Senior Manager, Cloud Architect (Alibaba Cloud)

Position Objective

Alibaba Cloud Architect is responsible for designing, implementing, and governing secure, scalable, and automated cloud solutions on Alibaba Cloud. This role requires strong hands-on experience with Alicloud services, infrastructure automation, and DevOps practices to enable reliable, compliant, and repeatable cloud deployments across enterprise environments.

The architect will work closely with platform, DevOps, security, and application teams to drive cloud adoption, standardization, and automation using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and CI/CD pipelines.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Cloud Architecture & Design

• Design and deliver end-to-end cloud architectures on Alibaba Cloud that are secure, scalable, resilient, and cost-efficient.
• Define cloud architecture standards, patterns, and best practices aligned with enterprise governance and security requirements.
• Lead solution architecture for new workloads, migrations, and modernization initiatives on Alicloud.
• Ensure architectures comply with security, network, identity, and regulatory requirements.

Alibaba Cloud Platform Management

• Hands-on configuration and management of core Alicloud services, including:
• ECS, VPC, SLB, NAT Gateway
• OSS, NAS
• RAM, KMS, Security Center
• RDS, PolarDB (as applicable)
• Design and implement secure network architectures, including private networking, routing, and access controls.
• Implement platform-level resilience, backup, and disaster recovery strategies.

Automation & Infrastructure as Code

• Design, develop, and maintain Terraform modules for Alicloud infrastructure provisioning.
• Create reusable, version-controlled Terraform frameworks aligned with enterprise standards.
• Develop and manage Ansible playbooks and roles for configuration management and operational automation.
• Promote automation-first approaches to minimize manual provisioning and configuration drift.

DevOps & CI/CD Enablement

• Integrate Terraform and Ansible into CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Enterprise.
• Design and implement GitHub Actions for infrastructure deployment, validation, and policy enforcement.
• Support DevOps teams in adopting IaC and automated deployment practices.
• Enforce source control, branching strategies, and pipeline security best practices.

Security & Governance

• Embed security-by-design principles into cloud architectures and automation pipelines.
• Implement IAM/RAM least-privilege access models and secure key management using KMS.
• Support audits, risk assessments, and compliance reviews related to Alicloud deployments.
• Define guardrails and controls for secure cloud consumption.

Stakeholder & Technical Leadership

• Act as a technical advisor to application, DevOps, and operations teams.
• Review designs, provide architecture guidance, and approve cloud solutions.
• Troubleshoot complex cloud and automation issues across environments.
• Contribute to cloud documentation, runbooks, and operational standards.

Minimum Job Requirements:

• 10+ years relevant experience in Cloud Architecture.
• Proven experience designing and deploying secure Alicloud or equivalent architectures.
• Strong practical experience with Terraform (including module creation).
• Strong practical experience with Ansible (playbooks, roles, and automation workflows).
• Hands-on experience with GitHub Enterprise and GitHub Actions.
• Solid understanding of cloud networking, security, IAM, and automation principles.
• Experience working in enterprise or regulated environments is highly desirable.
• Relevant professional certifications (Ali-cloud, ITIL, etc.).
• Sound understanding of IT partner ecosystem and partner collaboration in a multinational corporation.
• Experience in top-tier multinational corporation will be an advantage.

Skills:

• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Ability to operationalize disruptive technology services, e.g., building relevant implementation roadmaps.