[Hiring] Principal Architect @Unissant

Role Description

We are seeking a Principal Architect to join our team and support our government client on a large, multi-year IT services program. The Principal Architect is accountable for the program's reference architecture, cross-team technical standards, architecture governance and decision-making, interoperability patterns, and evaluation of major technical trade-offs. This role will work closely with client technical stakeholders, program leadership, and delivery teams to ensure the program's cloud, security, data, analytics, AI-enabled services, and integration capabilities are secure, scalable, interoperable, and aligned to mission needs.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Own, maintain, and evolve the program's reference architecture.
• Establish, document, communicate, and govern cross-team technical standards.
• Lead architecture governance processes, including architecture review boards.
• Define interoperability patterns for data exchange and service integration.
• Conduct, facilitate, and document major technical trade-off analyses.
• Evaluate architecture alternatives based on various criteria.
• Partner with stakeholders to ensure architecture meets requirements.
• Develop, maintain, and manage architecture-related artifacts.
• Ensure architecture documentation supports client oversight and audit requirements.
• Collaborate with engineering and delivery teams to implement architectural decisions.
• Provide technical leadership and escalation support for architecture issues.
• Resolve architecture conflicts and provide balanced recommendations.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and architecture approaches.
• Support the development of technical roadmaps and transition plans.
• Communicate architectural decisions and recommendations clearly.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience as a Principal Architect, Chief Architect, or comparable senior technical architecture leader.
• Deep expertise in cloud-native architecture and security.
• Experience architecting large-scale data platforms.
• Experience establishing architecture governance frameworks.
• Experience leading architecture review boards and technical design reviews.
• Strong understanding of interoperability and integration patterns.
• Working knowledge of DevSecOps principles and practices.
• Experience conducting and documenting major technical trade-off analyses.
• Ability to develop and maintain clear architecture documentation.
• Experience collaborating with multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Ability to work independently in a remote environment.
• Prior experience supporting government client programs is preferred.
• Experience architecting AI/ML platforms and services is preferred.
• Experience designing architectures for federated or multi-tenant models is preferred.
• Experience with major cloud service providers is preferred.
• Experience supporting federal modernization and technology transformation programs is preferred.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree is required.
• Preferred fields of study include Computer Science, Information Technology, or related fields.
• MBA or Master's Degree in a relevant field is preferred.
• Relevant architecture certifications are preferred.
• Preferred certifications include TOGAF, AWS Certified Solutions Architect, and others.

Communication Skills

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to present architecture recommendations and technical standards.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly.
• Ability to write clear and concise architecture documentation.

Clearance Requirements

• U.S. citizenship or eligibility to obtain a government PIV credential is required.
• Ability to successfully complete a federal background investigation is required.
• Ability to obtain and maintain required client access credentials is required.
• Ability to satisfy E-Verify employment eligibility verification requirements is required.

Travel

• This position is primarily remote.
• Occasional in-person participation may be required for program events.
• All reimbursable travel requires advance approval.

Environmental Requirements

• Mainly a routine office environment.
• May be required to lift up to ten (10) pounds.
• Must be flexible in working extended hours when required.