Azure Architect

This Azure Architect position is with Railroad Retirement Board (Other Agencies and Independent Organizations) in Mesa, AZ. This position is located in the Railroad Retirement Board's Bureau of Information Services. The incumbent will be responsible for the design, development, implementation, and optimization of cloud-based solutions within Microsoft Azure. This job announcement may be used to fill one or more vacancies. This is a bargaining unit position. This position is represented by the Council of AFGE Locals in the Board. Key duties: • As an Azure Architect, you will: Serve as the organization's senior Azure Architect and recognized subject matter expert (SME) for cloud systems engineering, providing authoritative guidance on the design, development, implementation, and governance of Microsoft Azure solutions. Advise senior leadership on cloud strategy, investment planning, and long-term modernization initiatives, influencing the agency's overall IT direction. Design and engineer enterprise-level cloud architectures that are secure, scalable, highly available, and resilient, ensuring alignment with mission requirements and seamless integration with on-premises systems in hybrid environments. Lead evaluations of existing and proposed IT systems, applications, and services to determine optimal hosting environments, conducting detailed analyses of architectural feasibility, system performance, cybersecurity requirements, and total cost of ownership. Perform comprehensive cost-benefit and lifecycle cost analyses comparing Azure-based solutions with traditional on-premises infrastructure, providing data-driven recommendations to leadership to support strategic and investment decisions. Qualifications: Minimum Qualifications for GS-13 level: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is: Design and implement secure Microsoft Azure cloud solutions within an enterprise or hybrid environment. Planning and executing cloud migration and modernization activities, including workload assessment, migration planning, implementation, or validation. Implementing cloud security and governance controls based on NIST guidance or comparable cybersecurity standards. In addition, all applicants qualifying based on experience must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the four competencies listed below. Applicants must demonstrate possession of these competencies within the body of the resume; no separate statements addressing them are required. Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail. Customer Service - Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations; knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services. Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately. Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations. Time-in grade-restrictions: Applicants who are current or former Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements (52 weeks at the next lower grade level). Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Only experience and/or education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered. Documenting experience: IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience. In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide the exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part time. As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume. Do not copy and paste the duties or specialized experience from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. View the full announcement and apply on USAJOBS.gov.