Cloud Architect
Designs the company's cloud architecture: scalability, resilience, security and cost control.
Why this hire matters.
Cloud architecture decisions are paid for over years: a bad initial choice (premature multi-cloud, over-engineered Kubernetes, hidden coupling) creates structural debt that even great engineers can't offset. The cloud architect arbitrates the big trade-offs — cost vs performance, speed vs resilience, managed vs in-house — and avoids the two classic failures: the toy architecture that breaks at scale, and the over-built machine sized for traffic you'll never have. With cloud spend often the second-largest cost line after salaries, their impact reads directly in your margins. Look for someone who has operated their architectures, not just drawn diagrams: the PowerPoint architect is the market's most common false positive.
Key missions.
- Design scalable, resilient cloud architectures
- Arbitrate structural choices (managed services, multi-region, networking)
- Define architecture standards and reference patterns
- Optimize cost with FinOps
- Secure the architecture (IAM, network, encryption)
- Support teams through migrations and rebuilds
- Anticipate capacity and load evolution
Skills.
Technical skills
- Deep AWS/GCP/Azure expertise
- Distributed and event-driven architecture
- Cloud networking, IAM and security
- IaC (Terraform)
- Cost modeling
Expected qualities
- Long-term vision
- Trade-off judgment
- Business communication
Common stack
Salaries 2025-2026
| Level | Experience | Annual gross base |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-level | 3-5 yrs | 55–70 k€ |
| Senior | 5-8 yrs | 70–90 k€ |
| Principal / Lead | 8+ yrs | 85–110 k€ |
Paris market ranges, 2025-2026.
Outside the Paris region, expect 10 to 20 % less.
Sources : Factoriel 2026 · Sup de Vinci 2026 · Michael Page 2026
Hiring this profile.
Typical background
Infrastructure engineer or senior developer who has designed and operated systems at scale. Professional certifications (AWS SA Pro, GCP PCA) common.
When to hire
When scale or cost becomes structural: fast traffic growth, migration, six-figure cloud bill — often Series B.
Career path
Senior → Principal architect → Head of Infrastructure / CTO, or independent cloud consulting.