Cloud Technical Lead

About Northdoor

For over 30 years, Northdoor plc has been a trusted partner to enterprises, helping them navigate complex technology landscapes. We specialise in the "hard stuff" – managing and securing critical data, applications, and infrastructure for clients in highly regulated sectors like finance and insurance.

Our Managed Services practice is the core of our client relationships, and our Cloud services are the engine for our future growth. We are looking for a true technical expert to be the heart of that practice, leading our technical strategy and ensuring we deliver secure, scalable, and impactful solutions.

The Role

This is not just a senior engineering role; this is the technical heart of our cloud practice. As the Cloud Technical Lead, you will be our "go-to" expert for all things cloud. You will be a "player-coach," a senior mentor to our talented technical teams, and a trusted advisor to our clients.

You will own the technical design and strategy for our cloud-managed services, transforming critical IT infrastructures and solving complex challenges. This role is the bridge between pre-sales solutioning and high-quality service delivery, ensuring that what we promise, we can deliver to an exceptional standard.

If you are a results-driven technologist with a passion for designing and building secure, enterprise-scale cloud platforms, we want to talk to you.

Key Responsibilities

• Solution Design & Architecture: Lead the high-level and low-level design of secure, scalable, and resilient cloud solutions primarily on Azure, and increasingly on AWS.
• Technical Authority: Act as the primary technical authority for all cloud projects, support queries and the final escalation point for complex incidents and problems that our support teams cannot resolve.
• Pre-Sales & Scoping: Work closely with our pre-sales and sales teams to architect compelling solutions, validate technical requirements, and provide accurate effort-scoping for new client proposals and MSAs.
• Best Practice & Innovation: Drive the adoption of modern cloud-native practices, including Infrastructure as Code (IaC), DevSecOps principles, and containerisation across the practice.
• Mentorship & Upskilling: Guide and mentor our team of cloud engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and acting as a role model for professional development.
• Governance & Security: Ensure all designs and deployments adhere to the Well-Architected Framework, DORA (for relevant clients), and our own rigorous security and governance standards.

About You: Your Experience & Skills

• Extensive Experience: You have a demonstrable track record (ideally 10+ years) in IT infrastructure, with a significant focus on designing, deploying, and transforming critical IT systems using public cloud (Azure).
• Client-Facing Excellence: You are a superb communicator, comfortable leading technical workshops with clients, explaining complex concepts to senior stakeholders, and building trust.
• Problem-Solver: You thrive on solving complex, multi-faceted technical challenges.
• A "Player-Coach" Mindset: You are happy to be hands-on to solve a major problem or demonstrate a new technology, but your main goal is to elevate the team around you.
• Commercial Acumen: You understand the "why" behind the "what" and can design solutions that meet a client's commercial needs and budget.
• Passionate about Technology: You stay ahead of industry trends and are passionate about leveraging cutting-edge cloud technology to deliver real business value.

Mandatory Technical Skills

You MUST BE a deep expert in the Microsoft Azure ecosystem, with strong complementary skills.

• Primary Platform (Expert): Microsoft Azure
• Identity & Security: Microsoft Entra ID (full suite including PIM/Conditional Access), Azure Key Vault, Azure Policy.
• Security Operations: Microsoft Sentinel, Defender for Cloud.
• Networking: Azure vNets, Peering, Azure Firewall, WAF, Private Link, ExpressRoute.
• Compute & Storage: Virtual Machines, App Services, Storage Accounts.
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Deep, hands-on expertise with Terraform is essential. (Bicep is a plus).
• Scripting & Automation: Advanced PowerShell.
• CI/CD: Azure DevOps (Pipelines, Repos).
• Containerisation: Kubernetes (AKS) and Docker.
• Traditional IT: Strong foundations in Windows Server, Active Directory, DNS, PKI, and core networking principles.

Desirable Technical Skills

• Secondary Platform: Experience with Amazon Web Services (AWS) (VPC, EC2, S3, IAM, Security Groups).
• Data Platforms: Familiarity with Azure SQL, Azure Data Factory, or Power BI.
• Migration: Experience with Azure Migrate and database migration strategies.
• Linux: Experience with RHEL / Ubuntu in a cloud context.

Certifications (Highly Valued)

• Required (one or more):
• AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions (Architect Expert)
• AZ-500: Microsoft Azure Security Technologies
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional
• Desirable:
• CISSP or other security certifications
• Terraform Certified Associate

What We Offer

• A pivotal, high-impact role where you will shape the future of our cloud practice.
• The chance to work on complex, high-stakes transformation projects for major clients.
• A collaborative and supportive team environment.
• A significant budget for your ongoing training and professional development.
• A competitive salary, bonus scheme, and comprehensive benefits.

Northdoor is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.