IT Architect - Compute and Storage

Location/s: Newcastle, UK
Recruiter contact: Erinda Hazizi

Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices.

We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve. Our people power our performance – we succeed when they do. With countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow, the possibilities for excellence are as varied as every individual.

Whether you want to grow as a subject matter expert or broaden your experience with roles across our international community, you’re surrounded by global specialists who want to combine their expertise and champion you to be your best. As a proudly employee-owned business, we benefit our clients, our communities, and each other, investing in creating the right space for everyone to feel empowered, included, and valued. Whatever your ambition, Mott MacDonald is where people come to be brilliant.

About the business unit
Mott MacDonald’s support services are the driving force behind our organisation enabling us to run efficiently and effectively. The team works collaboratively to offer specialist advice, best practice and technology to all areas of our business specifically designed for our global reach.

Overview of the role

In a strategic capacity, the Compute and Storage Architect holds a pivotal position, responsible for defining the strategy, architecture and design assurance for enterprise compute and storage services, with Microsoft Azure as a core platform. The role requires strong, current and demonstrable Azure architecture capability, alongside experience of hybrid infrastructure and enterprise operations. Working closely with technical specialists, project managers, and business stakeholders, the architect will translate business requirements into secure, resilient, scalable, and supportable solutions that align with organizational strategy and standards

• Define and maintain the strategy, standards, roadmaps and approved patterns for Microsoft Azure compute and storage services.
• Lead the design of infrastructure solutions, including compute, storage, backup, recovery, monitoring, connectivity, identity integration and security controls.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to translate business needs into clear solution options, recommendations and high-level designs.
• Ensure Azure solutions are scalable, secure, resilient, recoverable, cost-aware and operationally supportable.
• Select appropriate technologies, services and hosting models based on business and technical requirements.
• Provide authoritative technical guidance and design assurance throughout the solution lifecycle.
• Enforce enterprise architecture principles, Azure standards, reusable patterns and security-by-design requirements.
• Identify and address architectural risks, dependencies, constraints, technical debt and design exceptions.
• Maintain current knowledge of the Microsoft Azure roadmap, emerging capabilities and cloud architecture best practice.
• Collaborate with project, product, cyber security, cloud platform, network, identity and operational teams to support successful delivery.
• Collaborate with project managers and business stakeholders, providing technical insights for project planning and execution.

Key duties and responsibilities include:

• Collaborate with Subject Matter Experts, IT Managers and Product Managers to define compute and storage strategies that address current and future business requirements, with Microsoft Azure as the principal cloud platform.
• Conduct strategic assessments of Azure product and service options, considering architectural principles, security, resilience, cost, supportability and business value.
• Provide technical expertise to project, product and operational teams, guiding them through complex technology and design decisions.
• Review working practices and service performance to drive continuous improvement, automation and improved customer outcomes.
• Lead and guide project and product teams in the design and adoption of secure, scalable and supportable Azure solutions.
• Establish design principles, reference architectures, standards and strategic roadmaps for Azure compute, storage, backup and recovery services.
• Champion technical excellence across the IT environment, including the use of Infrastructure as Code, automation and reusable Azure patterns.
• Track Microsoft Azure developments and communicate relevant opportunities, changes and risks to IT management and stakeholders.
• Understand the strategies of diverse business areas and ensure Azure services align with business, regulatory and operational requirements.
• Define service measures with key stakeholders, including availability, performance, capacity, resilience, recovery and cost-management outcomes.
• Provide architecture assurance for Azure landing zones, subscriptions, management groups, Azure Policy, role-based access control, monitoring and resource governance.

Key Performance Metrics:

• Ensuring IT Services are reliable and high performing, aligned with business goals
• Ensuring Azure compute and storage services are reliable, secure, high performing and aligned with business goals
• Architecting solutions that scale efficiently without compromising performance, resilience or supportability
• Embedding robust security, identity and governance controls to safeguard systems and data
• Defining appropriate backup, recovery and disaster-recovery arrangements that meet agreed business requirements
• Supporting timely delivery through clear, pragmatic and proportionate architecture guidance
• Introducing Azure capabilities while maintaining enterprise standards, approved patterns and operational readiness
• Demonstrating effective teamwork, stakeholder engagement and communication across multidisciplinary teams
• Resolving complex technical challenges across Azure and hybrid compute and storage environments
• Maintaining current Microsoft Azure knowledge through continuous professional learning and practical experience
• Using operational, financial and stakeholder feedback to improve architecture roadmaps, standards and service outcomes

Candidate specification

Essential:

• Strong and demonstrable experience architecting enterprise compute and storage solutions on Microsoft Azure
• Current technical knowledge of Azure compute, storage, backup, recovery, monitoring, governance, identity integration, networking dependencies and security controls
• Experience implementing or assuring Azure solutions at enterprise scale in complex, hybrid environments
• Production of architecture strategies, roadmaps, option assessments, high-level designs, standards and reusable Azure patterns
• Experience of Azure landing-zone concepts, subscriptions, management groups, Azure Policy, role-based access control and resource governance
• Experience providing Azure technical leadership and design assurance throughout the solution lifecycle
• Experience working with senior stakeholders to translate corporate strategy and business requirements into practical Azure solutions

Desirable:

• Relevant Microsoft Azure certification, such as Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert, or equivalent current professional experience
• Experience of Azure migration and modernisation programmes involving enterprise server and storage workloads
• Experience of Azure cost management, FinOps practices and cloud optimisation
• Knowledge of business analysis techniques, IT service management and service-transition practices
• Experience working with global services and Agile delivery teams

Personal Attributes:

• Passionate about technical excellence and the effective use of Microsoft Azure
• Strong architecture, technical leadership and decision-making skills
• Ability and appetite to maintain current knowledge of Azure services, patterns and emerging capabilities
• Able to work strategically while retaining sufficient technical depth to challenge detailed Azure designs
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to explain complex cloud decisions to technical and non-technical audiences
• Strong ability to build stakeholder relationships, influence decisions and achieve agreement across teams

UK Immigration

Mott MacDonald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is as a consequence of the changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024. We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.

Agile working

At Mott MacDonald, we believe it makes business sense for you and your manager to choose how you can work most effectively to meet your client, team, and personal commitments. We offer a hybrid working policy that embraces your well-being, flexibility, and trust.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

Accessibility

We want you to perform your best at every stage in the recruitment process. If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at reasonable.adjustments@mottmac.com and we will talk to you about how we can support you.

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

Financial wellbeing

• We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
• Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary.
• Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long-term illness or injury.
• Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
• As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.

Employee Ownership

• Our employee ownership model means no external investors, just us, creating a culture of shared success.
• Our employees have a stake and a voice in our business, giving them a direct connection to our success through our personal and group performance bonuses.
• As your career grows, so does your stake, recognising your long-term impact and contribution.
• Your voice matters, with the opportunity to connect directly with senior leadership through formal channels to help shape our future.
• For our senior roles you will have a direct pathway towards ownership from day one.

Health and wellbeing

• Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
• Health cash plan to support you with every day health costs and treatments.
• Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
• A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
• Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.

Lifestyle

• A minimum of 33-35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.
• Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service.
• Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high-street retailers.

Enhanced family and carers leave

• Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
• Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay.
• Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.

Learning and development

• Primary annual professional institution subscription.
• A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self-development options.

Networks, communities, and social outcomes

• Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.
• Make a difference within our communities through our social outcomes.

Apply now, or for more information about our application process, click here.