Cloud Platform Architect

Job title: Cloud Platform Architect

About the Role Launch is seeking a strategic Cloud Platform Architect to design, evolve, and guide the implementation of Kubernetes-based cloud platforms with a strong emphasis on GitOps, ArgoCD, and developer experience. This role focuses on regulated industries such as healthcare and finance, requiring a deep understanding of compliance, security, and operational resilience.

What You'll Do

• Architect scalable, secure, and compliant Kubernetes-based platforms across cloud and hybrid environments.
• Define and lead the implementation of GitOps workflows using ArgoCD.
• Design and evolve internal developer platforms (IDPs) using Backstage, ensuring strong developer experience.
• Evaluate and select open-source and commercial tools for platform automation, observability, security, and compliance.
• Collaborate with security, compliance, and data governance teams to ensure adherence to regulatory standards (HIPAA, HITRUST, SOC 2, PCI).
• Mentor engineering teams and establish platform engineering best practices.
• Create architecture documentation, deployment patterns, and reusable templates.
• Serve as a technical leader in platform modernization and cloud migration efforts.

What We're Looking For

• 8+ years of experience in cloud infrastructure or platform engineering, with 3+ in a Kubernetes-focused architecture role.
• Proven expertise with ArgoCD, GitOps workflows, and Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, OpenTofu, Helm).
• Hands-on experience with Backstage or similar developer portals.
• Deep knowledge of Kubernetes operations, security (PodSecurityPolicies, OPA/Gatekeeper), and multi-tenant design.
• Experience building platforms in regulated environments (HIPAA, HITRUST, SOC 2, PCI, or FedRAMP).
• Strong understanding of CI/CD tooling (GitHub Actions, Tekton, Jenkins X, etc.).
• Experience designing for service meshes (Istio, Linkerd) and ingress controllers (NGINX, Traefik).
• Familiarity with secrets management, SSO (OIDC, SAML), and RBAC/ABAC controls.
• Clear communicator with the ability to lead architectural discussions and align stakeholders.
• Experience with regulatory frameworks (HIPAA, HITRUST, SOC 2, PCI).

Nice to Have

• FedRAMP experience is a plus (regulatory programs beyond HIPAA/HITRUST/SOC 2/PCI).

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary: USD 180,000 - 210,000 per year.
• Benefits: medical, dental, vision, short-term disability, long-term disability, life insurance, matched 401k, uncapped PTO.