in enterprise architecture within large-scale multi-team settings.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in cloud architecture for enterprise systems.
• At least 3 years’ practical experience with Azure cloud services and AKS.
• Proven leadership in technical teams and architectural projects.
• Experience working within federal government or similar regulated sectors.
• Must be an Australian citizen eligible for AGSVA Baseline Security Clearance, with NV1 clearance eligibility preferred.

Technical Skills

• Advanced proficiency in Azure Cloud Services and Azure Kubernetes Service.
• Strong skills in Kubernetes administration and architecture.
• Expertise in container orchestration, microservices design, and container security.
• Hands-on experience with Infrastructure-as-Code tools such as Terraform, ARM templates, and Bicep.
• Knowledge of container registry management, CI/CD pipeline development, cloud networking, security, and compliance.
• Experience with OpenShift is advantageous.

Professional Abilities

• Excellent communication skills tailored to technical and executive audiences.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence stakeholders effectively.
• Strong strategic thinking to balance technical detail with business goals.
• Analytical problem-solving aptitude in complex environments.
• Expertise in government compliance and security frameworks implementation.
• Project management and team mentoring capabilities.

Educational & Certification Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Valid Azure certifications such as Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305) or Azure Administrator (AZ-104) plus additional certifications.
• Preferably holds Kubernetes certifications (CKA, CKAD, or equivalent).

Additional Information

We are committed to equal opportunity employment and inclusivity, encouraging applicants from diverse backgrounds. Candidates may request accommodations aligned with accessibility policies. The role prioritizes onsite collaboration in Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane, or Melbourne during standard business hours.

Security clearance: Applicants must have or be eligible to obtain an Australian Government Baseline Security Clearance (AGSVA Baseline). NV1 clearance eligibility is favorable.

Recruitment Integrity: Be aware of fraudulent recruitment scams; the company does not request payments or personal financial information during hiring.