Join the University of South Carolina at a pivotal moment in its technology evolution. USC is modernizing its data centers, transitioning to hybrid cloud services, and preparing for AI-enabled workloads across campus. As the Infrastructure Architect, you will provide enterprise-level technical leadership—designing scalable, secure, and resilient infrastructure that supports the university’s long-term strategy. About the Role. The Infrastructure Architect serves as the technical authority for USC’s infrastructure modernization efforts. This role defines reference architectures, leads hybrid cloud strategy, and guides resiliency and disaster recovery design across the Division of Information Technology. Key Responsibilities Design enterprise infrastructure architectures across data center, virtualization, storage, and hybrid cloud platforms Lead hybrid cloud planning, including Azure integration, workload placement, and migration strategies Define infrastructure standards, roadmaps, and modernization initiatives Architect high availability, disaster recovery, and resiliency solutions in collaboration with security teams What We’re Looking For 7 years of experience in infrastructure engineering, architecture, or hybrid cloud environments Proven expertise in virtualization, storage, and cloud architecture (Azure preferred) Experience with infrastructure modernization, resiliency, and lifecycle management Strong communication skills with the ability to guide technical teams Why Join Us? Architectural ownership of a multi-year infrastructure and cloud transformation Direct influence on enterprise IT standards and long-term strategy Collaboration with senior IT leadership and engineering teams Opportunity to build an AI-ready, cloud-enabled infrastructure foundation Perks of the University of South Carolina Downtown COLA Location: Enjoy working in the heart of Columbia, SC, with easy access to vibrant city life, dining, and cultural events. Energetic Leadership: Thrive under the guidance of an innovative leadership team driving IT transformation at USC. Comprehensive Benefits: State retirement, healthcare, and generous leave programs. Mission-Driven Impact: Support education, research, and student success at scale. Job Related Minimum Required Education and Experience Requires a bachelor’s degree in a job related field and 3 or more years of job related experience, which may be substituted by an equivalent combination of job related certification, training, education, and/or experience. Required Certification, Licensure/ Other Credentials Preferred Qualifications Preferred Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and relevant experience 7 years of experience in infrastructure engineering, systems architecture, or hybrid cloud solutions Experience designing hybrid or multi-cloud architectures (Azure preferred) Deep knowledge of virtualization and storage platforms Proven experience in infrastructure modernization, data center design, and resiliency engineering Strong collaboration and documentation skills Knowledge/ Skills/ Abilities Knowledge/ Skills/ Abilities Infrastructure lifecycle management and modernization planning Virtualization platforms (VMware or similar) Cloud architecture principles (Azure, AWS, or GCP) System integration and automation (PowerShell, Terraform, Ansible) Capacity planning, performance optimization, and disaster recovery design Strong communication skills, cross-team collaboration, and governance alignment Job Duties Job Duty Job Duty 1 – Infrastructure Architecture & Design Provides architectural leadership across data center systems, virtualization, storage, networking, and hybrid cloud platforms. Defines reference architectures, ensures alignment with university standards, evaluates emerging technologies, and creates infrastructure roadmaps supporting modernization, resiliency, and cost optimization. Collaborates with engineers to design scalable, secure, and compliant solutions. Essential Function Yes Percentage of Time 30 Job Duty Job Duty 2 – Cloud & Hybrid Infrastructure Planning Leads the design and planning of hybrid cloud integrations, including Azure-based services, infrastructure-as-a-service, and disaster recovery modernization. Develops migration strategies, workload placement models, identity & access integration considerations, and cloud governance alignment. Essential Function Yes Percentage of Time 25 Job Duty Job Duty 3 – Infrastructure Modernization & Standardization Evaluates current infrastructure, identifies technical debt, and proposes modernization initiatives supporting automation, standardization, and improved resiliency. Develops standards for configuration, monitoring, capacity planning, and lifecycle management. Essential Function Yes Percentage of Time 20 Job Duty Job Duty 4 – Security, Resiliency & DR Architecture Designs resilient infrastructure solutions supporting business continuity and disaster recovery strategies. Works closely with security teams to ensure architecture meets university security and compliance requirements. Guides improvements in HA, DR failover, data protection, and backup modernization. Essential Function Yes Percentage of Time 15 Job Duty Job Duty 5 – Technical Leadership & Collaboration Provides architectural direction to engineering teams and partners with project managers, system administrators, cloud engineers, and leadership to ensure successful execution of infrastructure initiatives. Creates technical documentation, conducts design reviews, and contributes to long-term planning. Essential Function Yes Percentage of Time 10 Position Attributes Employees in Safety-Sensitive or Security-Sensitive positions will be subject to pre-employment and post-employment drug testing in accordance with University policy HR 1.95 Drug and Alcohol Testing. Safety Sensitive or Security Sensitive No Hazardous weather category Non-Essential Posting Detail Information Number of Vacancies 1 Desired Start Date 06/01/2026 Job Open Date 04/16/2026 Job Close Date 05/31/2026 Open Until Filled No