Cloud Architect SME – Cloud-Native Platforms & Data Systems

ActioNet, Inc.; Vienna (VA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Vision Insurance

Dental Insurance

Life and AD&D Insurance

401(k) Savings Plan

Education and Professional Training

FSA

Employee Referral and Merit Programs

Paid Holidays

Job summary

ActioNet, Inc. is seeking a Cloud Architect SME to lead architecture, modernization, and cloud adoption for federal programs. You will serve as the technical authority for secure, scalable cloud-native environments integrating front-end apps, APIs, databases, and analytics.

Location is Hybrid/Remote with DMV-area preference. The role emphasizes AWS-based architectures, microservices, containerization, DevSecOps enablement, and data platform integration, requiring strong AWS experience and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Cloud Computing, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience in cloud engineering, architecture, or enterprise infrastructure modernization.
• Demonstrated experience architecting complex cloud-native platforms and leading migration and modernization initiatives.
• Strong hands-on experience with AWS cloud services and enterprise-scale deployments.
• Proficiency with automation and infrastructure-as-code tools such as Terraform, CloudFormation, and Ansible.
• Strong background in microservices architecture, containerization, and cloud-native application design.
• Excellent communication skills with experience presenting architecture designs to technical and executive stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical authority for enterprise and solution-level cloud architecture, guiding the design and modernization of complex application ecosystems.
• Define cloud migration and modernization strategies including rehost, re-platform, refactor, and cloud-native redesign.
• Define target-state architectures that support front-end applications, API platforms, databases, and analytics services.
• Architect secure AWS-based environments using EC2, ECS, EMR, EKS, S3, RDS, Aurora, Lambda, Step Functions, EventBridge, and CloudWatch.
• Lead the architectural design of microservices-based platforms emphasizing API-first integration and elastic scalability.
• Establish containerization and orchestration standards using Docker and Kubernetes.
• Architect data platforms integrating Oracle, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, Aurora, and cloud-native object storage.
• Define architectures for computation engines that execute Python-based analytical workloads.
• Design secure cloud-native environments with IAM, encryption, secrets management, logging, and compliance controls.
• Lead DevSecOps and CI/CD architecture integrating GitHub, Bitbucket, Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, Terraform, CloudFormation, and automated testing and security scanning tools.
• Define infrastructure-as-code standards and reusable deployment patterns.
• Optimize cloud architectures for performance, scalability, reliability, and cost efficiency.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity teams to ensure alignment with federal security requirements.
• Produce and maintain cloud architecture artifacts and roadmaps.
• Guide engineering teams during implementation with architectural oversight and risk management.
• Support phased migrations with validation, testing, and rollback planning.
• Provide post-migration optimization and resiliency improvements.
• Mentor technical teams and contribute to cloud standards.

Skills

AWS cloud services

IaC tools

Microservices & containers

Stakeholder communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in IT/CS/cloud computing

Tools

Terraform

CloudFormation

Ansible

Kubernetes

Job description

Job Summary

ActioNet is seeking a Cloud Architect Subject Matter Expert to lead the architecture, modernization, and cloud adoption of mission‑critical enterprise systems supporting federal programs. This role serves as the technical authority for designing secure, scalable, and resilient cloud-native environments that integrate front‑end applications, API‑driven microservices, enterprise databases, queueing services, large‑scale computation engines, and analytical platforms. The Cloud Architect SME partners with engineering, cybersecurity, and program stakeholders to define migration and modernization strategies, establish reference architectures, and guide implementation teams across the full system lifecycle. The position emphasizes AWS‑based architectures, microservices, containerization, DevSecOps enablement, and data platform integration.

Location: Hybrid/Remote. Candidates should be local to the DMV area.

Salary range: up to $200,000, depending on qualifications, including relevant certifications, education, years of experience, and demonstrated experience supporting Federal Government programs. Candidates with specialized expertise, industry‑recognized certifications, and strong Federal contracting experience may be considered at the higher end of the range.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical authority for enterprise and solution‑level cloud architecture, guiding the design and modernization of complex application ecosystems.
• Assess legacy and on‑premises environments and define cloud migration and modernization strategies including rehost, re‑platform, refactor, and cloud‑native redesign.
• Define target‑state architectures that support front‑end applications, API platforms, enterprise databases, queueing systems, scalable computation engines, and analytical services.
• Architect secure AWS‑based environments leveraging services such as EC2, ECS, EMR, EKS, S3, RDS, Aurora, Lambda, Step Functions, EventBridge, and CloudWatch.
• Lead the architectural design of microservices‑based platforms emphasizing API‑first integration, loose coupling, stateless and stateful service separation, and elastic scalability.
• Establish containerization and orchestration standards using Docker and Kubernetes to support portability, resilience, and automated deployment.
• Architect data platforms integrating Oracle, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, Aurora, and cloud‑native object storage for large‑scale transactional and analytical workloads.
• Define architectures for computation engines that execute Python‑based analytical workloads and large‑scale data processing.
• Design secure cloud‑native environments incorporating identity and access management, encryption, secrets management, logging, monitoring, and compliance controls.
• Lead DevSecOps and CI/CD architecture integrating GitHub, Bitbucket, Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, Terraform, CloudFormation, and automated testing and security scanning tools.
• Define infrastructure‑as‑code standards and reusable deployment patterns for cloud environments.
• Optimize cloud architectures for performance, scalability, reliability, and cost efficiency.
• Collaborate closely with cybersecurity teams to ensure architectures align with federal security requirements and cloud compliance frameworks.
• Produce and maintain cloud architecture artifacts including reference architectures, system diagrams, data flows, and migration roadmaps.
• Guide engineering teams during implementation, providing architectural oversight, design reviews, and technical risk management.
• Support planning and execution of phased migration efforts including validation, testing strategies, and rollback planning.
• Provide post‑migration architectural support including performance tuning, resiliency improvements, and continuous optimization.
• Mentor technical teams and contribute to the development of cloud standards, best practices, and long‑term modernization roadmaps.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Cloud Computing, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience in cloud engineering, cloud architecture, or enterprise infrastructure modernization.
• Demonstrated experience architecting complex cloud‑native platforms and leading migration and modernization initiatives.
• Strong hands‑on experience with AWS cloud services and enterprise‑scale deployments.
• Proven expertise in automation and infrastructure‑as‑code tools such as Terraform, CloudFormation, and Ansible.
• Strong background in microservices architecture, containerization, and cloud‑native application design.
• Excellent communication skills with experience presenting architecture designs to technical and executive stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional or equivalent certification.
• Experience architecting data platforms, analytics solutions, or large‑scale computation environments.
• Experience with Kubernetes and container orchestration in regulated or federal environments.
• Background in disaster recovery, high availability architecture, and continuity planning.
• Experience supporting Agile or SAFe development organizations.

Benefits

• Medical Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Life and AD&DD Insurance
• 401(k) Savings Plan
• Education and Professional Training
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Employee Referral and Merit Recognition Programs
• Employee Assistance and Identity Theft ProtectionPaid Holidays: 11 per year
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Disability Insurance

Equal‑Opportunity Employer: ActioNet is an equal‑opportunity employer and values inclusion at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.