IT Cloud Software Architect

Nelnet•Lincoln, NE

1d•$140,000 - $170,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The IT Cloud Software Architect will drive the enterprise technology vision by designing and scaling modern cloud-native software solutions. The role combines software engineering and cloud architecture expertise to deliver secure, resilient, and cost-efficient applications across the enterprise. The architect serves as a technical leader and trusted advisor, working with internal teams, partners, and clients to translate business needs into cloud-based solutions. The role provides technical direction, mentorship, and leadership while promoting architecture, DevOps, and security best practices. Approximately 10–25% of the role supports the sales team as a pre-sales technical resource, helping shape and present solutions to prospective clients. The architect will also evaluate and integrate emerging technologies, including AI/ML, to address changing business and technology needs. The position follows a hybrid model. Associates living within 30 miles of an office have a standard schedule of three days in-office and two days working from home, subject to manager discretion. Nelnet is currently seeking candidates who live within 30 miles of Lincoln, Nebraska; Centennial, Colorado; Madison, Wisconsin; or Brownsville, Texas. Internal associates working remotely may also be considered.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
10+ years of experience in software engineering, including at least 5+ years in cloud architecture or solution architecture.
Expertise in cloud-native application development on a major cloud platform: GCP, AWS, or Azure.
Strong proficiency in Node, Angular, C#, and Python.
Experience designing and scaling microservices, APIs, serverless, and containerized workloads, such as GKE, Cloud Run, Cloud Functions, Kubernetes, ECS, or Lambda.
Familiarity with AI/ML services and integration, such as Google Vertex AI, Gemini, AWS SageMaker, Azure ML, or OpenAI.
Proven experience engaging with business and client stakeholders at multiple levels.
Exceptional ability to communicate technical concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on experience with Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is strongly preferred.
GCP Professional Cloud Architect certification is strongly preferred. Candidates without it are expected to earn it within 6–12 months of hire; the company will support this with training time and exam costs.
Experience supporting pre-sales, proposals/RFPs, or client-facing solution design is preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead the design of scalable, secure, and cost-optimized cloud-native applications.
Define and implement software patterns for microservices, APIs, containers, and serverless applications.
Ensure solutions are designed for performance, resilience, and business continuity.
Gather requirements from internal stakeholders and external clients, present design options, and propose suitable solutions.
Translate technical concepts into business-relevant recommendations and advise on cloud adoption, modernization, and emerging technologies.
Support Account Executives during sales cycles through discovery sessions, technical deep-dives, and architecture workshops.
Develop architecture diagrams, technical proposals, and RFP responses, and present cloud solutions to technical and executive audiences.
Partner with Delivery and Product teams to confirm solution viability and ensure smooth handoffs to implementation.
Provide technical direction and leadership to engineering teams on cloud development and architecture.
Mentor developers and junior architects in modern software engineering and AI/ML integration.
Promote best practices in DevOps, CI/CD, and agile delivery.
Evaluate and pilot tools, frameworks, and services for enterprise adoption; lead proofs-of-concept to validate scalability, security, and business value.
Ensure solutions meet enterprise security, compliance, and governance standards.
Apply Infrastructure as Code, automation, and DevSecOps practices, partnering with security and operations teams to deliver compliant, resilient, and reliable solutions.