Azure Kubernetes (AKS) Architect

Job Title: Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Architect

Location: Hybrid (Belgium)

Contract Length: 6 months – Freelance

Rate: Competitive Daily Rate

Role Summary

We are seeking an experienced Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Architect to design, implement, and optimize Kubernetes-based architectures in Azure. This role will involve strategic decision-making, best practice implementation, and collaboration with architects, DevOps teams, and stakeholders to build scalable, secure, and high-performing containerized environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) architectures for high availability, scalability, and security.
• Define Kubernetes cluster topology, including multi-region and multi-tenant strategies.
• Establish CI/CD pipelines for automated deployments using Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, or Jenkins.
• Develop Infrastructure as Code (IaC) templates using Terraform, Bicep, or Pulumi.
• Implement observability solutions using Prometheus, Grafana, Open Telemetry, and Azure Monitor.
• Optimize networking, ingress, and API gateways for AKS-based applications.
• Ensure security and compliance by implementing RBAC, IAM, policy-based controls, and container security best practices.
• Define backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity plans for AKS workloads.
• Lead performance tuning and cost optimization efforts.
• Provide guidance to development, DevOps, and SRE teams on best practices.

Required Skills & Experience

• 8+ years of experience in cloud and Kubernetes-based architectures.
• Deep expertise in Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), including cluster management and scaling strategies.
• Experience with CI/CD automation for containerized applications.
• Strong knowledge of Kubernetes networking (CNI, ingress controllers, service meshes).
• Hands-on experience with observability tools (Prometheus, Loki, Open Telemetry, Azure Monitor).
• Proficiency in Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Bicep, Pulumi).
• Security expertise in Kubernetes, including RBAC, pod security policies, network segmentation, and secrets management.
• Understanding of FinOps principles for optimizing AKS costs.
• Strong communication skills to collaborate with architects, engineers, and leadership teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Microsoft Azure Certifications (AZ-305, AZ-400, AZ-700, or AZ-104).
• Kubernetes Certifications (CKA, CKAD, or CKS).
• Experience with service mesh technologies (Istio, Linkerd) and API gateways.
• Knowledge of GitOps practices using ArgoCD or Flux.
• Exposure to hybrid or multi-cloud Kubernetes architectures.
• Knowledge of ACR Azure Container Registry