Platform Architect (GCP)

• Cloud

• Remote

• Contract

Title: Platform Architect (L6)
Start Date: Immediate
Position Type: Contract
Location: Remote across USA

Job Summary:

We are seeking a highly skilled Platform Architect to lead the design and implementation of platform solutions leveraging Google Cloud Platform (GCP) to modernize and migrate legacy currency applications and data within the bank environment. The primary goal of this role is to ensure that the bank’s core platform is modernized, scalable, secure, and capable of supporting the digital transformation of the organization.
The Platform Architect will play a critical role in shaping the future architecture of the bank’s cloud infrastructure and will work closely with key stakeholders, technical teams, and business leaders to ensure successful execution of the modernization and migration strategies.
  
Key Responsibilities:

• Platform Architecture Design: Lead the design and implementation of cloud-based platform architectures using GCP to support the bank’s legacy currency applications and data systems. Ensure architectures are scalable, secure, and high-performing.
• Cloud Strategy & Planning: Collaborate with senior leadership to define cloud strategies, roadmaps, and milestones for platform modernization, aligning with the bank’s overall digital transformation goals.
• Modernization & Migration: Architect solutions to migrate legacy systems and currency applications to GCP, ensuring seamless data transfer, minimal disruption to banking operations, and future scalability.
• Integration With Bank Systems: Ensure the platform integrates with existing banking systems, including core banking systems, security layers, and transactional data flows, to optimize and enhance operational efficiency.
• Cloud-Native Design: Advocate for the adoption of cloud-native principles, such as microservices, containers, and serverless architectures, to optimize performance, flexibility, and resilience.
• Security & Compliance: Design secure and compliant cloud architectures, following industry best practices and regulatory requirements (e.g., PCI-DSS, GDPR, SOC 2) to protect sensitive data and financial systems.
• Platform Optimization: Continuously evaluate and optimize the cloud platform, leveraging GCP’s native tools and services to improve efficiency, performance, and cost management.
• Collaboration & Leadership: Work closely with cross-functional teams including infrastructure, security, DevOps, and business stakeholders to ensure the platform meets both technical and business requirements.
• Documentation & Governance: Create and maintain architecture documentation, ensuring adherence to platform design standards, security policies, and cloud governance practices.
• Performance Monitoring: Establish monitoring and alerting frameworks for platform health, performance, and availability, and recommend improvements for operational efficiency.

  
Required Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field. Advanced certifications in cloud platforms (e.g., Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect) are a plus.
• Experience: Minimum of 8+ years of experience in platform architecture, with at least 5 years of hands-on experience in designing and implementing cloud-based platforms, particularly on Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
• Cloud Expertise: Deep knowledge of Google Cloud Platform (GCP) services such as Compute Engine, Kubernetes Engine, Cloud Storage, BigQuery, Cloud Pub/Sub, Dataflow, and IAM for building robust cloud infrastructures.
• Migration & Modernization Experience: Proven experience in leading large-scale migration projects, particularly in migrating legacy applications and data to the cloud.
• Industry Experience: Understanding of banking and financial services industry, including core banking systems, currency applications, and regulatory standards.
• Strong knowledge of platform security best practices and compliance requirements (e.g., PCI-DSS, SOC 2, GDPR).
• Infrastructure As Code (Iac): Hands-on experience with tools such as Terraform, CloudFormation, or similar tools for automating cloud infrastructure provisioning and management.

Desired Skills:

• Technical Leadership: Ability to provide leadership in cloud platform architecture and collaborate with technical and non-technical teams to drive platform design decisions.
• Cloud-Native Technologies: Expertise in designing cloud-native solutions, including containers (Docker, Kubernetes), microservices, and serverless architectures.
• Performance & Cost Optimization: Knowledge of cost management strategies and tools for optimizing cloud resource utilization and performance.
• Strong Communication Skills: Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to both technical teams and business stakeholders.
• Problem-Solving: Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills with the ability to solve complex architectural and platform-related challenges.
• Devops And Automation: Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, automation tools, and DevOps practices to enable rapid deployment and iteration of platform solutions.