Principal Infrastructue Architect

Principal Infrastructure Architect

Remote

Compensation: $85-$87/hr

Our client is seeking a Principal Infrastructure Architect to provide strategic and technical leadership to the Hosting, Infrastructure, and Operations teams, driving modernization, scalability, and performance across IT systems. This role oversees infrastructure advancement, technical debt reduction, and service level improvements, leveraging deep expertise in mainframe, midrange, middleware, Wintel, Unix, networking, storage, virtualization, security, disaster recovery, and automation to build a secure, resilient, and cost-effective technology ecosystem.

The Architect will work closely with Enterprise Architecture and cross-functional teams to guide hybrid cloud adoption, ITSM maturity, and infrastructure optimization, ensuring alignment with long‑term business strategy. Key responsibilities include evaluating emerging technologies, shaping migration strategies, supporting vendor relationships, and ensuring solutions meet performance, security, and compliance standards. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in enterprise infrastructure architecture, cloud platforms, and modernization initiatives, with strong analytical, communication, and collaboration skills.

This remote position may require occasional travel (up to 20%) and flexible work hours, including evenings or weekends, to support critical events.

• Lead infrastructure modernization initiatives, reducing reliance on legacy systems while advancing hybrid cloud, virtualization, automation, and IT Service Management maturity
• Design and implement robust, scalable, and secure infrastructure solutions that support modernization and long‑term business strategy
• Evaluate system requirements and existing infrastructure to ensure performance, security, and compliance meet organizational and client expectations
• Develop and maintain infrastructure architecture blueprints and migration strategies, guiding seamless transitions from legacy to modern platforms
• Leverage emerging technologies, including AI and advanced automation, to accelerate transformation, drive efficiency, and enable business innovation
• Analyze and propose alternative solutions and improvements, introducing new capabilities that enhance performance, resiliency, and cost optimization
• Lead the design, review, and integration of new systems, document proposed changes, and ensure seamless deployment across core infrastructure
• Ensure compliance with enterprise security policies and regulatory requirements, embedding disaster recovery and business continuity into all designs
• Conduct infrastructure performance monitoring and optimization, assess post‑implementation success, and capture best practices for continuous improvement
• Collaborate with Enterprise Architecture, cross‑functional teams, and vendors to align infrastructure with long‑term strategy and manage vendor relationships and contracts

• 10+ years of progressive experience in enterprise infrastructure architecture, engineering, or related IT leadership roles
• 5+ years of hands‑on experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP), including hybrid and multi‑cloud solution design and deployment
• Advanced technical expertise across enterprise infrastructure domains, including mainframe (IBM Z/OS), midrange, Wintel, Unix, storage technologies, networking, and data center hosting
• Architecture definition and design skills through models, patterns, and roadmaps, with an understanding of Enterprise Architecture practices
• Strong knowledge of enterprise security principles and practices, with experience embedding security, compliance, disaster recovery, and business continuity into infrastructure solutions
• Deep understanding of ITIL frameworks and ITSM practices, with the ability to design and mature operational processes
• Strong knowledge of virtualization technologies (e.g., VMware, Hyper‑V) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) for creating flexible, resilient, and efficient infrastructure environments
• Hands‑on experience with Infrastructure‑as‑Code (IaC) tools (e.g., Terraform, Ansible) to drive automation and consistency across…