Chief Enterprise Architect

Hobbsnews; Herndon, Northern (VA, KY); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

IBM Consulting is seeking a Lead Architect for the Army Edge Computing Capability program to design a secure, cloud-native, Kubernetes-based hosting environment.

You will own DevSecOps and IaC pipelines, harden platform components per DoD controls, and collaborate with government engineers and host customers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Senior-level IaC experience with automated provisioning.
• Deep Kubernetes and Docker expertise.
• DoD 8570.01-M IAT II certification required.

Responsibilities

• Develop and own the DevSecOps and automation framework for AECC environments.
• Architect and maintain IaC pipelines for provisioning, config, and deployment.
• Harden platform components per DoD cybersecurity controls and industry best practices.
• Lead automated Kubernetes cluster installation, configuration, and lifecycle management.
• Collaborate with government engineers and host customers on secure enclaves.

Skills

IaC

Terraform

Ansible

Vault

GitLab

Docker

Kubernetes

Security+

DoD STIGs

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Job description

This role is for the Army Edge Computing Capability (AECC) program, a mission-critical initiative to build and manage a globally distributed, Kubernetes-based hosting environment for the U.S. Army's next-generation enterprise and tactical applications.

As a Lead Architect, you will spearhead the design and implementation of a cutting-edge, cloud-native infrastructure. You will leverage a modern DevSecOps and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) framework to deliver a secure, automated, and resilient platform. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of the Army's application ecosystem as part of a forward-thinking managed service provider (MSP).

Your role and responsibilities

Position Duties:

Develop and own the DevSecOps and automation framework supporting all AECC environments.

Architect and maintain robust Infrastructure as Code (IaC) pipelines for automated provisioning, configuration management, and deployment.

Drive continuous improvement by evaluating and recommending new tools, processes, and service offerings to enhance automation capabilities.

Lead the automated installation, configuration, and lifecycle management of Kubernetes clusters, including complex CNI and CSI integrations.

Serve as the subject matter expert for troubleshooting and performing root cause analysis on issues within Kubernetes, containerized applications, and automation frameworks.

Harden all platform components according to DoD cybersecurity controls and industry best practices.

Collaborate directly with government engineers and host customers to provide secure, automated application enclaves.

Develop and maintain comprehensive system architecture diagrams, network topologies, and standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Champion automation concepts and benefits across the organization, mentoring others and documenting best practices.

Required education

Bachelor's Degree

Preferred education

None

Required technical and professional expertise

Required Skills:

Senior-level expertise in Infrastructure as Code (IaC) environments, including automated network configuration, server deployment, and software provisioning.

Extensive hands-on experience with tools like Terraform, Ansible, Vault, and GitLab.

Deep knowledge of containerization (Docker) and container orchestration (Kubernetes).

Required Certifications:

Required: DoD 8570.01-M IAT Level II certification (e.g., Security+).

Required within 6 months of hire: An approved computing environment certification (e.g., Kubernetes, DevOps, or automation-related industry certification).

Clearance Required:

Must hold a DoD Secret security clearance.

Preferred technical and professional experience

Desired Skills:

Proven experience automating Kubernetes cluster deployments.

Strong background in writing modular and reusable Ansible Playbooks (Roles).

Working knowledge of DoD Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) and/or industry hardening best practices.

Exceptional troubleshooting skills across complex, distributed systems.

Experience instantiating, running, and upgrading clusters in a fully disconnected environment.

Core Technology Stack

Orchestration: Kubernetes, Red Hat OpenShift

IaC & Config Management: Terraform, Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform

GitOps: ArgoCD or FluxCD

Secrets Management: Hashicorp Vault

ABOUT BUSINESS UNIT

IBM Consulting is IBM’s consulting and global professional services business, with market leading capabilities in business and technology transformation. With deep expertise in many industries, we offer strategy, experience, technology, and operations services to many of the most innovative and valuable companies in the world. Our people are focused on accelerating our clients’ businesses through the power of collaboration. We believe in the power of technology responsibly used to help people, partners and the planet.

YOUR LIFE @ IBM

In a world where technology never stands still, we understand that, dedication to our clients success, innovation that matters, and trust and personal responsibility in all our relationships, lives in what we do as IBMers as we strive to be the catalyst that makes the world work better.

Being an IBMer means you’ll be able to learn and develop yourself and your career, you’ll be encouraged to be courageous and experiment everyday, all whilst having continuous trust and support in an environment where everyone can thrive whatever their personal or professional background.

Our IBMers are growth minded, always staying curious, open to feedback and learning new information and skills to constantly transform themselves and our company. They are trusted to provide on-going feedback to help other IBMers grow, as well as collaborate with colleagues keeping in mind a team focused approach to include different perspectives to drive exceptional outcomes for our customers. The courage our IBMers have to make critical decisions everyday is essential to IBM becoming the catalyst for progress, always embracing challenges with resources they have to hand, a can-do attitude and always striving for an outcome focused approach within everything that they do.

Are you ready to be an IBMer?

ABOUT IBM

IBM’s greatest invention is the IBMer. We believe that through the application of intelligence, reason and science, we can improve business, society and the human condition, bringing the power of an open hybrid cloud and AI strategy to life for our clients and partners around the world.

Restlessly reinventing since 1911, we are not only one of the largest corporate organizations in the world, we’re also one of the biggest technology and consulting employers, with many of the Fortune 500 companies relying on the IBM Cloud to run their business.

At IBM, we pride ourselves on being an early adopter of artificial intelligence, quantum computing and blockchain. Now it’s time for you to join us on our journey to being a responsible technology innovator and a force for good in the world.

IBM is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, or other characteristics protected by the applicable law. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.

OTHER RELEVANT JOB DETAILS

IBM offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits program. Eligible employees may have access to:

- Healthcare benefits including medical & prescription drug coverage, dental, vision, and mental health & well being

- Financial programs such as 401(k), cash balance pension plan, the IBM Employee Stock Purchase Plan, financial counseling, life insurance, short & long- term disability coverage, and opportunities for performance based salary incentive programs

- Generous paid time off including 12 holidays, minimum 56 hours sick time, 120 hours vacation, 12 weeks parental bonding leave in accordance with IBM Policy, and other Paid Care Leave programs. IBM also offers paid family leave benefits to eligible employees where required by applicable law

- Training and educational resources on our personalized, AI-driven learning platform where IBMers can grow skills and obtain industry-recognized certifications to achieve their career goals

- Diverse and inclusive employee resource groups, giving & volunteer opportunities, and discounts on retail products, services & experiences

We consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable law.

This position was posted on the date cited in the key job details section and is anticipated to remain posted for 21 days from this date or less if not needed to fill the role.

US Citizenship Required.

The compensation range and benefits for this position are based on a full-time schedule for a full calendar year. The salary will vary depending on your job-related skills, experience and location. Pay increment and frequency of pay will be in accordance with employment classification and applicable laws. For part time roles, your compensation and benefits will be adjusted to reflect your hours. Benefits may be pro-rated for those who start working during the calendar year.