Principal Architect, Cloud & Identity Infrastructure

Connor, Clark & Lunn Financial Group Ltd.•Toronto, ON

1d•CA$140,000 - CA$150,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Interested in joining one of Canada’s top performing asset managers? We are seeking a Principal Architect, Cloud & Identity Infrastructure to own the Cloud & Identity domain within the Infrastructure & Cloud Engineering organization. This includes public cloud platforms (Azure, AWS), identity and access management (Entra ID, Active Directory, hybrid identity), and Microsoft 365 platform services. The focus is platform ownership: defining architecture, standards, and guardrails, and ensuring platforms are scalable, secure, and cost-efficient. At the same time, strong delivery experience and hands-on technical depth are essential. You are expected to bring practical expertise, make sound technical decisions, and guide complex work with credibility while remaining accountable for direction and outcomes. You will act as the primary platform interface to business and application teams, translating needs into platform capabilities and clearly communicating strategy, constraints, and changes. You will operate as a senior individual contributor, working closely with other Platform Owners, Security, and Operations. Engineering work is executed by Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), but you remain closely involved in design decisions, complex problem-solving, and key technical trade-offs. You will treat platforms as products, enabling reusable patterns and low-friction consumption so teams can move faster with minimal dependency on central teams. Our offices currently operate on a hybrid model with three days in office.

Requirements

Senior-level experience (typically 10+ years) across enterprise infrastructure and cloud platforms
Strong background in hybrid environments (on-premises and public cloud integration)
Deep knowledge of: Modern identity (Entra ID, Conditional Access, MFA, SSO, federation, identity governance, PIM/JIT), Microsoft 365 services (Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive), Core infrastructure (Windows Server, Exchange, virtualization, storage, networking)
Practical experience with Azure and AWS
Understanding of automation and infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, ARM, Bicep, CI/CD)
Platform-owner mindset focused on long-term outcomes and business impact with strong decision-making in complex environments
Clear communicator across technical and business audiences
Pragmatic and outcome-driven, comfortable with legacy and modern environments

Responsibilities

Own the Cloud & Identity platform domain and be accountable for its health, direction, and outcomes. This includes Azure and AWS platforms, identity and access management across Entra ID and Active Directory, and Microsoft 365 from an architecture, security, and integration perspective.
Define target architectures, standards, and guardrails to ensure scalability, security, cost efficiency, and consistency across the organization. Drive deliberate platform decisions and reduce fragmentation.
Own the organization’s identity foundation, including authentication and authorization models, access patterns, and security controls across cloud and legacy environments.
Ensure clear communication of capabilities, constraints, and roadmap to business and cross-functional stakeholders. Partner with other Platform Owners to ensure clear boundaries and integration points, while SMEs execute implementation aligned to your standards.
Be accountable for platform outcomes, including scalability, cost efficiency, access integrity, and reliability, and for evolving the platform proactively based on business needs.
Own and evolve cloud platforms across Azure and AWS, and define how services are consumed. Provide architectural guidance in partnership with other Platform Owners (compute, network, storage). Ensure platforms meet requirements for scalability, resilience, observability, and recovery.
Own identity and access management across Entra ID, Active Directory, and hybrid environments. Define authentication, authorization, and privileged access standards in partnership with Security. Own Microsoft 365 architecture, security configuration, and identity integration, partnering with Workplace Technology on end-user experience and adoption.
Define and enforce platform standards, guardrails, and reusable patterns. Drive consistent, low-friction platform consumption models (self-service where possible). Balance innovation with stability, security, and long-term sustainability.
Act as the primary platform point of contact for business and application teams. Translate business needs into platform capabilities, standards, and roadmap priorities. Communicate platform strategy, changes, and constraints clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders. Work closely with Security, Operations, and Architecture to align priorities and resolve dependencies.
Work with other Platform Owners to define clear integration points and avoid overlap. Guide SMEs by setting direction, reviewing designs, and ensuring alignment with standards. Drive technical decisions and influence direction across teams and stakeholders.
Define and enforce cost management practices (tagging, allocation, optimization). Track and improve platform health across reliability, performance, cost, and adoption.