Cloud Solutions Architect at Fried Frank in New York, NY

At Fried Frank, we’re a community of 800 lawyers and 500 business services professionals across New York, Washington, DC, London, Frankfurt, and Brussels. We advise leading corporations, investment funds, and financial institutions on high-stakes M&A, securities, regulatory matters, real estate, and litigation. Our culture is grounded in our core values — excellence, integrity and collaboration — and is designed to foster continuous learning, meaningful mentorship, and lasting professional growth. We are firmly committed to pro bono service and social justice, building on a proud legacy in civil rights. Our inclusive talent strategy is a core part of our broader talent management efforts and we remain steadfast in fostering a workplace where everyone has the opportunity to grow, thrive, and become their best professional and personal selves. Our business services professionals are integral to the firm’s success, driving innovation, operational excellence and exceptional client service across all areas of the firm. We offer competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package, including comprehensive medical coverage, retirement plans and health and wellness initiatives designed to support your personal and professional wellbeing. We welcome passionate, driven individuals to join us, and be part of a team where you’ll be supported, inspired and empowered to build an exceptional career.

Position Summary:

The Cloud Solution Architect is responsible for designing, implementing, and managing cloud-native, AI-driven solutions on IaaS and SaaS platforms, leveraging AI services, including Machine Learning, Cognitive Services, and Databricks. This role applies DevOps practices and Infrastructure-as-Code methodologies with tools such as Terraform to ensure consistent, repeatable, and scalable deployments.

The ideal candidate must have expertise in migrating on-premises workloads to the cloud, managing scalable infrastructure, ensuring security compliance, and optimizing cost-effective AI models. Additionally, the role requires translating business goals into technical solutions to improve performance and cost efficiency.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Define cloud adoption plans, design cloud application architecture, and manage hybrid, public, or private cloud environments.
• Lead strategy and planning for cloud modernization programs using the Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework.
• Translate business and technical requirements into actionable cloud migration plans and present value and ROI to the business.
• Build and maintain scalable cloud solutions, including infrastructure, networking, and security, following the Well-Architected Frameworks. This involves developing, planning, and executing migrations of on-premises systems to the cloud, as well as constructing scalable landing zones.
• Use DevOps practices and tools such as ARM templates, Bicep, and Terraform to automate deployment.
• Ensure the Azure environment complies with security policies, industry standards, and data protection requirements, including GDPR, ISO 27001, and ABA cybersecurity guidelines.
• Advise on technology roadmaps, providing expert guidance on cloud adoption.
• Continuously monitor cloud resources, analyze performance metrics, and optimize infrastructure for cost, efficiency, and reliability.
• Partner with stakeholders, developers, and the DevOps team to translate business needs into technical specifications and to provide guidance on best practices.

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• 3-5 years of experience architecting and implementing solutions in Microsoft Azure and AWS.
• 3-5 years of experience executing enterprise application or infrastructure migrations with hands-on engineering involvement.
• Expertise in cloud networking, security, and Identity (Entra ID), with experience in data migration workloads, including Azure Migrate.
• Strong knowledge of single- or multi-cloud strategies and their implications.
• Demonstrated experience in architecting solutions that meet RPO and RTO objectives in Azure.
• Experience managing cloud-based security posture, including vulnerability remediation and perimeter defense architecture.
• Proficiency with Infrastructure as Code using Terraform or Bicep.
• Experience designing solutions for hybrid cloud or on-premises connectivity to Azure.
• Extensive expertise in Active Directory, Identity and Access Management (IAM), Compute, Networking, and Storage.
• Comprehension of hybrid cloud configurations, Virtual Private Network (VPN), and ExpressRoute.
• Demonstrates strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Has effective communication and collaboration skills.
• Demonstrates adaptability to shifting priorities and emerging technologies

Education / Experience:

• Bachelor of Science (BS) in cloud computing or 3-5 years’ experience in designing and managing cloud infrastructure.
• Azure Solution Architect Expert certificate is required.
• AWS Certified Solutions
• Proficiency in networking, security, and scripting.
• Knowledge of containerization technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes.

Years of experience: Possesses 3-5 years of practical experience in cloud architecture and solution design.

 Skills & Abilities:

• Comprehending cloud computing, encompassing infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS), is fundamental. Additionally, familiarity with cloud deployment models (public, private, hybrid) and cloud service models is essential.
• A comprehensive understanding of Azure and AWS services and solutions, including Cloud Virtual Machines, Cloud Networking, and Cloud Active Directory, is imperative. Competency in using these services to develop and oversee cloud applications is a fundamental requirement of the role.
• A comprehensive understanding of networking concepts, including virtual networks, subnets, firewalls, and VPNs, is essential. Understanding security principles and best practices for safeguarding cloud environments, including identity and access management, encryption, and threat detection, is vital.