The Solution Architect will serve as the technical authority for the Azure Migration program, responsible for designing target-state architecture, driving Infrastructure as Code (IaC) development, and ensuring all migrations adhere to Azure Well-Architected Framework (WAF) principles. This role works alongside the Program Manager with escalation authority, leading the technical execution across the Migration Factory's assembly lines for applications complexity tiers.
Key Responsibilities
Design target-state Azure architecture for each application tier (Very Simple through Complex with Data Platform), ensuring alignment with the existing Azure Landing Zone governance, networking, and security controls.
Lead the clean build and cutover approach — architect fresh Azure provisions rather than replicated copies, ensuring a known-good target state for each migration.
Drive the technical execution of the framework phases: Discover, Design, Build, Migrate, and Validate across all application environments.
Own the per-application lifecycle execution: inventory assessment, dependency mapping, T-shirt classification, DAC template preparation, target architecture design, interface alignment, IaC deployment, security alignment, and infrastructure smoke testing.
Develop and maintain IaC templates (ARM/Terraform) and CI/CD pipelines for standardized, repeatable provisioning across the Migration Factory.
Ensure security hardening and landing zone alignment for all provisioned resources, working within customer-defined compliance frameworks (GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS as applicable).
Architect data platform migrations for complex tier applications — ADF pipelines, ADLS containers, Databricks workspaces — ensuring recreation of data pipelines, jobs, and containers based on source configuration.
Lead DAC submissions — prepare and present target-state architecture designs for Design Authority Committee approval, ensuring WAF alignment.
Design cutover runbooks with rollback procedures — ensure rehearsed cutovers, DNS switch preparation, and formal Go/No-Go gates for each application.
Validate Azure Malaysia service availability during discovery and design hybrid fallback solutions where service gaps exist.
Assess application complexity across five dimensions: component count, data volume, integration complexity, downtime tolerance, and compliance requirements — driving accurate T-shirt classification.
Participate in weekly governance meetings with App Owners and SMEs, daily stand-ups with the migration team, and provide technical input to Steering Committee sessions.
Lead Hypercare technical support — drive infrastructure monitoring, alerting, issue resolution, and performance tuning post-migration period.
Produce as-built documentation, network diagrams, configuration backups, and conduct knowledge transfer sessions for handover to operations teams.
Leverage Cloud Migration Engine for standardized discovery, automated IaC, and batch orchestration.
Required Qualifications
10+ years of IT infrastructure/cloud architecture experience, with at least 5 years focused on Azure solution architecture for enterprise migration program.
Stakeholder engagement — ability to translate technical concepts for business audiences and drive DAC/architecture reviews.
Problem-solving under pressure — troubleshooting migration issues, performance tuning, and incident resolution during cutovers and hypercare.
About Cognizant
Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) engineers modern businesses. We help our clients modernize technology, reimagine processes and transform experiences so they can stay ahead in our fast-changing world. Together, we're improving everyday life. See how at ************* or @cognizant.