Technical Lead/Platform Solutions Architect (FedD236)

Description

The company wants a senior technical lead and platform solution architect to work embedded with a government team as its main technical expert on the platform.

You will be the technical authority across a complex platform that combines several vendors' AI and software products, helping leaders make sound architecture choices, fix problems between platforms, and set up patterns that speed up delivery.

The work is hands-on and strategic: you will cover Kubernetes and OpenShift, GitLab and CI/CD, AI and agent infrastructure, enterprise data services, cloud infrastructure, security controls, and integration patterns, and help the team go from prototype to a working operational system.

You need to talk comfortably with senior mission leaders one day and with engineers and OEM teams the next.

The company streamlines software delivery with secure, vendor-neutral solutions for continuous integration and delivery, and serves defense and civil federal agencies. Its team includes engineers, innovators, and veterans.

Responsibilities

• Own the full technical architecture and act as the primary expert across the platform.
• Act as a trusted technology adviser to mission leads: turn mission goals into practical technical choices, and give clear recommendations, tradeoffs, and risk assessments.
• Maintain the overall architecture picture across application, platform, AI, data, networking, security, identity, and integration layers.
• Lead integration of commercial and government technologies, including Kubernetes/OpenShift, GitLab, AI/ML services, enterprise data platforms, and security tooling.
• Spot dependencies, integration risks, bottlenecks, and technical debt early enough to avoid schedule or mission impact.
• Guide engineering teams toward repeatable patterns for deployment, configuration, observability, identity, secrets, APIs, data access, and lifecycle management.
• Work directly with OEM engineering and professional services teams to solve cross-platform problems and make sure vendor solutions fit the overall architecture.
• Assess emerging AI, agentic, cloud-native, and platform technologies, and advise on practical adoption, integration, and sequencing.
• Help build patterns that can be reused across classified environments and support the move from prototype to operational use.
• Work with the DevSecOps engineer to find security and compliance risks early, and fold NIST 800-53, RMF, and ATO considerations into architecture and engineering decisions.
• Work with the Data Engineer and AI Agentic Engineer so that data, models, agents, and applications operate together as one system.
• Produce and maintain architecture diagrams, ADRs, technical standards, integration patterns, and short decision briefs for government leadership.
• Find recurring integration and platform problems that can be standardized, automated, or turned into reusable capabilities through UDS or similar tools.

Requirements

• Active TS/SCI clearance.
• Live in the National Capital Region, and be able to work onsite at a government facility in Springfield, Virginia, with more onsite and SCIF time as the program grows.
• 8+ years in systems engineering, platform engineering, cloud architecture, DevSecOps, or solution architecture, with clear ownership of complex technical environments.
• Deep hands-on knowledge of Kubernetes and enterprise container platforms, preferably Red Hat OpenShift.
• Strong grasp of cloud infrastructure, CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code, GitOps, APIs, networking, identity, secrets, and observability.
• Familiarity with NIST 800-53, RMF, ATO and C-ATO, zero-trust architecture, software supply-chain security, and continuous authorization.
• Ability to explain system architecture across application, platform, AI, data, and security boundaries.
• Track record of leading technical decisions in ambiguous, fast-moving work with several engineering teams and vendors.
• Strong written and verbal communication, with the ability to brief senior government leaders and work well with deeply technical engineers.
• Able to act as the technical point of accountability without becoming a bottleneck, making informed calls and escalating when needed.
• Preferred: experience with AI/ML infrastructure, generative AI, agentic systems, model serving, RAG, or AI platform architecture.
• Preferred: experience with Red Hat OpenShift AI, NVIDIA AI technologies, GitLab, enterprise data platforms, or comparable commercial products.
• Preferred: experience integrating multi-vendor platforms where no single vendor owns the whole solution.
• Preferred: experience with Secret or TS/SCI systems and with multi-domain or disconnected/air-gapped deployments.
• Preferred: experience with UDS, Zarf, Pepr, Iron Bank, or similar secure software delivery and platform engineering tools.
• Preferred: experience writing architecture decision records, reference architectures, technical roadmaps, and executive technical briefings.
• Preferred: experience advising government customers on technology strategy, modernization, platform adoption, or enterprise architecture.

Conditions

Remote within the USA, with onsite work in Springfield, Virginia as described above.

Pay is $148,750 to $201,250 USD. Full compensation is based on experience and national benchmarking data, and the range applies in all US locations.

Candidates who do not meet every preferred qualification are still encouraged to apply, since underrepresented groups often apply less when they do not meet every listed requirement.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage, with the company paying 100% of premiums.
• Health Savings Account, life insurance, and disability insurance.
• 401k retirement plan and company stock options.
• Home office budget.
• All full-time staff get Flexible Time Off, all federal holidays, one week off for Thanksgiving, and two weeks off for Christmas and New Year's.
• Paid parental leave.
• Reimbursement for approved trainings and subscriptions.
• Conferences, with travel, lodging, and fees covered.