Information Technology Architect | (Cloud Engineer)

Information Technology Architect (Cloud Engineer)

General Description and Classification Standards:

The Information Technology Architect (Cloud Engineer) in the Enterprise Data Services (EDS) team, within the Office of Technology and Digital Experience (TDE), is responsible for architecting, engineering, and operating the cloud and database platforms that support the Department of Aviation’s enterprise data and AI initiatives. This hybrid role combines cloud engineering with database administration: enabling secure, scalable cloud services while administering Oracle, SQL Server, and cloud-managed database systems, including design, development, implementation, capacity planning, monitoring for availability, performance tuning, backup and recovery, security, upgrades, and troubleshooting.

The ideal candidate brings a strong foundation in data engineering and cloud infrastructure, along with the ability to design and deliver reliable, secure, and cost-effective data platforms that keep airport systems available 24 x 7 x 365 while enabling the airport’s analytics, automation, and AI roadmap.

Supervision Received:

Reports to the Information Technology Director II, Enterprise Data Services, and works with minimal supervision, using independent judgment and initiative. Makes decisions on process and procedure improvements, solutions to reduce system downtime, system maintenance to improve performance and availability, and hardware and software for databases and database application servers. Provides advice on system upgrades and new technology implementation.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

These are typical responsibilities for this position and should not be construed as exclusive or all inclusive.

- Cloud Architecture & Engineering Design, build, and maintain cloud architectures, landing zones, and reference designs for enterprise data services, aligned with EDS standards, security requirements, and the enterprise data and AI roadmap.
- Enable and manage cloud services, including compute, storage, networking, identity, and managed database and analytics services, for airport applications and data workloads.
- Plan and execute migrations of on-premises databases and applications to cloud platforms, including assessment, sizing, cutover, and validation.
- Automate provisioning, configuration, and deployment using scripting, infrastructure as code, and CI/CD pipelines.
- Monitor and optimize cloud consumption and costs, and recommend right-sizing, reservation, and licensing strategies.

- Database Administration & Operations Administer and maintain day-to-day operations of Oracle, SQL Server, and cloud-managed databases, services, and software, including creating user accounts, assigning permissions and schemas, and creating tables and fields.
- Configure and maintain database software and environments, ensuring data remains consistent, accurate, and clearly defined, and that security levels comply with Division and Department standards and procedures.
- Monitor the overall health, availability, and performance of database systems, services, and data flow, and take corrective action as required to ensure reliable performance.
- Perform installation, upgrades, patching, capacity planning, and performance tuning, and resolve database performance, capacity, replication, and other distributed data issues.
- Develop and implement data models, database designs, data access code, and table maintenance code, documenting how data elements are defined and used.

- Backup, Recovery & Availability Plan, schedule, and verify backup and recovery procedures, and ensure that required backups are completed.
- Restore failed production databases and services through the disaster recovery process, and design high availability and disaster recovery solutions across on-premises and cloud environments.
- Act as a member of a team to ensure 24 x 7 x 365 availability of the Department’s enterprise database systems and cloud services.

- Security & Compliance Plan, coordinate, and implement security measures, including access controls, encryption, and auditing, to safeguard information against accidental or unauthorized damage, modification, or disclosure.
- Develop standards and guidelines to guide the use and acquisition of software and to protect vulnerable information.
- Ensure cloud and database environments meet security, compliance, and operational resilience requirements, including the protection of Sensitive Security Information (SSI), Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), personally identifiable information (PII), and critical infrastructure data.
- Ensure databases and software applications are patched and upgraded to current supported product versions.

- Data Platform & AI Enablement Architect and support the data platforms that power enterprise reporting, analytics, and the AI roadmap, including data integration, pipelines, data warehouses, and secure environments for AI and machine learning workloads.
- Partner with data engineers, BI engineers, and analysts to ensure data availability, performance, quality, and consistency across enterprise data services.
- Support data governance initiatives, including metadata, lineage, data quality, and access management.

- Application & Systems Support Databricks/lakehouse architecture
- Azure architecture
- Data modeling
- APIs/events
- Data governance
- Integration patterns
- Research and resolve problems, coordinate activities with IT support staff as required, and document findings.
- Respond to and resolve, or ensure resolution of, issues assigned by the Help Desk.

- Documentation & Standards Create procedures and process documentation for database and cloud standards.
- Write technical and end-user documentation for assigned projects, including architecture diagrams, data models, and runbooks.
- Follow the division team handbook, policies and procedures, software standards, software development lifecycle, and change management.

- Collaboration & Continuous Improvement Serve as the EDS representative for the assigned area, acting as a liaison to business units and delivering customer-focused, responsive service.
- Analyze and recommend functional and technical process improvements, and stay current on Oracle, SQL Server, cloud platform features, and development tools.
- Support and assist with the Strategic Objectives and Wildly Important Goals (WIGs) of the Division and the Department of Aviation.

Additional Responsibilities

- Participate in the on-call rotation as scheduled or requested, and respond to after-hours emergencies as needed.
- Prepare management reports related to system audit, availability, performance, and cloud costs as needed.
- May perform other duties as assigned.

The above statements reflect the general duties, responsibilities and competencies considered necessary to perform the essential duties and responsibilities of the job and should not be considered as a detailed description of all the work requirements of the position. COA may change the specific job duties with or without prior notice based on the needs of the organization.

Knowledge Skills and Abilities:

This is a partial listing of necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the job successfully, it is not an exhaustive list.

- Cloud Architecture & Engineering: Knowledge of cloud computing, networking, identity, and managed data services on platforms such as Microsoft Azure and AWS, and the ability to design secure, scalable architectures.
- Database Administration: Strong background in Oracle and SQL Server administration, including SQL, PL/SQL, and T-SQL, performance tuning, replication, and backup and recovery.
- Systems & Security: High-level understanding of system architectures, storage, and database and cloud security practices, with working knowledge of Azure environment.
- Automation & Tooling: Proficiency with scripting and infrastructure as code (e.g., PowerShell, Python, Terraform) and with monitoring and database management tools such as Oracle Enterprise Manager and Toad.
- Project Management: Ability to manage multiple projects and tasks concurrently and to prioritize effectively.
- Problem-Solving & Initiative: Self-starter able to use judgment and initiative to undertake activities and resolve complex technical problems with minimal supervision.
- Communication & Customer Service: Excellent oral and written communication skills, the ability to work alone or within a team, and a customer-focused, responsive approach when serving business units.
- Vendor Management: Experience maintaining software licenses and managing vendor maintenance and support agreements.
- Availability & Flexibility: Willingness to work extra hours as needed, participate in an on-call rotation, and respond to after-hours emergencies.

- Industry Experience: Aviation, transportation, or public sector experience with knowledge of FAA and TSA requirements, cybersecurity standards, and airport IT ecosystems.
- Cloud Architecture: Experience designing and migrating enterprise workloads and databases to Microsoft Azure, AWS, or similar cloud platforms, including networking, identity, and landing zone design.
- Database Platforms: Experience with Oracle, SQL Server, and cloud-managed database services, including high availability, replication, backup and recovery, and performance tuning.
- Automation & Infrastructure as Code: Experience with scripting (PowerShell, Python, shell), infrastructure as code (e.g., Terraform, Bicep), and CI/CD and DevOps practices.
- Vendor & Cost Management: Experience managing software licenses, vendor support agreements, and cloud consumption costs (FinOps).

Work Environment

Typical office setting, with participation in an on-call rotation and after-hours support as scheduled or requested.

Lifting Requirements:

Sedentary work : Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body.

It is the policy of the City of Atlanta (“COA”) that qualified individuals with disabilities are not discriminated against because of their disabilities regarding job application procedures, hiring, and other terms and conditions of employment. It is further the policy of the COA to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in all aspects of the employment process. The COA is prepared to modify or adjust the job application process or the job or work environment to make reasonable accommodations to the known physical or mental limitations of the applicant or employee to enable the applicant or employee to be considered for the position he or she desires, to perform the essential functions of the position in question, or to enjoy equal benefits and privileges of employment as are enjoyed by other similarly situated employees without disabilities, unless the accommodation will impose an undue hardship. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact the Human Resources Director for your department.

The City of Atlanta is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, ender identity, marital status, veteran’s status or national origin, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state, or local law. We value and encourage diversity in our workforce.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Management Information Systems, or a related field (equivalent professional experience may be considered for substitution for the required degree on an exception basis). Five (5) years’ of related experience in database administration, systems engineering, or cloud infrastructure, including Oracle and SQL Server administration and at least two (2) years of hands-on experience with public cloud platforms.

Preferred Requirements - The ideal candidate is a hands-on data platform architect with a strong background in database administration and cloud engineering, capable of designing and operating secure, highly available data services, leading cloud migrations, and enabling the airport’s analytics and AI roadmap.

Education & Certifications: Master’s in IT, Computer Science, or related field. Certifications such as Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Azure Database Administrator Associate (DP-300), AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Oracle Certified Professional, TOGAF, or ITIL preferred.