What are the responsibilities and job description for the VMware VDI to AWS WorkSpaces Core Migration Architect position at Cognizant?
VMware VDI to AWS Workspaces Core Migration Architect
Location : Remote
Please note, this role is not able to offer visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future.
Engagement Overview
This document defines the roles and responsibilities for personnel required to execute a migration from VMware Horizon (Omnissa) to Amazon WorkSpaces Core.
Team Structure: One (1) Senior VDI Migration Architect serving as technical lead, supported by two (2) VDI Migration Engineers responsible for hands-on execution.
Scope: End-to-end migration delivery including infrastructure design, identity integration, application packaging, image lifecycle automation, data migration, patching workflows, and operational handover.
Senior VDI Migration Architect (Lead)
Purpose and Scope
Serves as the technical lead and primary point of accountability for the migration engagement. Owns architecture decisions, customer-facing communication, delivery oversight, and quality of all technical outputs.
Key Responsibilities
Purpose and Scope
Two engineers in this role support the Senior Architect with hands-on execution of migration tasks. They build and maintain automation, package applications, execute migration waves, and produce operational documentation under the direction of the lead.
Key Responsibilities
Technology
Senior Architect
Migration Engineer
VMware Horizon / Omnissa
Preferred
Preferred
AWS WorkSpaces Core
Required (deep)
Required (working)
Terraform
Required (design review)
Required (develop execute)
CI/CD (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, CodePipeline)
Required (design)
Required (build maintain)
Python
Required (review author)
Required (primary Author)
PowerShell
Required (review author)
Required (primary Author)
AWS (VPC, IAM, FSx, CloudWatch, KMS)
Required (architecture)
Required (implementation)
Active Directory / Group Policy
Required
Required
Networking (DX, VPN, TGW)
Preferred
Application Packaging (MSI, Chocolatey)
Required
Compliance (HIPAA, PCI, FedRAMP)
Required (awareness)
Preferred
Team Interaction Model
The following describes how the three roles collaborate during engagement delivery:
Activity
Senior Architect
Migration Engineer
Architecture Design
Owns; produces designs
Provides input; implements
Customer Communication
Primary point of contact
Supports during technical sessions
Terraform / IaC
Defines module structure; reviews PRs
Writes and tests modules
CI/CD Pipelines
Defines pipeline architecture
Builds and maintains pipelines
Automation Scripts
Reviews; authors complex logic
Primary author; unit testing
App Packaging
Escalation for failures
Packages and validates installs
Migration Execution
Oversees wave plan; manages risk
Executes waves; validates
Documentation
Reviews; owns architecture docs
Writes runbooks and KT content
Escalation
Receives and resolves
Escalates blockers to lead
The Salary for this position will be 140,000 and 160,000 yearly depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.
This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans.
Benefits: Cognizant offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:
Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off
401(k) plan and contributions
Long-term/Short-term Disability
Paid Parental Leave
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Disclaimer: The compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.
Location : Remote
Please note, this role is not able to offer visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future.
Engagement Overview
This document defines the roles and responsibilities for personnel required to execute a migration from VMware Horizon (Omnissa) to Amazon WorkSpaces Core.
Team Structure: One (1) Senior VDI Migration Architect serving as technical lead, supported by two (2) VDI Migration Engineers responsible for hands-on execution.
Scope: End-to-end migration delivery including infrastructure design, identity integration, application packaging, image lifecycle automation, data migration, patching workflows, and operational handover.
Senior VDI Migration Architect (Lead)
Purpose and Scope
Serves as the technical lead and primary point of accountability for the migration engagement. Owns architecture decisions, customer-facing communication, delivery oversight, and quality of all technical outputs.
Key Responsibilities
- Design the target-state AWS WorkSpaces Core architecture including directory integration, networking, bundle strategy, and running-mode selection
- Define the Terraform module structure for WorkSpaces provisioning, FSx configuration, VPC/subnet layout, and IAM policies
- Architect CI/CD pipelines for golden image build, test, and deployment lifecycle
- Lead customer discovery sessions and translate business requirements into technical scope
- Establish the migration wave plan, cutover sequencing, and rollback procedures
- Review all automation code (Python, PowerShell) produced by the engineering team
- Own the patching strategy decision (image-rebuild vs. live-patch) and associated automation design
- Define monitoring, alerting, and observability standards (CloudWatch, Splunk, Datadog as applicable)
- Produce architecture documentation, runbooks, and knowledge-transfer materials
- Serve as escalation point for technical blockers and cross-team dependencies
- AWS WorkSpaces Core: provisioning, bundle management, directory integration (AWS Managed AD, AD Connector), WorkSpaces APIs
- Terraform: module development, state management, workspace strategy, CI/CD integration
- CI/CD: GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or AWS CodePipeline for infrastructure and image pipelines
- Python: automation scripting for provisioning, onboarding workflows, and validation
- PowerShell: Windows image configuration, application silent-install scripting, Group Policy automation
- AWS platform services: VPC, IAM, Directory Service, FSx for Windows File Server, S3, CloudWatch, KMS, AWS Backup, Systems Manager
- Networking: Direct Connect, VPN, Transit Gateway, security groups, NACLs, hybrid DNS
- Identity: Active Directory OU design, Group Policy, service account delegation
- Clear, factual communication with customer stakeholders at technical and executive levels
- Ability to lead discovery workshops, whiteboard sessions, and architecture reviews
- Structured documentation and runbook authoring
- Mentorship of junior and mid-level engineers
- Decision-making under ambiguity; ability to define path forward when requirements are incomplete
- 8 years infrastructure/cloud engineering experience
- 3 years in VDI/EUC environments (VMware Horizon, Citrix, or AWS WorkSpaces)
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect (Associate or Professional)
- HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate
- VMware Certified Professional (VCP-DCV) or equivalent demonstrable experience
- Experience with compliance frameworks (HIPAA, PCI, SOX, FedRAMP, StateRAMP, CJIS)
Purpose and Scope
Two engineers in this role support the Senior Architect with hands-on execution of migration tasks. They build and maintain automation, package applications, execute migration waves, and produce operational documentation under the direction of the lead.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop and maintain Terraform configurations for WorkSpaces provisioning, networking, and supporting infrastructure
- Build and operate CI/CD pipelines for golden image creation, patching, and deployment
- Write Python and PowerShell scripts for user provisioning, application installation, validation testing, and operational automation
- Package applications with silent-install commands (MSI, EXE switches, Chocolatey, PowerShell)
- Research and resolve legacy/EOL application installation challenges
- Execute migration waves: provision WorkSpaces, validate application stacks, confirm user access
- Configure enterprise agents on images (EDR, proxy/zero-trust, endpoint management, log/telemetry)
- Implement FSx for Windows File Server configuration, ACL preservation, and backup plans
- Configure monitoring dashboards and alerting rules per the architecture defined by the lead
- Produce operational runbooks, troubleshooting guides, and KT session content
- Execute patching workflows (WSUS, SCCM, Ivanti, or image-rebuild model as directed)
- AWS WorkSpaces: provisioning, bundle configuration, directory integration basics
- Terraform: ability to write and modify modules, execute plans, manage state under guidance
- CI/CD: experience building or maintaining pipelines (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, or AWS CodePipeline)
- Python: scripting for automation tasks, API interactions, and data validation
- PowerShell: Windows administration, application packaging, registry manipulation, scheduled tasks
- AWS services: EC2, S3, IAM, CloudWatch, Systems Manager, FSx, AWS Backup
- Windows Server: Active Directory, Group Policy, WSUS, SCCM fundamentals
- Application packaging: silent-install creation, enterprise agent deployment, post-install configuration
- Clear written communication for runbooks, status updates, and issue documentation
- Ability to work directly with customer IT staff during migration execution
- Attention to detail in configuration and validation tasks
- Willingness to troubleshoot unfamiliar application installation failures
- Ability to follow established procedures and escalate when encountering blockers
- 4 years infrastructure or cloud engineering experience
- 1 years working with VDI/EUC platforms
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate or AWS Certified SysOps Administrator
- HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate
- Experience with configuration management tools (Ansible, SCCM, Intune)
- Familiarity with compliance requirements in regulated environments
Technology
Senior Architect
Migration Engineer
VMware Horizon / Omnissa
Preferred
Preferred
AWS WorkSpaces Core
Required (deep)
Required (working)
Terraform
Required (design review)
Required (develop execute)
CI/CD (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, CodePipeline)
Required (design)
Required (build maintain)
Python
Required (review author)
Required (primary Author)
PowerShell
Required (review author)
Required (primary Author)
AWS (VPC, IAM, FSx, CloudWatch, KMS)
Required (architecture)
Required (implementation)
Active Directory / Group Policy
Required
Required
Networking (DX, VPN, TGW)
Preferred
Application Packaging (MSI, Chocolatey)
Required
Compliance (HIPAA, PCI, FedRAMP)
Required (awareness)
Preferred
Team Interaction Model
The following describes how the three roles collaborate during engagement delivery:
Activity
Senior Architect
Migration Engineer
Architecture Design
Owns; produces designs
Provides input; implements
Customer Communication
Primary point of contact
Supports during technical sessions
Terraform / IaC
Defines module structure; reviews PRs
Writes and tests modules
CI/CD Pipelines
Defines pipeline architecture
Builds and maintains pipelines
Automation Scripts
Reviews; authors complex logic
Primary author; unit testing
App Packaging
Escalation for failures
Packages and validates installs
Migration Execution
Oversees wave plan; manages risk
Executes waves; validates
Documentation
Reviews; owns architecture docs
Writes runbooks and KT content
Escalation
Receives and resolves
Escalates blockers to lead
The Salary for this position will be 140,000 and 160,000 yearly depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.
This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans.
Benefits: Cognizant offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:
Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off
401(k) plan and contributions
Long-term/Short-term Disability
Paid Parental Leave
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Disclaimer: The compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.