Principal Cloud Architect

IonQ

5d•$167,808 - $219,704•Hybrid

About The Position

We are looking for a Cloud Architect to lead the design, implementation, and governance of our cloud infrastructure. In this role, you will define the technical strategy for how we build and operate workloads in the cloud, translate business requirements into scalable architectures, and serve as the technical authority on cloud platforms across the organization. You will partner closely with engineering, security, and operations teams to ensure our cloud environment is reliable, secure, cost-effective, and aligned with long-term business goals.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
7+ years of experience in IT infrastructure, software engineering, or systems architecture, with at least 3 years in a cloud-focused role.
Deep, hands-on expertise with at least one major cloud platform (AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform).
Strong understanding of cloud networking, identity and access management, and security best practices.
Proven experience designing scalable, resilient, and secure distributed systems.
Proficiency with infrastructure-as-code tooling (e.g., Terraform, CloudFormation, Bicep, or Pulumi).
Experience with containerization and orchestration (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
Solid grasp of CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Nice To Haves

Experience architecting across multiple cloud providers or in hybrid-cloud environments.
Relevant certifications such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect (Professional), Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Google Professional Cloud Architect, or TOGAF.
Familiarity with monitoring, observability, and logging platforms.
Experience with scripting or programming languages (e.g., Python, Go, PowerShell).
Background working in regulated or compliance-driven industries.
Experience leading or mentoring technical teams.

Responsibilities

Design and document end-to-end cloud architectures spanning compute, storage, networking, identity, and data services.
Define and maintain cloud reference architectures, design patterns, and technical standards that engineering teams build against.
Lead cloud migration efforts, including assessment, planning, and execution of moving on-premises or legacy workloads to the cloud.
Evaluate and recommend cloud services, tools, and third-party solutions based on technical fit, cost, and operational impact.
Implement infrastructure-as-code practices to ensure environments are repeatable, version-controlled, and auditable.
Build security and compliance into architectures from the start, including identity and access management, encryption, network segmentation, and adherence to relevant regulatory frameworks.
Develop strategies for high availability, disaster recovery, scalability, and performance optimization.
Establish cloud cost management and governance practices, identifying opportunities to optimize spend.
Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineering teams, conducting architecture reviews and guiding implementation decisions.
Stay current with emerging cloud technologies and assess their potential value to the organization.
Collaborate with stakeholders across the business to align cloud strategy with organizational objectives.