[Hiring] Solutions Architect @Akima, LLC

Role Description

The Marine Corps Business Operations Support Services (MCBOSS) capability is a multi-platform, cloud-enabled DevSecOps environment used across the Marine Corps to accelerate secure software delivery and modernize legacy systems. As a Senior Solutions Architect, you will lead architectural design and technical strategy for mission-critical applications delivered within the MCBOSS DevSecOps ecosystem. You’ll partner with product owners, platform engineers, cyber teams, and NIWC stakeholders to design secure, scalable solutions; guide teams through architecture reviews and ATO pathways; and ensure delivered capabilities are resilient, standards‑compliant, and optimized for rapid iteration.

• Own the end-to-end architecture for multiple products/workstreams on the MCBOSS platform—spanning application, data, integration, and platform layers.
• Define reference architectures and patterns (12-factor apps, microservices, event-driven, API-first) aligned to Marine Corps/DON standards and enterprise roadmaps.
• Lead security-by-design: integrate RMF controls, STIGs, secure coding practices, SBOMs, and zero-trust principles into CI/CD pipelines; support ATO packages and continuous monitoring.
• Guide cloud-native implementation: container orchestration (Kubernetes/OpenShift), service mesh, secrets management, IaC (Terraform/Ansible), and automated compliance.
• Establish CI/CD best practices: automated build/test/deploy, artifact promotion, and quality gates; enable blue/green and canary strategies across environments.
• Data architecture & integration: model operational and analytical data flows; design APIs, messaging, and data pipelines supporting observability and decision advantage.
• Performance, reliability, and cost optimization: set SLOs/SLIs; design for resiliency, failover, and right‑sized infrastructure in [AWS GovCloud | Azure Government | DoD environments].
• Technical leadership & mentorship: conduct design reviews, coach engineers, and evangelize architectural standards across cross-functional DevSecOps teams.
• Stakeholder engagement: translate mission outcomes into technical roadmaps; present trade-offs and decision briefs to government leadership and governance boards.
• Compliance & interoperability: ensure alignment with NIST SP 800‑53, CNSSI 1253, DoD Cloud SRG, and DON policy; promote interoperability with adjacent Navy/USMC systems.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive software or platform architecture experience, with 5+ years in cloud-native, containerized environments.
• Proven delivery of secure, scalable solutions on Kubernetes/OpenShift and major cloud providers ([AWS GovCloud, Azure Government, or equivalent]).
• Hands-on expertise with IaC (Terraform/Ansible), CI/CD (e.g., GitLab/Jenkins/GitHub Actions), observability (Prometheus/Grafana/ELK), and API design (REST/GraphQL).
• Strong knowledge of RMF/ATO, NIST 800‑53 controls, DoD STIGs, supply-chain security (SBOM), and DevSecOps best practices.
• Experience leading architecture reviews, writing ADRs, and producing high-quality design artifacts (context, container, component, sequence diagrams).
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field; or equivalent experience.
• Security clearance: Secret or ability to obtain; U.S. citizenship required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience supporting NIWC Atlantic, PEO MLB, or DON enterprise programs in a software factory or platform team setting.
• Knowledge of service mesh (Istio/Linkerd), policy as code (OPA/Conftest), and automated compliance (e.g., Chef InSpec, OpenSCAP).
• Familiarity with zero trust architectures, token-based auth (OIDC/JWT), and boundaryless data-sharing patterns.
• Experience with event-driven and streaming architectures (Kafka/NATS), and secure data integration across classification domains.
• Certifications: CISSP, CCSP, CCA (Cloud Architect), CKA/CKAD, Azure/AWS Architect, ITIL.

Benefits

• The company offers a comprehensive benefits program, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401(k) and a range of other voluntary benefits.
• Paid Time Off (PTO) is offered to regular full-time and part-time employees.

Company Description

Five Rivers Analytics (FRA), an Akima company, is not just another federal IT contractor. As an Alaska Native Corporation (ANC), our mission and purpose extend beyond our exciting federal projects as we support our shareholder communities in Alaska.

• At FRA, the work you do every day makes a difference in the lives of our 15,000 Iñupiat shareholders, a group of Alaska natives from one of the most remote and harshest environments in the United States.
• For our shareholders, FRA provides support and employment opportunities and contributes to the survival of a culture that has thrived above the Arctic Circle for more than 10,000 years.
• For our government customers, FRA delivers streamline operations in support of an increasingly fast-paced, complex, and dynamic digital environment.
• As a FRA employee, you will be surrounded by a challenging, yet supportive work environment that is committed to innovation and diversity, two of our most important values.
• You will also have access to our comprehensive benefits and competitive pay in addition to growth opportunities and excellent retirement options.