Cloud Architect Job Description Template (Free, 2026)

Job Title: Cloud Architect [Senior / Principal / Staff] Department: Engineering / Infrastructure / Architecture Location: [City, State] / Remote / Hybrid Reports To: VP Engineering / CTO / Head of Platform Employment Type: Full-Time About [Company Name] [Company Name] is a [stage/sector] company running critical workloads on [AWS / Azure / GCP / multi-cloud]. Our annual cloud spend is approximately $[X] and we operate [X] services / microservices across [X] regions. Cloud reliability, cost efficiency, and security are board-level concerns — the Cloud Architect role has direct influence on our long-term infrastructure strategy. About the Role As Cloud Architect, you will own the design, evolution, and governance of our cloud infrastructure — spanning compute, storage, networking, security, and FinOps. You will set the architectural standards that [X] engineering teams follow, drive migration and modernization initiatives, and serve as the technical authority for all major cloud investment decisions. Your work will directly impact cost efficiency, reliability, and developer velocity across the organization. Key Responsibilities • Define and maintain cloud architecture standards, reference architectures, and Well-Architected Framework alignment across the org • Lead design and implementation of cloud-native solutions: serverless, containerized workloads (EKS/GKE/AKS), event-driven architectures, and data platforms • Own the FinOps program: cost governance, reserved instance planning, rightsizing recommendations, and showback/chargeback reporting • Drive cloud security posture: IAM governance, CSPM, encryption standards, compliance automation (SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA as applicable) • Lead cloud migration projects: application modernization, lift-and-shift to refactoring, database migration • Evaluate and select cloud-native services; build business cases for new investments with TCO analysis • Define disaster recovery, multi-region failover, and backup strategies for critical workloads • Mentor platform and infrastructure engineers; conduct architecture reviews and build internal cloud knowledge • Engage with cloud providers (AWS/Azure/GCP) as primary technical contact; manage enterprise agreements and support escalations • Contribute to engineering-wide RFC processes; represent infrastructure concerns in product planning Required Qualifications • [7]+ years in cloud infrastructure, platform, or architecture roles • Deep expertise in [primary cloud: AWS / Azure / GCP] with strong working knowledge of a second provider • Proven experience designing and implementing production cloud architectures at scale ([$X]+ cloud spend, [X]+ services) • Strong infrastructure-as-code proficiency (Terraform, Pulumi, CDK) in production environments • Experience with cloud security architecture, IAM design, and CSPM tooling • Solid understanding of Kubernetes at production scale, service mesh, and cloud-native networking • FinOps experience: cost optimization, reserved capacity planning, and chargeback models Nice to Have • AWS Solutions Architect Professional / Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect / Azure Solutions Architect Expert • Multi-cloud networking experience (cloud interconnects, cross-cloud load balancing) • Experience with edge computing, CDN architecture, or global traffic management • FinOps Certified Practitioner (FOCF) certification What We Offer • Competitive salary: $[low]–$[high]/year (see benchmarks below) • Equity: [X]% stock options / RSUs • Health, dental, and vision insurance (100% employer-paid for employee) • Flexible PTO + [X] company-wide holidays • Remote-friendly / home office stipend of $[X] • Cloud certification exam funding and training platform access • Learning & development budget: $[X]/year including conference attendance (re:Invent, Google Next) • [Additional perk — wellness stipend, etc.] Salary Range: $140,000–$225,000/year (US, 2026 benchmark; exact offer commensurate with experience) [Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.