Solution Architect - Azure (Freelance possible)

For a public-sector organisation in Brussels, we are looking for an experienced Solution Architect / Lead Developer to help strengthen internal digital capabilities and modernise information systems.

You will contribute to the development of an integrated, secure and sustainable digital environment, with a strong focus on architecture, software delivery and production readiness.

Mission

This role combines solution architecture with hands-on technical leadership. You define implementable solutions, guide the delivery team, remove technical blockers and stay accountable for what is deployed into production.

• Define and maintain the target architecture across application, integration, data and security, with a solution that remains workable for a small engineering team.
• Lead the technical delivery: backlog refinement, estimates, definition of done, stand-ups and technical risk management.
• Translate business needs into an actionable backlog and safeguard scope when technical debt or delivery risks need to be addressed.
• Coach medior developers, review code and technical designs, and raise engineering quality without slowing the team down.
• Set and enforce engineering standards around Git, branching strategy, CI/CD, automated testing, environments and release management.
• Act as the technical point of contact for business, product, infrastructure and security stakeholders.
• Create and maintain architecture artefacts such as SAD, ADRs, diagrams and interface contracts.
• Detect risks early, including security, performance, operability, vendor lock-in and delivery risks, and drive mitigation through to production.

Assets

• Azure certifications such as AZ-204 or AZ-305, or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience with containers such as Docker and orchestration platforms such as AKS or Kubernetes.
• Knowledge of Infrastructure as Code, for example Bicep or OpenTofu.
• Background in regulated environments or public-sector delivery in Belgium.

📝 Your profile

• You bring at least 8 years of experience in software engineering, including at least 3 years leading the technical delivery of a live project as Tech Lead, Lead Developer or Solution Architect.
• You have a proven track record of bringing a solution from design through implementation to production with a team.
• You have strong experience in architecture and technical applications, and you can turn architectural choices into practical delivery decisions.
• You have solid expertise in Azure, or in an equivalent public cloud environment, and you are comfortable in hybrid setups.
• You have strong hands-on knowledge of Java or Python. One of both is sufficient, and you can read, review and guide work in the other.
• You work confidently in Agile delivery environments and provide clear technical leadership to the team.
• You have a strong DevOps mindset, with proven experience in CI/CD, Git, automated testing and Azure DevOps. You are also sufficiently familiar with infrastructure-as-code to review pipelines and environments.
• You apply security by design principles, including identity, secrets management, least privilege, encryption and data protection.
• You communicate clearly in English. Dutch and/or French are an asset.

💼 Offer

You will be part of a growing Belgian SME where initiative and personal development are encouraged. We will provide you with an enjoyable work environment with fun colleagues. We will work out a career plan with you, with attention and a budget for extra education/certification. You can count on an attractive salary, supplemented with extra-legal benefits, including a company car.
(Freelance is also possible)