Principal Cloud and Infrastructure Architect - Digital

Intuitive Surgical•Sunnyvale, CA

41d

About The Position

The Principal Cloud Architect will drive the design and implementation of cloud architectures engineered for modular, horizontal, and regional scalability. Ensure all infrastructure components, services, and data flows are optimized for scaling, geographic expansion, and dynamic demand. Strategically align the cloud architecture with industrial-scale product infrastructure requirements, partnering with product and data architects to facilitate global growth, operational efficiency, and consistent standards adoption.

Requirements

Minimum of 10 years of demonstrated experience in developing and maintaining cloud architectures for complex global infrastructure delivery
Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science, IT, or related technical discipline
Deep experience architecting across leading cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)
Proven comprehension of networking, security, and microservices/container orchestration
Proven record leading cross-functional teams and complex cloud migrations
Prior proficiency in automation, scripting, and Infrastructure-as-Code
Outstanding communication and collaborator management skills
Track record of successful change management for large-scale architectural standards or platform upgrades.
Familiarity with industry-standard frameworks for cloud governance and architecture (TOGAF, NIST, ISO).
Familiarity with regulated environments (e.g., FDA, ISO 13485, IEC 62304) and how to architect for compliance.

Nice To Haves

Current proficiency in automation, scripting, and Infrastructure-as-Code
Experience in highly regulated industries, Digital Health, Medical Devices, or Health Tech.
Advanced certifications highly preferred (e.g., AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Azure Solutions Architect Professional)

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership: Own the end-to-end cloud architecture vision and ensure alignment with business goals, growth plans, and compliance needs.
Cloud Solution Design: Architect reliable, scalable, and secure cloud systems (public, private, hybrid, multi-cloud) that meet current and future requirements.
Governance & Best Practices: Define cloud governance, cost optimization, and security frameworks; establish and enforce cloud best practices across teams.
Technology Evaluation: Recommend and select cloud providers and tools suitable for enterprise needs (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP).
Facilitate organizational adoption of the cloud and manage migration and modernization initiatives, often managing related cultural and process changes.
Work in close partnership with Data Architects to ensure robust data flows, storage, governance, and analytics integration in all cloud environments.
Partner with Product Architects to design solutions that align seamlessly with product roadmaps and user experience vision.
Partner with Software Design Architects to ensure cloud infrastructure helps scalable and compliant application development, reviewing designs for optimal leverage of cloud-native services.
Guide engineering, DevOps, cybersecurity, data engineering, and compliance teams in cloud-related initiatives.
Act as the technical SME in vendor selection, contract reviews, and establishing KPIs tied to uptime, performance, and cloud spend.
Manage cloud modernization efforts, and refactoring legacy workloads for cloud optimization.
Develop and periodically update reference architectures for cloud environments that codify industry standards, best practices, regulatory requirements, and lessons learned from organizational experience.
Create high-level and detailed architecture models that address networking, security, scalability, interoperability, and compliance requirements across public, private, hybrid clouds, and edge interoperability models.
Ensure reference architectures are usable for product development, data services, software design, and security teams.
Establish and document technical standards for cloud implementations and architectural guardrails.
Vet proposed exceptions or deviations from standards, acting as technical authority for risk review and remediation pathways.
Own the architectural change management process for all cloud-related initiatives, documenting impact analysis, communication plans, approval processes, and rollback strategies.
Facilitate collaborator reviews and cross-functional meetings to evaluate proposed changes to reference architecture or standards, stabilizing agility and risk.
Manage post-implementation reviews, capturing feedback to iterate on standards and architectural models.
Monitor emerging cloud technologies and industry trends; evaluate their impact on existing architectures and standards.
Run periodic standards review cycles to ensure the organization's reference models and guardrails remain current, relevant, and market-leading.
Educate and mentor teams on the rationale and benefits of standards, fostering a culture of mutual architectural ownership.