Systems Architect - TS/SCI w/ Poly required

We are seeking a hands-on Systems Architect (SME) with deep expertise across infrastructure, platforms, and application ecosystems spanning cloud and on-premises environments. This role requires a proven practitioner who can analyze existing (“as-is”) systems and applications, document current state architectures, design future- state solutions, and implement system enhancements or technology transformations end-to-end.

The ideal candidate is a technical leader and doer, not just an advisor – someone who can seamlessly collaborate across infrastructure, platform, application, DevSecOps, information systems security, and data teams while maintaining ownership of system reliability, performance, scalability, and security.

QUALIFICATIONS

•  Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, IT or related technical discipline, or the equivalent combination of education, technical training, or work/military experience.
•  Minimum ten (10) years of related experience
• REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS
• Candidates must demonstrate hands-on experience in all the following areas: Infrastructure & Platforms
•  Enterprise networking (e.g., routing, switching, firewalls, load balancers, DNS)
•  Storage technologies (e.g., SAN, NAS, object storage)
•  Container platforms (e.g., Kubernetes, Docker)
•  Linux (Redhat, CentOS) operating systems (administration, hardening, automation)
•  IdAM – Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) hands-on for AuthN and AuthZ
• Cloud & On-Prem Technologies
•  Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, and/or GCP)
•  Hybrid and on-prem infrastructure design and integration
•  Cloud networking, identity, security, and cost optimization
• Data & Application Platforms
•  Relational and NoSQL databases – relational (e.g., Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server) and NoSQL (e.g., MongoDB, Cassandra, DynamoDB, Redis) databases
•  Web services, APIs, and middleware
•  Software development lifecycle (SDLC) fundamentals
•  Event-based messaging systems (e.g., SQS, SNS, RabbitMQ)
• Engineering & Automation
•  Infrastructure as Code – Scripting & Automation: Python, Bash, PowerShell, Terraform, Ansible, or
• CloudFormation
•  Configuration management and scripting (e.g., PowerShell, Bash, Python, etc.)
•  CI/CD integration with infrastructure and platforms (e.g., Jenkins, Gitlab CI/CD, GitHub Actions, GitOps, ArgoCD)
•  Security best practices and system hardening
•  Monitoring & Incident Response: Proficiency with tools like Prometheus, Grafana, Splunk, ELK Stack, CloudWatch
• Architecture & Design
•  Ability to create: o As-is architecture documentation o To-be architecture and detailed engineering designs o Implementation and migration plans
• DESIRED KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS
•  Observability and monitoring tools (e.g., logging, metrics, tracing)
•  Zero Trust and modern security architectures
•  Data analytics, AI/ML platform exposure
•  Experience supporting production or mission-critical environments
•  Relevant certifications (e.g., cloud, systems, security, or architecture)
•  Knowledge of machine learning platforms (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, SageMaker)
•  Familiarity with big data ecosystems (e.g., Hadoop, Databricks, Snowflake, Google, BigQuery)
•  Strong background in ITIL processes and agile methodologies
•  Certifications: AWS Solutions Architect / DevOps Engineer, Azure Administrator, Kubernetes CKA/CKAD, ITIL
• Foundation

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

•  Perform hands-on systems engineering across network, compute, storage, operating systems, middleware, databases, and applications
•  Analyze and document as-is infrastructure, platform, and application architectures
•  Work with the System Architect and Cloud Architect to create the detail engineering designs for modernization, optimization, and transformation initiatives
•  Lead and execute cloud and on-prem system implementations, migrations, and upgrades
•  Ensure systems meet availability, scalability, performance, security, and compliance requirements
•  Integrate infrastructure and platforms with DevOps and DevSecOps pipelines
•  Troubleshoot complex, cross-stack issues spanning infrastructure, platforms, and applications
•  Collaborate effectively with: o Infrastructure & Platform Engineers o Software Engineers o DevOps / DevSecOps Engineers o Data Engineers (ETL) o Data Modelers, Data Scientists, and Data Analysts
•  Produce clear technical documentation, diagrams, standards, and runbooks
•  Serve as a technical authority and escalation point for complex system issues
•  Communication Skills: o Ability to brief executives clearly and translate technical issues into business impact o Ability to work across organizations (internal and IC) to implement complex solutions
• Ideal Candidate Profile
•  Recognized SME with deep, hands-on technical expertise
•  Strong systems thinker with the ability to see and engineer across the full stack
•  Comfortable operating at both strategic architecture and tactical implementation levels
•  Excellent communication and collaboration skills across technical and non-technical teams
•  Proven ability to own complex systems from design through production

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS

•  Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, IT or related technical discipline, or the equivalent combination of education, technical training, or work/military experience.
•  Minimum ten (10) years of related experience
• REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS
• Candidates must demonstrate hands-on experience in all the following areas: Infrastructure & Platforms
•  Enterprise networking (e.g., routing, switching, firewalls, load balancers, DNS)
•  Storage technologies (e.g., SAN, NAS, object storage)
•  Container platforms (e.g., Kubernetes, Docker)
•  Linux (Redhat, CentOS) operating systems (administration, hardening, automation)
•  IdAM – Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) hands-on for AuthN and AuthZ
• Cloud & On-Prem Technologies
•  Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, and/or GCP)
•  Hybrid and on-prem infrastructure design and integration
•  Cloud networking, identity, security, and cost optimization
• Data & Application Platforms
•  Relational and NoSQL databases – relational (e.g., Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server) and NoSQL (e.g., MongoDB, Cassandra, DynamoDB, Redis) databases
•  Web services, APIs, and middleware
•  Software development lifecycle (SDLC) fundamentals
•  Event-based messaging systems (e.g., SQS, SNS, RabbitMQ)
• Engineering & Automation
•  Infrastructure as Code – Scripting & Automation: Python, Bash, PowerShell, Terraform, Ansible, or
• CloudFormation
•  Configuration management and scripting (e.g., PowerShell, Bash, Python, etc.)
•  CI/CD integration with infrastructure and platforms (e.g., Jenkins, Gitlab CI/CD, GitHub Actions, GitOps, ArgoCD)
•  Security best practices and system hardening
•  Monitoring & Incident Response: Proficiency with tools like Prometheus, Grafana, Splunk, ELK Stack, CloudWatch
• Architecture & Design
•  Ability to create: o As-is architecture documentation o To-be architecture and detailed engineering designs o Implementation and migration plans
• DESIRED KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS
•  Observability and monitoring tools (e.g., logging, metrics, tracing)
•  Zero Trust and modern security architectures
•  Data analytics, AI/ML platform exposure
•  Experience supporting production or mission-critical environments
•  Relevant certifications (e.g., cloud, systems, security, or architecture)
•  Knowledge of machine learning platforms (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, SageMaker)
•  Familiarity with big data ecosystems (e.g., Hadoop, Databricks, Snowflake, Google, BigQuery)
•  Strong background in ITIL processes and agile methodologies
•  Certifications: AWS Solutions Architect / DevOps Engineer, Azure Administrator, Kubernetes CKA/CKAD, ITIL
• Foundation

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

•  Perform hands-on systems engineering across network, compute, storage, operating systems, middleware, databases, and applications
•  Analyze and document as-is infrastructure, platform, and application architectures
•  Work with the System Architect and Cloud Architect to create the detail engineering designs for modernization, optimization, and transformation initiatives
•  Lead and execute cloud and on-prem system implementations, migrations, and upgrades
•  Ensure systems meet availability, scalability, performance, security, and compliance requirements
•  Integrate infrastructure and platforms with DevOps and DevSecOps pipelines
•  Troubleshoot complex, cross-stack issues spanning infrastructure, platforms, and applications
•  Collaborate effectively with: o Infrastructure & Platform Engineers o Software Engineers o DevOps / DevSecOps Engineers o Data Engineers (ETL) o Data Modelers, Data Scientists, and Data Analysts
•  Produce clear technical documentation, diagrams, standards, and runbooks
•  Serve as a technical authority and escalation point for complex system issues
•  Communication Skills: o Ability to brief executives clearly and translate technical issues into business impact o Ability to work across organizations (internal and IC) to implement complex solutions
• Ideal Candidate Profile
•  Recognized SME with deep, hands-on technical expertise
•  Strong systems thinker with the ability to see and engineer across the full stack
•  Comfortable operating at both strategic architecture and tactical implementation levels
•  Excellent communication and collaboration skills across technical and non-technical teams
•  Proven ability to own complex systems from design through production