Lead System Architect, Solutions Architecture - job 9 of 21

The Lead System Architect at our Austin company plays an essential role in delivering secure, highly available, and scalable infrastructure solutions. This involves driving the design and implementation of cloud-based solutions, particularly on public clouds like AWS, GCP, and Azure, and leveraging your container orchestration skills with technologies such as Kubernetes. You'll also be responsible for guiding projects through to production, working with cross-functional groups to align our technical goals and develop automated testing with infrastructure as code.

To be considered for the Lead System Architect role in Austin, candidates must possess extensive experience in cloud technologies, particularly with public cloud providers like AWS, GCP, and Azure. Familiarity with Docker, Kubernetes, and container orchestration is also crucial. Strong problem-solving abilities and prior experience in driving transformational projects from conception to implementation are essential qualifications that ensure success in this role.

Candidates looking for the Lead System Architect position should be well-versed in several key technologies, including Docker for containerization, Kubernetes for orchestration, and infrastructure as code tools such as Terraform or CloudFormation. An understanding of public cloud services from providers like AWS, GCP, and Azure will also be important, along with automation skills to streamline the deployment processes of cloud infrastructure components.

Collaboration is a cornerstone of the Lead System Architect role in this tech company. You'll be working closely with product managers, engineers, and other architects to formalize project roadmaps and align technical designs with business objectives. Your ability to communicate effectively across teams and bring diverse perspectives together will enable successful project execution and innovation.

The Lead System Architect position in Austin is hybrid, allowing for a balance of in-office and remote work. While the specific days in the office will be confirmed by the hiring manager, this flexibility supports a work environment that adapts to both professional and personal needs, promoting well-being and productivity.

In your response, highlight specific projects where you utilized Kubernetes for container orchestration and how being proficient in this technology helped in managing scalable applications. Be sure to discuss any challenges you faced and how you overcame them using Kubernetes.

Talk about your methodology for structuring cloud projects. Discuss aspects such as initial assessments of existing infrastructure, engaging stakeholders for requirements, and creating reference architectures that guide development. Mention your understanding of best practices for security and scaling.

Explain your background in implementing infrastructure as code (IaC) practices using tools like Terraform or CloudFormation. Discuss how IaC enhances deployment speed, consistency, and enables easier updates and rollback capabilities in your cloud architecture.

Detail the strategies you use to maintain high availability such as load balancing, multi-region deployments, and automated failover systems. Also, mention the security measures you prioritize, such as network security groups, proper IAM roles, and regular vulnerability assessments to protect the cloud environments.

Discuss your approach to conflict resolution, emphasizing your willingness to listen to all perspectives and your ability to mediate discussions. Explain how you focus on achieving a collaborative solution that aligns with project goals while respecting team input.

Share your techniques for cost management, such as rightsizing instances, implementing auto-scaling strategies, and using pricing calculators for budgeting during the design phase. Explain how monitoring resource utilization can help keep costs under control.

Choose a specific project where you had a significant role. Outline the objectives, your contributions, the challenges faced, and the outcomes. Highlight the impact of your leadership on the project's success and the lessons learned.

Discuss the various tools you use for managing cloud infrastructures such as monitoring tools (e.g., CloudWatch, Azure Monitor) or CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab). Explain how these tools have aided efficiency and improved deployment reliability in your solutions.

Highlight your commitment to continued learning through attending industry conferences, participating in online courses, following relevant blogs, or joining professional communities. Discuss how this knowledge informs your work and enables you to adopt best practices.

Share your perspectives on the future of cloud architecture, mentioning trends like serverless computing, AI integrations, and increased automation. Emphasize the importance of adapting architectures to embrace these changes for ongoing success.