IT Architect - Compute and Storage

Location/s: Newcastle, UK
Recruiter contact: Erinda Hazizi

Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices. 

We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve. Our people power our performance – we succeed when they do. With countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow, the possibilities for excellence are as varied as every individual. 

Whether you want to grow as a subject matter expert or broaden your experience with roles across our international community, you’re surrounded by global specialists who want to combine their expertise and champion you to be your best. As a proudly employee-owned business, we benefit our clients, our communities, and each other, investing in creating the right space for everyone to feel empowered, included, and valued. Whatever your ambition, Mott MacDonald is where people come to be brilliant.

About the business unit  
Mott MacDonald’s support services are the driving force behind our organisation enabling us to run efficiently and effectively. The team works collaboratively to offer specialist advice, best practice and technology to all areas of our business specifically designed for our global reach.  

Overview of the role

In a strategic capacity, the Compute and Storage Architect holds a pivotal position, responsible for defining the strategy, architecture and design assurance for enterprise compute and storage services, with Microsoft Azure as a core platform. The role requires strong, current and demonstrable Azure architecture capability, alongside experience of hybrid infrastructure and enterprise operations. Working closely with technical specialists, project managers, and business stakeholders, the architect will translate business requirements into secure, resilient, scalable, and supportable solutions that align with organizational strategy and standards  

• Define and maintain the strategy, standards, roadmaps and approved patterns for Microsoft Azure compute and storage services.
• Lead the design of infrastructure solutions, including compute, storage, backup, recovery, monitoring, connectivity, identity integration and security controls.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to translate business needs into clear solution options, recommendations and high-level designs.
• Ensure Azure solutions are scalable, secure, resilient, recoverable, cost-aware and operationally supportable.
• Select appropriate technologies, services and hosting models based on business and technical requirements.
• Provide authoritative technical guidance and design assurance throughout the solution lifecycle.
• Enforce enterprise architecture principles, Azure standards, reusable patterns and security-by-design requirements.
• Identify and address architectural risks, dependencies, constraints, technical debt and design exceptions.
• Maintain current knowledge of the Microsoft Azure roadmap, emerging capabilities and cloud architecture best practice.
• Collaborate with project, product, cyber security, cloud platform, network, identity and operational teams to support successful delivery.
• Collaborate with project managers and business stakeholders, providing technical insights for project planning and execution.

Key duties and responsibilities include: 

• Collaborate with Subject Matter Experts, IT Managers and Product Managers to define compute and storage strategies that address current and future business requirements, with Microsoft Azure as the principal cloud platform.
• Conduct strategic assessments of Azure product and service options, considering architectural principles, security, resilience, cost, supportability and business value.
• Provide technical expertise to project, product and operational teams, guiding them through complex technology and design decisions.
• Review working practices and service performance to drive continuous improvement, automation and improved customer outcomes.
• Lead and guide project and product teams in the design and adoption of secure, scalable and supportable Azure solutions.
• Establish design principles, reference architectures, standards and strategic roadmaps for Azure compute, storage, backup and recovery services.
• Champion technical excellence across the IT environment, including the use of Infrastructure as Code, automation and reusable Azure patterns.
• Track Microsoft Azure developments and communicate relevant opportunities, changes and risks to IT management and stakeholders.
• Understand the strategies of diverse business areas and ensure Azure services align with business, regulatory and operational requirements.
• Define service measures with key stakeholders, including availability, performance, capacity, resilience, recovery and cost-management outcomes.
• Provide architecture assurance for Azure landing zones, subscriptions, management groups, Azure Policy, role-based access control, monitoring and resource governance.

Key Performance Metrics:

• Ensuring IT Services are reliable and high performing, aligned with business goals
• Ensuring Azure compute and storage services are reliable, secure, high performing and aligned with business goals
• Architecting solutions that scale efficiently without compromising performance, resilience or supportability
• Embedding robust security, identity and governance controls to safeguard systems and data
• Defining appropriate backup, recovery and disaster-recovery arrangements that meet agreed business requirements
• Supporting timely delivery through clear, pragmatic and proportionate architecture guidance
• Introducing Azure capabilities while maintaining enterprise standards, approved patterns and operational readiness
• Demonstrating effective teamwork, stakeholder engagement and communication across multidisciplinary teams
• Resolving complex technical challenges across Azure and hybrid compute and storage environments
• Maintaining current Microsoft Azure knowledge through continuous professional learning and practical experience
• Using operational, financial and stakeholder feedback to improve architecture roadmaps, standards and service outcomes

Candidate specification

Essential:

• Strong and demonstrable experience architecting enterprise compute and storage solutions on Microsoft Azure
• Current technical knowledge of Azure compute, storage, backup, recovery, monitoring, governance, identity integration, networking dependencies and security controls
• Experience implementing or assuring Azure solutions at enterprise scale in complex, hybrid environments
• Production of architecture strategies, roadmaps, option assessments, high-level designs, standards and reusable Azure patterns
• Experience of Azure landing-zone concepts, subscriptions, management groups, Azure Policy, role-based access control and resource governance
• Experience providing Azure technical leadership and design assurance throughout the solution lifecycle
• Experience working with senior stakeholders to translate corporate strategy and business requirements into practical Azure solutions

Desirable:

• Relevant Mic