Azure Enterprise Architect – Full Stack & AI Solutions

This position is open to candidates based in any market with an Avanade presence - Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, or Vancouver. We are seeking a highly experienced Azure Enterprise Architect with a strong full stack engineering background and deep expertise in Microsoft Azure cloud architecture, enterprise application modernization, AI/GenAI solutions, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), and large-scale delivery leadership. The ideal candidate will possess 15+ years of progressive experience designing and delivering enterprise-grade solutions while leading distributed engineering teams across onshore and offshore models. This individual will serve as the primary technical authority for strategic initiatives, guiding architecture decisions, mentoring engineering teams, engaging directly with executive stakeholders, and ensuring successful project execution from inception through production. This is a hands-on leadership role requiring deep technical expertise across cloud, application development, infrastructure, networking, DevOps, and AI platforms. Responsibilities - Architect, design, and oversee enterprise-scale cloud-native solutions on Microsoft Azure aligned with business and technology strategies. - Lead architecture and delivery for complex full stack applications using modern frontend technologies including React, Angular, TypeScript, and mobile frameworks when required. - Provide technical leadership across backend platforms utilizing .NET, C#, Python, Node.js, microservices, APIs, event-driven architectures, and distributed systems. - Own end-to-end Azure architecture including networking, security, governance, identity management, observability, resilience, performance, and cost optimization. - Define and implement enterprise Infrastructure as Code (IaC) standards using Terraform, Bicep, ARM Templates, and Azure DevOps pipelines. - Lead architecture reviews, technical design sessions, and solution governance processes across multiple concurrent projects. - Drive application modernization initiatives, cloud migrations, and hybrid cloud integration strategies. - Guide engineering teams in designing and implementing AI and Generative AI solutions leveraging Azure OpenAI, Azure AI Services, Agentic AI frameworks, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), vector databases, and enterprise AI architectures. - Establish architecture standards, engineering best practices, coding standards, security requirements, and cloud governance frameworks. - Collaborate closely with client executives, business stakeholders, product owners, program managers, and engineering leadership to ensure successful delivery outcomes. - Lead globally distributed teams including architects, developers, DevOps engineers, data engineers, and QA resources across onshore and offshore delivery models. - Drive Agile and Scrum practices while providing delivery oversight, risk management, estimation, roadmap planning, and technical project leadership. - Mentor architects and senior engineers while establishing a culture of technical excellence and continuous improvement. - Evaluate emerging technologies and develop strategic recommendations aligned with organizational objectives. - Ensure solutions comply with enterprise security, compliance, privacy, governance, and regulatory requirements. Required qualifications - Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, or related field. - Minimum 15 years of professional software engineering and solution architecture experience with at least 8 years architecting enterprise solutions on Microsoft Azure. - Proven experience serving as a Lead Architect, Enterprise Architect, Chief Architect, or Principal Architect for large-scale enterprise programs. - Deep expertise in Microsoft Azure services, including Azure App Services and Azure Functions; Azure API Management; Azure OpenAI and Azure Generative AI Services; Azure Storage, KeyVault and Containers; Azure SQL and Cosmos DB; Service Bus and Event Hub; Azure Landing Zones; and Azure Virtual WAN.