Principal Architect - Infrastructure

Zencore is a fast-growing company founded by former Google Cloud leaders, architects, and engineers. We are seeking candidates with significant experience in Google Cloud to join our team. Our engagements aim to eliminate obstacles, reduce risk, and accelerate timelines for customers transitioning to Google and seeking assistance with data and application modernization. We embed within customer teams to provide strategic guidance, facilitate technology decisions, and execute projects in a collaborative, co-development style.

We’re looking for a Principal Cloud Architect based in EMEA (preferably the UK) who can lead complex GCP projects end-to-end — from early design and advisory through to hands-on implementation. You’ll serve as a trusted technical lead for our clients, mentoring engineers and shaping outcomes in production.

What You'll Do

• Lead architecture and delivery of strategic GCP engagements (e.g. infra modernisation, DevOps platforms, container migration, security posture uplift)

• Act as technical lead and advisor to CTOs, Heads of Platform, and cloud decision-makers

• Work alongside engineers and product teams to deliver secure, scalable infrastructure

• Build re-usable Terraform modules, pipelines, and cloud-native templates for real-world teams

• Mentor engineers across Zencore and client teams — lead by example and raise the bar

• Feed into our internal playbooks and accelerators, and help shape how we scale across regions

What You Bring

• Extensive hands-on experience with Google Cloud Platform — especially IAM, networking, compute, GKE, Cloud Run, Cloud Build, and IAC

• Expertise in Terraform, CI/CD workflows (GitHub Actions, GitLab, Cloud Build), and DevOps best practices

• Strong grasp of security, scalability, and reliability principles — you’ve done more than just proof-of-concepts

• Previous experience working in consulting, delivery, or a high-trust client-facing role

• You’ve led full lifecycle migrations, platform builds, or greenfield launches in a cloud-native world

• You're confident communicating with both technical and non-technical stakeholders

• Comfortable working remotely across time zones and async with a global team

Why Join Zencore?

• Ex-Google engineering culture – we ship fast, solve real problems, and trust people to own their work

• Flat structure, no corporate overhead – you’ll make an impact from day one

• UK/EMEA-based leadership who understand your timezone, ways of working, and local expectations

• Access to early-release GCP features, close collaboration with Google teams, and exciting clients

• Real flexibility: we don’t track hours or micromanage — we care about delivery and client value

• Work alongside a world-class team of GCP engineers, architects, and leaders

• Be part of something growing fast, but grounded in delivery excellence

How to succeed...

• First rule at Zencore - Be Kind 

• Own the process - own your customer’s success by proactive practices 

• Work hard to reach the destination, but make sure to enjoy the journey 

• Champion a consistent collaborative culture 

• Be receptive to all types of Feedback

• Challenge the Status Quo

Bonus Points For

• Experience in cloud security, regulated environments, or landing zones

• Familiarity with GCP data services, MLOps workflows, or platform SRE

• Based in the UK or a nearby time zone 

• Strong writing/documentation skills (RFCs, design docs, architecture patterns)

Ready to Lead?

If you’re a senior cloud architect looking for a role that offers ownership, impact, and autonomy — without the red tape — Zencore might be the home for you.

We are a fully remote company and offer competitive compensation and benefits.

Zencore is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Zencore is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status.