Cloud Architect (Application and Middleware)

Sopra Steria is one of the largest players in the tech industry in Europe, known for its consulting, digital services and software development. We operate in nearly 30 countries in the world, hiring more than 55,000 employees.
The Polish branch, as the Global Delivery Center, operates in Katowice since 2007 and has been growing ever since. Currently, our team consists of around 1,000 specialists.

Within the Digital Platform Services department, our teams specialize in areas such as cloud, operating systems, virtualization, databases, backup or storage, as well as networking and security. We also have 1st line support consultants who speak French and English, but also Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and German.

The Application Services department is responsible for areas such as software development, data engineering, testing services, CRM, ITSM and ERP platform integrations, as well as application management for customers in Scandinavia, Benelux, France, Germany, Switzerland and the UK.

We are looking for a Cloud Technical Architect/Senior Cloud Architect to join the Sopra Steria Poland team with deep specialization in PHP and Apache Tomcat runtimes to join the client’s Architecture team. This is a technical leadership position requiring both the strategic vision to drive platform modernization and the hands-on expertise to deliver actionable, squad-ready architecture across a hybrid environment spanning private and public clouds.

Responsibilities:​

• Own and maintain the reference architecture for the COSMOS application and middleware layer, covering PHP-FPM, Apache Tomcat, and Apache HTTP Server.
• Define and document standards for multi-application deployment across all supported runtimes, resolving current inconsistencies between the PHP stack and the broader middleware capability set.
• Lead the technical design of containerization for Kubernetes, including image standards and runtime configuration management.
• Author Architectural Decision Records for application-layer technology decisions.
• Define the integration approach for application-layer services with platform tooling, including API gateways, automation engines, and service catalogues.
• Assist with designing future private cloud offerings and defining sovereign cloud requirements as they relate to the application and middleware layer.
• Define observability requirements for application-layer services, including logging, metrics, and tracing integration.
• Collaborate with the Solution Architecture team and Product Office to translate customer requirements into application-layer designs represented in the COSMOS service catalogue.
• Evaluate emerging middleware technologies and provide adoption recommendations to the Architecture Office.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to other architects and DevOps squads adopting application-layer and container-native technologies.

Tech stack on the project:​
Kubernetes, Apache Tomcat, JVM tuning, PHP runtime, PHP-FPM, Apache HTTP Server, Nginx, Ansible, Terraform, Crossplane, Tyk, Kong, Prometheus, Grafana, ELK Stack, Dynatrace, ADRs, reference architectures, technical standards

Must have requirements:​

• Strong expertise in designing container-native architectures, including runtime configuration management and multi-application deployment patterns within Kubernetes environments.
• Strong knowledge of Java application servers (Apache Tomcat) including deployment architecture, JVM tuning, and multi-application hosting.
• Experience with PHP runtime environments including configuration and performance tuning.
• Proficiency with Apache HTTP Server and Nginx as reverse proxies and application front-ends.
• Programming background, with ability to understand application runtime behaviour, troubleshoot performance issues, and review integration patterns.
• Experience with Infrastructure-as-Code and automation tooling (e.g. Ansible, Terraform, Crossplane, etc.).
• Familiarity with API gateway and integration platforms, for example: Tyk and Kong.
• Familiarity with observability principles and tools (e.g. Prometheus, Grafana, ELK Stack, Dynatrace).
• Ability to produce clear architecture documentation including reference architectures, ADRs, and technical standards.
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills across technical and non-technical audiences
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in a Cloud, Kubernetes or Application Architecture role with a proven track record in PHP and Apache Tomcat environments.
• Demonstrated experience designing application-layer architectures in enterprise or large-scale managed hosting environments.
• Experience working within a formal architecture governance model.
• Willingness to visit our office located in Katowice
• Fluent English: at least B2
• EU Citizenship

Nice to have requirements:

• Proficiency in any other European language is a plus
• Professional certifications in cloud platforms or container technologies

What we offer:
• BENEFITS (UoP): Luxmed, Medicover Sport, Worksmile, educational platforms, languages learning platform, referral bonus, copyrights, life insurance, workation
• DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES (UoP and B2B): certifications (paid by the company), conferences, Tech Lunches, possibility to join our Communities (Project Management, Architecture, Security, Process Management, Leadership, AI and Cloud)

The recruitment process for this position consists of two stages:
• a short phone call with a recruiter (30 min max)
• one-hour long interview on Teams (with both general and technical questions)

Salary range:
All information about salary range and its additional components will be provided during the 1st stage of recruitment process.

UoP-> 17k-22k PLN gross/month

B2B-> 135-185 PLN + VAT/hour

At our organization, we are committed to fighting against all forms of discrimination. We foster a work environment that is inclusive and respectful of all differences.