Cloud Solution Architect - Contract or Permanent at NCSAustralia

Operating within a high-maturity, Microsoft-centric ecosystem (Azure, M365, D365), you will act as the primary bridge between ambitious business strategy and technical execution. Your role is twofold: visionary architect and pragmatic engineer. From Concept to Blueprint You will be responsible for deconstructing complex, often ambiguous business requirements into high-integrity High-Level (HLD) and Detailed Design (DLD) solutions. Your designs won't just solve today's problems—they will be built for the future, utilizing reusable architectural patterns that ensure long-term scalability and resilience across the Department’s portfolio. A "Hands-On" Architect We don’t believe in designing in a vacuum. You will be "on the tools" within Azure DevOps, collaborating directly with engineering teams to ensure your designs are technically viable and seamlessly integrated. By championing Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and automated CI/CD pipelines, you will ensure that security and performance are "baked in" from the first line of code, not bolted on at the end. Key Responsibilities • Architectural Design: Lead the design of Azure-based applications, creating comprehensive HLDs and DLDs that align with enterprise standards. • Network & Ingress Architecture: Design and configure Azure Virtual Networks, including hybrid architectures and cloud-native web ingress patterns. • DevOps Leadership: Develop and optimize Azure DevOps pipelines to support seamless, automated deployments. • Security & Compliance: Ensure all designs strictly adhere to the Information Security Manual (ISM), Essential Eight, and OWASP standards. • Stakeholder Influence: Build strong relationships with cyber security experts, enterprise architects, and business users to steer designs through the approval process. • Emerging Tech: Provide architectural guidance on the implementation of Azure AI, Machine Learning, and Cognitive Services.