Associate Director – Application Transformation & Modernization

Kyndryl • Montreal, QC

8d • Hybrid

About The Position

At Kyndryl, we run and reimagine the mission-critical technology systems that drive advantage for the world’s leading businesses. We are at the heart of progress; with proven expertise and a continuous flow of AI-powered insight, enabling smarter decisions, faster innovation, and a lasting competitive edge. For our people—Kyndryls—that means doing purposeful work that powers human progress. Join us and experience a flexible, supportive environment where your well-being is prioritized and your potential can thrive. We are seeking an experienced Associate Director - Application Transformation & Modernization to lead and deliver application modernization and cloud migration initiatives for enterprise clients. This role blends client-facing consulting, pre-sales solutioning, and hands-on delivery leadership, supporting customers as they modernize legacy applications and transition to cloud platforms. The ideal candidate has strong architectural depth in application platforms, a consultative mindset, and the ability to articulate value during pre-sales while guiding teams through successful modernization execution.

Requirements

• 8+ years of application development and architecture experience.
• Proven experience in application modernization and cloud migration initiatives.
• Hands-on experience modernizing legacy platforms (monoliths, client-server, mainframe-adjacent, or tightly coupled systems).
• Experience in pre-sales, including solution design, client presentations, and estimation.
• Strong consulting background with enterprise clients.
• Application modernization patterns and strategies
• Microservices and distributed systems architecture
• API management and integration patterns
• Containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Cloud Platforms (one or more): Microsoft Azure (App Services, AKS, Functions, Data services)
• Cloud Platforms (one or more): AWS (ECS/EKS, Lambda, EC2, RDS)
• Cloud Platforms (one or more): Google Cloud Platform (GKE, Cloud Run, App Engine)
• CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps, GitHub, GitLab, Jenkins)
• Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Bicep, ARM, CloudFormation)
• Monitoring and observability tools
• Strong client-facing and consulting skills
• Ability to translate business needs into technical solutions
• Experience balancing pre-sales responsibilities with delivery execution
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Collaborative mindset and delivery leadership capabilities

Nice To Haves

• Cloud Architect or Developer certifications (Azure, AWS, or GCP)
• Kubernetes or DevOps certifications
• TOGAF or architecture certifications (advantageous)

Responsibilities

• Engage with clients to understand business goals, application landscapes, and modernization drivers.
• Lead pre-sales activities, including solution shaping, architecture definition, effort estimation, and proposal development.
• Support RFP responses, client presentations, and technical workshops focused on application modernization and cloud migration.
• Articulate modernization value propositions, including cost optimization, agility, scalability, and resilience.
• Act as a trusted advisor to client stakeholders during early engagement and solution definition phases.
• Assess legacy application portfolios to identify modernization opportunities and cloud readiness.
• Define modernization strategies (rehost, replatform, refactor, rearchitect, replace, retire) aligned with business needs.
• Design cloud-native and modern application architectures, including microservices, containerization, and platform services.
• Lead modernization of monolithic and legacy applications into scalable, maintainable, cloud-based solutions.
• Define target application architectures, integration patterns, and non-functional requirements.
• Lead or support delivery of application migration and modernization projects across cloud platforms.
• Provide architectural oversight throughout the delivery lifecycle, ensuring alignment to target architecture.
• Guide development teams on best practices for cloud-native development, DevOps, and CI/CD.
• Collaborate with infrastructure, security, and data teams to ensure end-to-end solution integrity.
• Identify and mitigate technical risks, dependencies, and modernization challenges.
• Promote adoption of DevOps and CI/CD pipelines to improve application delivery speed and quality.
• Support use of Infrastructure as Code and automated testing frameworks.
• Encourage modern development practices including API-first design, event-driven architecture, and observability.
• Ensure performance, scalability, security, and reliability requirements are met.
• Contribute to development of modernization frameworks, reference architectures, and accelerators.
• Share best practices and lessons learned across teams and engagements.
• Mentor junior architects and developers on modernization and cloud-native practices.
• Stay current with emerging application modernization, cloud, and DevOps trends.

Benefits

• Flexible, supportive environment where your well-being is prioritized and your potential can thrive.
• Opportunities to grow your career, including hands-on experience, learning opportunities, and the chance to certify in all four major platforms.
• Dynamic, hybrid-friendly culture that supports your well-being and empowers you to grow.
• Be Well programs designed to support your financial, mental, physical, and social health.
• Powerful tools to chart your career path.
• Personalized development goals aligned with your ambitions.
• Continuous feedback to keep you inspired and on track.
• Access to cutting-edge learning opportunities—from certifications with Microsoft, Google, and Amazon to coaching and hands-on experiences.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees