Cloud Architecture Engineer - Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Standard Chartered is seeking a skilled Cloud Architecture Engineer to join our team in Chennai, India. This permanent, office-based role is crucial for shaping our cloud and AI strategy and implementing robust, scalable, and secure cloud solutions.

About the Role:

This position is responsible for the overarching Cloud and AI Architecture & Strategy. You will design and implement end-to-end cloud solutions, ensuring they meet stringent performance, scalability, security, and cost requirements. A key part of your role will be to define cloud adoption strategies, establish standards, and implement governance models for multi-cloud or hybrid environments. You will provide essential architectural guidance to our engineering and DevOps teams, supporting cloud-native application development, migration, and modernization initiatives. Conducting thorough technical reviews of solutions and ensuring compliance with architectural principles and security best practices will be vital. You will also champion security-by-design principles, implement identity and access management best practices, and ensure adherence to compliance frameworks. Close collaboration with security teams to integrate cloud-native security controls and policies is also expected.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategy

• Maintain an understanding of the Group’s business strategy and model relevant to your role.

Business

• Gain and maintain awareness of Trade Finance, the broader business landscape, and the economic and market environment in which the Group operates.

Processes

• Understand and apply the Bank’s change management processes and DevOps practices.

People & Talent

• Lead by example, cultivating a positive culture and values. Set clear expectations for your team and collaborate effectively with risk and control partners.
• Ensure continuous training and development for the team, verifying that all critical function holders are skilled and qualified, with effective supervision to mitigate risks.
• Recruit, engage, and retain top talent, with succession planning for critical positions.
• Manage team structure and capacity planning.
• Set and monitor performance objectives for direct reports, providing feedback and rewards aligned with their performance.

Risk Management

• Understand and apply the Bank’s risk management processes and practices.

Governance

• Understand the Bank’s governance frameworks relevant to Trade Finance and the practices that support them.

Regulatory & Business Conduct

• Exhibit exemplary conduct and uphold the Group’s Values and Code of Conduct.
• Take personal responsibility for embedding the highest standards of ethics, including regulatory and business conduct, across Standard Chartered Bank. This includes understanding and complying with all applicable laws, regulations, guidelines, and the Group Code of Conduct.
• Effectively identify, escalate, mitigate, and resolve risk, conduct, and compliance matters collaboratively.

Key Stakeholders

• CIB Trade ITO Team

Skills and Experience Required:

• System Administration (GNU/Linux, *nix)
• On-demand Infrastructure/Cloud Computing, Storage, and Infrastructure (SaaS, PaaS, IaaS)
• Virtualization, Containerisation, and Orchestration (Docker, Docker Swarm, Kubernetes)
• Hybrid cloud or multi-cloud architectures
• Project Management
• Infrastructure/service monitoring and log aggregation design and implementation (ELK, Grafana, Prometheus, CloudWatch, etc.)
• Container orchestration at scale (Kubernetes ecosystem, Istio, service mesh).
• NoSQL and RDBMS Design and Administration (MongoDB, PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch)
• Change Management Coordination
• Software Development
• DevOps Process Design and Implementation

Qualifications:

• Proven experience (3+ years) as a Cloud Architect, Solutions Architect, or Senior Cloud Engineer.
• Strong expertise in at least one major cloud platform: AWS, Azure, raw Kubernetes, or other cloud providers.
• Solid understanding of cloud-native architectures, including microservices, containers (Kubernetes, ECS, AKS, GKE), and serverless computing.
• Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines, DevOps practices, and automation frameworks.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to communicate complex concepts to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience driving engagement and motivating teams.
• Commitment to continuous self-improvement and a drive for excellence.
• Agile and growth mindsets.
• At least one (1) year of Kubernetes administration experience; Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) and/or Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) credential(s) are a plus but not required.
• Cloud certifications (e.g., AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional, Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Google Professional Cloud Architect) are advantageous.
• Linux proficiency, preferably with RHCE v7/v8 certification.
• Experience with automation tools like Ansible and Terraform.
• Experience with observability tools like Prometheus and Grafana.
• Experience with cloud environments on AWS and/or Azure.
• Familiarity with container orchestration at scale.
• Scripting/Programming skills in Bash, Groovy, Python, Ruby, and/or Go.
• A background in software engineering or systems administration is beneficial.
• Experience with observability and monitoring tools (Prometheus, Grafana, CloudWatch, etc.).

What We Offer:

In line with our Fair Pay Charter, we provide a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package designed to support your mental, physical, financial, and social wellbeing.

• Core bank funding for retirement savings, medical, and life insurance, with flexible and voluntary benefits available in select locations.
• Generous time-off, including annual leave, parental/maternity leave (20 weeks), sabbatical options (up to 12 months), and volunteering leave (3 days), in addition to minimum global standards for annual and public holidays, totaling a minimum of 30 days.
• Flexible working arrangements, blending home and office work with adaptable patterns.
• Proactive wellbeing support through Unmind, a leading digital wellbeing platform, development courses focusing on resilience and other human skills, a global Employee Assistance Programme, sick leave, mental health first-aiders, and various self-help toolkits.
• A culture of continuous learning to foster your growth, with opportunities for reskilling and upskilling, and access to diverse learning resources (physical, virtual, and digital).
• Membership in an inclusive and values-driven organization that celebrates our unique diversity across teams, business functions, and geographies, ensuring everyone feels respected and can achieve their full potential.