Overview
Senior Telco Cloud & Load Balancing Architect (Contract) – Reading, Berkshire, UK. Rate: Negotiable.
Role Overview: We are seeking an experienced Senior Telco Cloud & Load Balancing Architect to lead the design, migration, and rollout of a Telco-grade Private Cloud platform. The role will focus on Red Hat OpenShift, cloud-native networking and load balancing, and large-scale production deployments, ensuring compliance with TSA 2026/2027/2028 regulatory requirements.
You will work closely with internal engineering teams, security, and external vendors to deliver a secure, automated, and repeatable cloud platform supporting multiple tenants and live services.
Key Responsibilities
* Lead architecture and design of a Private Telco Cloud, including HLD/LLD, reference architectures, and integration blueprints
* Support vendor selection and RFP processes, including technical evaluation criteria, PoCs, sizing, and TCO inputs
* Design and deliver Red Hat OpenShift platforms across Production, Test, and R&D environments
* Plan and execute migration from Tanzu to OpenShift, including dependency mapping, rollback strategies, and downtime planning
* Lead load balancing strategy and migration from AVI to MetalLB across multiple clusters
* Define network fabric and CNI designs (Arista/Cisco) for OpenShift and Wind River platforms
* Ensure automation-first delivery across build, deployment, upgrades, and life cycle management
* Embed TSA regulatory, security, and compliance requirements into all designs and support evidence gathering
* Support first-site rollout, service transition, production deployment, and ongoing tenant onboarding
* Provide operational handover including runbooks, test plans, and acceptance criteria
* Support platform upgrades, tenant scaling, change management, and live service continuity
Required Skills & Experience
* Strong experience designing and delivering Telco or Carrier-grade Private Cloud platforms
* Hands-on architecture experience with Red Hat OpenShift (production environments)
* Proven experience with cloud-native load balancing (MetalLB, AVI, or equivalent)
* Deep understanding of networking and network fabric design (IP fabrics, BGP, CNI, Arista/Cisco)
* Experience migrating container platforms (e.g. Tanzu OpenShift)
* Strong knowledge of HA, DR, capacity planning, and performance design
* Experience working in regulated environments (telecoms, critical infrastructure, security standards)
* Ability to produce high-quality architecture documentation and support governance processes
Desirable Skills
* Experience with Wind River Telco Cloud platforms
* Storage and CSI experience (e.g. Pure Storage)
* Automation and GitOps tooling (Ansible, Terraform, GitLab CI/CD)
* Container security platforms (e.g. Qualys)
* Experience working with multi-tenant CNF/VNF environments
Posted Date: 16 Jan 2026 Reference: JSINFRA DEVOPS Employment Business: Flint UK Technology Services Contact: Supragya Singh
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