Azure Cloud Architect

Thales is a global technology leader with more than 83,000 employees on five continents. With over 7,500 people in the UK, operating across defence, space, aerospace, and digital security, we help build a future we can all trust. Thales supports the security and stability of our nation by providing extraordinary technology to our customers, as well as delivering social value to the UK with our products and services.

Cyber Security & Digital Identity (CDI)

From secure software to biometrics and encryption, CDI technologies and services enable businesses and governments to authenticate identities and protect data, so they stay safe and enable services in personal devices, connected objects, the cloud and in between.

Description:

UK TrustNest is an underpinning capability forming part of the wider UK Digital Competency Centre playing a pivotal role in Thales UK’s digital transformation agenda. As a member of the leadership team, you will be transforming how the organisation develops, deploys and manages accredited software solutions to our Customers.

Key Responsibilities:  

• Act as an industry expert in cloud, infrastructure, and network technologies
• Serve as a leader and subject matter expert to guide the platform team
• Design and architect next generation architectures across multiple domains including storage, compute, network, containerisation, and cloud native applications.
• Build solution architectures that align requirements, reference architectures design patterns and technology standards
• Lead collaboration with project teams, application, data, integration, infrastructure, and security enterprise architects to develop and deploy comprehensive solution architectures.
• Develop extensible architectures to enable future technology agility.
• Provide strategic support to staffing teams and key stakeholders with thought leadership, program design principles and implementation support.
• Research, analyse and recommend technical approaches for solving difficult and challenging architectural problems.
• Provide technical and governance direction to internal and external implementation teams.
• Participates in the vendor request for proposal (RFP), tool selection process and sourcing negotiations for new tools and applications.
• Analyse business process, data flows, IT / technical artefacts’ and extract understanding of how the system or business process works as input into solutions.
• Weighs Risk, ROI, schedule & budget considerations to provide solution recommendations.
• Ensure projects are delivered in-line with Information Reference Architecture, roadmap and to the defined standards and best practices.
• Define and maintain references architectures.
• Lead the creation/socialization of IT strategies and roadmaps within the cloud domain based on business strategy, business and IT trends, and current and future architectures.
• Effectively communicate and influence others towards future state solutions and architectures.
• Maintain technology strategy, vision, architectural roadmaps, reference architectures and engineering implementations.
• Ensure enterprise standards are established and followed while providing consulting on initiatives across multiple projects.
• Explore new technologies and industry trends and partner with the business to experiment and drive innovation.
• Create and maintain training and educational materials and technical position papers for solution delivery teams.
• Support business case development.
• Lead vulnerability management activities working closely with the platform team to initiate remedial action where required, utilising “Secure by Design” Principles.
• Develop security requirements, epics and stories, along with guidance & governance to squads to ensure data protection and data security are included in the scope of new and existing data & digital products
• Work collaboratively with other team member to ensure proposed solutions provide the required level of security assurance in line with data processing requirements, as well as Thales and customer risk appetites.
• Embedding the latest security best practice within the development team enabling the principle of ‘everyone being responsible for security’.
• Support the delivery of technical security measures, to ensure successful and timely system accreditations and re-accreditations.
• Be central point of contact for all UK Digital Competency Centre technical security matters and concerns, supporting the UK TrustNest team throughout the DevSecOps lifecycle and engaging with key security stakeholders inc. UK Head of Information Assurance.
• Responsibility for developing, implementing and conducting formal and regular technical risk assessments of Thales’ DCC environment, recommending remedial action where required, utilising “Secure by Design” Principles.
• Assist with the deployment and implementation of security related initiatives

Profile:

• You have the ability to facilitate engagement with peers.
• You are strong in team orientation - someone who can enable others, instil a unified and collaborative atmosphere for a diverse team.
• You are eager to share knowledge and help team members develop their security awareness.
• You are committed towards continuous improvement and learning new skills and capabilities.
• You are curious about the latest developments and tools in your area(s) of expertise, passionate about innovations.
• You are open-minded, experienced or ready to adopt to new ways of working (agile).
• You are experienced and interested in the challenges associated with supporting Cloud Hosting and delivering DevSecOps in an agile environment.

Skills

Essential:

• In depth and demonstrable experience in technical security support with a variety of systems and applications.
• Evidential experience as subject matter expert in the evaluation and implementation of technical security products for Infrastructure as Code, Azure cloud based Public or Private sector organisations.
• Able to provide analytical advice on the security implications of new and existing systems/applications and for all proposed changes to said systems/applications.
• Able to interpret detailed system design documentation and identify potential security risks and mitigations to implement secure and appropriate security solutions.
• Ensure that the activities embody a compliancy approach such that Security Architecture and Services manage risk, maximising business value with appropriate security.
• Able to effectively communicate, both verbally and written, highly technical aspects of your field of expertise, to management, clients and staff at all levels.

Desirable:

• Quantifiable experience in fundamentals of all aspects of Security technical design.
• Experience in performing formal risk assessments and production of Risk Management and Accreditation Documentation (RMADS) in line with UK Government policy.
• In depth experience in security technical support with a variety of systems and applications.
• Formal stakeholder for the successful assessment and delivery of security related change control processes.
• Experience in application of Security Frameworks: E.G. Cyber Essentials Plus, ISO27000 series, NIST-800 (including SP800-37 and SP800-53) and associated assurance activities.

Experience

Essential:

• Demonstrable understanding of cloud/ Infrastructure as Code technologies;
• Demonstrable understanding of application of security principles within an agile delivery framework;
• Demonstrable Experience of Secure By Design and SecDevOps Principles;
• Proven experience in assessing and managing technical risk; and
• Ability to provide technical security advice to business areas when required and to provide technical security input to the security risk registers.

Desirable:

• Understanding of current and emerging Security technologies.
• Demonstrable understanding of Azure Stack including Security products.
• Reviewing/updating security policies and procedures.

Key Stakeholder Relationships

• UK Digital Competency Centre stakeholders
• Head of Information Assurance
• Development Teams
• IT Service Support Squads (End User Support, Applications, Infrastructure, Networks)

Security Clearance Requirement:

Due to the nature of the work that we do at Thales, many of our roles are subject to security restrictions.  This role requires Security Clearance (SC). It would be advantageous if currently held, however, if not currently held, it is a requirement that the successful applicant undergo, achieve, and maintain SC Clearance prior to commencing employment. 

To be eligible for full SC, you generally need to have resided in the UK for the last 5 years.  In some circumstances, a minimum of 3 years’ residence in the UK over the last 5 years may be accepted, with additional overseas checks.

Please visit the UKSV website for further guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels.

Benefits

• Performance-related bonus
• Car cash allowance
• Half day every Friday, usually finishing around 13:00
• 28 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) with opportunity to buy up to 40 hours/year (pro rata)
• 24 hours volunteering paid for
• Private healthcare
• Pension scheme
• Life cover
• 24/7 Employee Assistance Program and access to mental wellbeing app
• Employee discount shopping schemes on major brands and retailers
• Gym membership discounts

#LI-MC2

At Thales, we ensure equal opportunities, pay and working conditions for all. The benefits we offer include private medical insurance, buying or selling annual leave, cycle to work schemes, employee discounts, paid volunteering day, stocks and shares, annual bonus and much more depending on the role. Read more about our benefits here.

We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued for who they are and the unique strengths they bring. Discover more about our programmes, employee networks, wellbeing policies, and inclusive features here.

If this role isn’t quite right for you, we encourage you to join our talent community where your details will be shared with our recruitment teams for other potential opportunities. Join the Talent Community here.

Join Thales in the UK – Innovate with us and shape the future!