Senior Architect

TS/SCI - CI Poly

Onsite in Chantilly Virginia

We offer 2 employee compensation models. Salaried or consultant (w2). Salaries start at 220k and w2 consultant starts at 120 an hour. Salary and/or Hourly rates will increase with experience.

Benefits are available such as Health/Dental/Vision/401K/EAP/Life insurance and LTD-STD.

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior Architect to lead the design, development, and deployment of modern, scalable, and secure ground system solutions in the cloud. This role requires a deep understanding of cloud computing technologies, ground system architectures, and software engineering best practices. The Senior Architect will collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver innovative solutions that meet the needs of mission‑critical operations, such as satellite communications, space systems, and other ground system applications.

• Design end‑to‑end cloud‑based ground system architectures that ensure performance, scalability, reliability, and security.
• Develop technical roadmaps for migrating legacy ground systems to cloud‑native architectures.
• Lead the evaluation and selection of cloud platforms, services, and tools (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) to support ground system requirements.

• Oversee the implementation of cloud infrastructure, including networking, compute, storage, and security configurations.
• Define and implement strategies for data ingest, processing, and storage in the cloud, including streaming real‑time data.
• Ensure seamless integration between cloud‑based ground systems and on‑premises systems or hardware components.

• Analyze system performance metrics and optimize the cloud architecture for low latency, high throughput, and cost efficiency.
• Implement redundancy and failover strategies to ensure system availability and recovery capabilities.

• Serve as a technical leader and subject matter expert, mentoring engineering teams in cloud technologies and ground system best practices.
• Collaborate with stakeholders, including customers, product managers, and engineering teams, to define system requirements and ensure alignment with organizational goals.
• Communicate complex technical concepts to non‑technical stakeholders clearly and effectively.

• Design secure architectures that comply with industry standards and government regulations.
• Implement robust identity, access management, and encryption solutions to protect sensitive data in the cloud.

• Stay up to date with emerging cloud technologies, trends, and industry best practices.
• Drive innovation by identifying opportunities to leverage advanced cloud capabilities, such as machine learning, edge computing, and serverless architectures, to enhance ground systems.

• Develop comprehensive technical documentation, including architectural diagrams, design documents, and operational playbooks.
• Establish and enforce architectural standards, guidelines, and best practices to ensure consistency and maintainability.

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field. Equivalent work experience may be considered.
• 8+ years of experience in software and systems architecture, with at least 3 years focused on cloud‑based solutions.
• Strong expertise in cloud platforms such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform, including certifications (e.g., AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Azure Solutions Architect Expert).
• Experience with ground system architectures, including satellite communications, telemetry, tracking and control (TT&C), or other mission‑critical systems.
• Proficiency in modern programming languages (e.g., Python, Java, C++) and cloud infrastructure‑as‑code tools (e.g., Terraform, Cloud Formation).
• Deep understanding of networking, virtualization, containerization (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes), and microservices architecture.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, Dev Ops practices, and automated testing frameworks.
• Proven track record of delivering large‑scale, cloud‑based systems in a production environment.