IT Strategist

IT Strategist

Location:

Arlington, VA

The IT Strategist serves as a key member of the IT Architecture, translating enterprise mission priorities and leadership intent into actionable technology strategy, architectural roadmaps, and sequenced investment decisions. The role focuses on what the organization should build, when it should build it, and why, ensuring technology investments are aligned to mission outcomes, architectural standards, and portfolio priorities.

The IT Strategist operates ahead of execution—partnering closely with the Architecture Lead and governance bodies—to shape future‑state direction, inform decision‑making, and reduce misaligned or duplicative investments. This role is not a project management or delivery role.

• Develop and maintain multi‑year technology and capability roadmaps aligned to mission priorities, enterprise architecture direction, and security posture.
• Translate leadership objectives, audit findings, and operational constraints into sequenced modernization strategies.
• Define future‑state capability outcomes across domains such as:
  • Identity and access management
  • Cloud platforms (IL2‑IL6)
  • Cybersecurity and Zero Trust
  • Enterprise service delivery and observability
• Ensure roadmaps reflect real‑world sustainment, compliance, and resiliency requirements.

• Provide decision‑quality analysis to architecture and portfolio governance bodies, including:
  • Trade‑off analysis
  • Risk reduction vs. cost avoidance
  • Impact of deferral or acceleration
• Align architectural initiatives to:
  • Budget cycles
  • Security and compliance mandates (RMF, STIGs, IAVA)
  • Operational maturity targets
• Identify opportunities for platform consolidation, cost optimization, and reduction of systemic operational risk, informed by prior success delivering multi‑million‑dollar savings initiatives.

• Partner with the Architecture Lead and domain architects to ensure target‑state architectures are:
  • Technically viable
  • Secure by design
  • Operationally sustainable
• Contribute operational and security insight to:
  • Logical target‑state designs
  • Architectural sequencing decisions
  • Risk acceptance discussions
• Ensure architecture strategy reflects continuous monitoring, vulnerability management, and Zero Trust principles, drawing on extensive hands‑on experience in these areas.

• Prepare and deliver executive‑level briefs for ARB, portfolio boards, and senior leadership.
• Frame options and consequences, rather than prescriptive solutions, enabling informed governance decisions.
• Translate complex operational, security, and architectural considerations into clear leadership narratives.

• Monitor emerging technologies, federal policy shifts, and threat trends relevant to enterprise IT and cybersecurity.
• Recommend strategic adjustments based on lessons learned from operational metrics, incident trends, and audit outcomes.
• Institutionalize insights gained from past large‑scale operational leadership to improve future planning rigor.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related fields.
• 8+ years of professional experience in enterprise IT operations, cybersecurity, or engineering.
• DOD IAT/IAM Level I or II Certification is required.
• DOD TS/SCI clearance required.

• Knowledge of enterprise IT strategy and architecture principles, including the translation of mission objectives, risk posture, and compliance requirements into forward‑looking technology roadmaps and capability‑based planning.
• Knowledge of federal and DoD IT environments, including operation and governance of IL2‑IL6 cloud platforms, Zero Trust security models, and enterprise identity and access management.
• Knowledge of cybersecurity frameworks and compliance mandates, including RMF, NIST, STIGs, FISMA, and IAVA/IAVM processes, and how these requirements influence architectural decision‑making.
• Knowledge of large‐scale IT service delivery models, including Tier 1‑3 operations, incident and problem management, and SLA/KPI governance, sufficient to inform…