Job Summary:
Toptal is an innovative organization that is disrupting the global professional services and talent market. In response to our clients’ overwhelming demand for exceptional talent in new areas, we are expanding the breadth and depth of our Cloud Services practice to enable the next phase of growth.
As a Solutions Architect within Toptal’s Cloud Services practice, you will play a key role in shaping and delivering innovative cloud solutions for our clients. Reporting to the Director of Cloud Services, you will work closely with clients to understand their business and technical requirements, design scalable and secure cloud architectures, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement solutions that drive value. Your expertise will be instrumental in enabling successful cloud transformations and ensuring that Toptal remains a leader in cloud consulting.
This is a remote position. We do not offer visa sponsorship or assistance. Resumes and communication must be submitted in English.
Responsibilities:
The following information is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or required skills.
You will be responsible for designing, architecting, and delivering cloud solutions for clients across industries. This includes:
- Solution Design: Lead the design of scalable, secure, and cost-effective cloud architectures, leveraging industry best practices.
- Client Engagement: Work closely with clients to understand their business challenges, technical needs, and cloud adoption goals.
- Technical Leadership: Guide engineering teams in implementing cloud-native solutions, ensuring best practices in cloud security, DevOps, and infrastructure automation.
- Pre-Sales Support: Partner with sales teams to assess client needs, define solution approaches, and contribute to proposals and technical presentations.
- Cloud Migration & Modernization: Develop strategies for migrating on-premises workloads to cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and modernizing legacy applications.
- Performance Optimization: Assess existing cloud architectures, identify areas for improvement, and recommend cost-optimization and performance-enhancement strategies.
- Security & Compliance: Ensure cloud solutions adhere to security, compliance, and governance standards, such as ISO 27001, NIST, and SOC 2.
- Collaboration: Work closely with the Director of Cloud Services, engineering teams, and clients to drive the successful execution of cloud projects.
- Thought Leadership: Stay up to date with cloud trends, emerging technologies, and industry best practices to influence Toptal’s Cloud Services strategy.
- This role is highly collaborative, working closely with Sales, Talent Ops, and Delivery and Pre-Sales teams to deliver world-class cloud solutions to Toptal’s clients.
- As a senior-level individual contributor, you are expected to exercise discretion and independent judgment daily.
A successful Solutions Architect has the ability to:
- Design and implement cloud architectures aligned with business objectives.
- Effectively communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Operate in high-growth, fast-paced environments, adapting to evolving client needs.
- Leverage data-driven decision-making to evaluate solutions and optimize cloud performance.
- Roll up their sleeves to build proof-of-concepts (PoCs) and demonstrate feasibility to clients.
- Develop scalable solutions that balance performance, security, and cost-efficiency.
- Work cross-functionally to align cloud strategies with client needs and business goals.
In the first week, expect to:
- Onboard and integrate into Toptal; meet your colleagues.
- Learn about Toptal’s history, culture, and vision, with a focus on the state of our industry, the Future of Work, and the core messages important to Toptal.
- Shadow critical teams throughout the organization to learn Toptal’s core operations and capabilities.
In the first month, expect to:
- Develop relationships with key stakeholders across Toptal’s Cloud Services team.
- Gain a deep understanding of our cloud offerings, services, and client needs.
- Participate in client engagements to assess cloud challenges and provide initial solution recommendations.
- Begin contributing to architectural design and strategy discussions.
In the first three months, expect to:
- Own and lead architectural design for multiple cloud transformation projects.
- Engage directly with clients, providing expert guidance on cloud strategies.
- Develop technical collateral and best practices for Toptal’s Cloud Services offerings.
- Contribute to pre-sales efforts by providing technical expertise and solution recommendations.
In the first six months, expect to:
- Be recognized as a go-to expert in cloud architecture within Toptal.
- Drive measurable business impact by delivering high-value cloud solutions to clients.
- Optimize and refine internal cloud solution frameworks and methodologies.
In the first year, expect to:
- Make a significant impact on the growth and success of Toptal’s Cloud Services practice.
- Help scale Toptal’s cloud solutions, expanding our market presence and technical capabilities.
Qualifications and Job Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree is required.
- 12+ years of experience in cloud architecture, cloud engineering, or a related technical field.
- Proven expertise in designing and deploying solutions on AWS, Azure, and/or Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
- Deep knowledge of cloud-native technologies, including serverless computing, containerization (Kubernetes, Docker), and microservices architecture.
- Strong experience with Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) tools such as Terraform, CloudFormation, or Pulumi.
- Hands-on experience with CI/CD pipelines, DevOps practices, and automation frameworks.
- Familiarity with security best practices, including identity & access management (IAM), encryption, and compliance frameworks.
- Experience with cloud migration strategies, hybrid cloud environments, and application modernization.
- Solid understanding of networking concepts in cloud environments (VPC, firewalls, load balancing, DNS).
- Proficiency in at least one programming language (e.g., Python, Go, Java, or JavaScript).
- Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to engage with technical and executive audiences.
- Passion for innovation and a commitment to continuous learning in the cloud space.
- Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, rapidly growing company and handle a wide variety of challenges, deadlines, and a diverse array of contacts.
- You must be a world-class individual contributor to thrive at Toptal. You will not be here just to tell other people what to do.
