Software Architect SME – Cloud, Data & Analytical Platforms

Overview

Software Architect SME – Cloud, Data & Analytical Platforms | Req#4245

The Software Architect Subject Matter Expert serves as the technical authority for the design, modernization, and integration of mission-critical, cloud-native systems supporting the Decennial Census testing ecosystem. This role is responsible for defining enterprise and solution architectures across the full software development lifecycle, ensuring systems are secure, scalable, resilient, and aligned with federal standards and business objectives. The Architect SME partners closely with government stakeholders, engineering teams, and contractors to translate complex functional and non-functional requirements into implementable architectures.

The position emphasizes microservices-based design, API-centric integration, cloud-native data platforms, large-scale computation services, Dev Sec Ops  enablement, and analytical platform integration. The Architect SME guides engineering execution while maintaining architectural integrity across front-end, back-end, data, and computational components.

• Serve as the technical authority for application and system architecture across the full SDLC, including requirements analysis, architecture definition, detailed design, development guidance, testing strategy, deployment models, integration patterns, and operational support
• Define end-to-end cloud-native architectures supporting front-end applications, APIs, databases, queueing services, computation engines, and analytical platforms aligned with Decennial Census testing requirements
• Lead architecture activities within an Agile SAFe environment, supporting sprint planning, backlog grooming, technical refinement, and cross-team architectural alignment
• Define API-first, microservices-based architectures that manage communication between user interfaces, data stores, queueing systems, storage services, and computational workloads
• Establish enterprise API standards covering RESTful design, versioning, security, documentation, observability, and lifecycle governance, integrating Swagger/OpenAPI and cloud-native logging platforms such as AWS Cloud Watch
• Architect secure, scalable back-end platforms using Java, Spring Boot, JAX-RS, Jersey, and Python-based services where appropriate
• Lead database architecture strategy across Oracle RAC, Postgre
  
  SQL, Maria
  
  DB, Aurora, and cloud-native storage platforms, supporting multi-terabyte workloads, high availability, disaster recovery, data integrity, and performance optimization
• Define patterns for raw and processed data management using cloud-native object storage such as Amazon S3 and integration strategies between transactional systems and analytical platforms
• Architect queueing and orchestration services that deliver job configurations from APIs to scalable computation environments
• Lead the architectural design of computation engines that convert legacy SAS-based models into Python-based services running on scalable cloud platforms such as EMR, ECS, Kubernetes, or serverless compute
• Define cloud-native analytics architectures leveraging platforms such as Amazon Quick Sight, Sage Maker, Cube.js, Open Search, and Elasticsearch, enabling embedded reporting, data quality validation, and stakeholder access
• Establish microservices design principles emphasizing loose coupling, API-centric integration, stateless and stateful service separation, containerization, elastic scaling, and policy-driven resource management
• Define containerization and orchestration standards using Docker, Kubernetes, ECS, and cloud-native deployment services to ensure portability, resilience, and security compliance
• Lead security architecture activities including authentication, authorization, encryption, secrets management, network segmentation, and alignment with federal security and compliance frameworks
• Architect CI/CD and Dev Sec Ops  ecosystems integrating Git Hub, Bitbucket, Jenkins, Git Lab CI/CD, Terraform, Cloud Formation, automated testing frameworks, and security scanning tools
• Establish reference architectures, reusable design patterns, and technical standards to guide multiple development teams
• Produce and maintain architecture artifacts including system context diagrams, logical and physical architectures, data flows, interface specifications, threat models, and operational architecture documentation
• Conduct architecture reviews, design walkthroughs, and technical risk assessments to ensure solutions meet quality, security, and performance requirements
• Collaborate with Census Bureau technical leadership, subject matter experts, and partner organizations to analyze enterprise requirements and align solution architectures to program objectives
• Guide and mentor senior and mid-level engineers, providing architectural oversight, design coaching, and technical governance
• Support application modernization initiatives, legacy transformation efforts, and cloud adoption strategies
• Define observability and operational architecture…