Cloud Solutions Architect

Darkhorse Geospatial LLC; Falls Church (VA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Datadog monitoring

Cloud security focus

Security clearance support

Job summary

Darkhorse Geospatial LLC is seeking a Cloud Solutions Architect to design, implement, and sustain secure cloud-based systems for our federal customer. You will own end-to-end architecture, standing up AWS environments, implementing IAM and encryption controls, and integrating emerging capabilities across AI, AR/VR, mobile, and analytics.

Responsibilities include deploying AWS services, enforcing security, handling PKI hierarchies, and leading system upgrades with risk mitigation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in CS/Engineering.
• Active TS/SCI with Full Scope Poly is required.
• Extensive AWS experience across EC2/RDS/S3/ELB/Route 53/CloudFormation.
• Strong background in cloud security controls (IAM, KMS).
• PKI hierarchies with root/subordinate CAs.
• Cross-platform system administration (Windows/Linux/macOS).
• Experience with database scaling (RDS, MySQL, Aurora).
• Experience with monitoring/alerting stacks (Datadog, CloudWatch).
• Scripting skills in Ruby, Bash, and Python.

Responsibilities

• Architect, deploy, and maintain AWS-based systems.
• Implement cloud security controls and encryption.
• Manage cloud storage and database scalability.
• Design PKI hierarchies to support encryption and auth.
• Integrate AI/AR/VR and analytics into systems.
• Lead upgrades and mitigate technical risks.
• Provide Tier 1–3 Ops & Maintenance for multiple OS estates.
• Develop runbooks, procedures, and user docs.

Skills

AWS architecture

Cloud security

PKI design

System administration

Database scaling

Monitoring tools

Scripting (Ruby/Bash/Python)

Technical risk management

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Engineering

Security clearance TS/SCI

Tools

Datadog

CloudWatch

Splunk

JIRA

Extron AV devices

Job description

Darkhorse Geospatial is hiring a Cloud Solutions Architect to design, implement, and sustain secure cloud-based systems for our federal customer. You'll own the architecture end-to-end — standing up AWS environments, hardening them with the right IAM and encryption controls, integrating emerging capabilities (AI, AR/VR, mobile, analytics), and keeping production healthy through Tier 1–3 operations. You'll work across Windows, Linux, and macOS estates and partner with engineers, analysts, and operators to deliver systems that hold up under real mission load.

What You'll Do

• Architect, deploy, and maintain AWS-based systems using EC2, RDS, S3, Elastic Load Balancer, Route 53, and CloudFormation
• Implement cloud security controls — IAM roles, security groups, KMS encryption for data at rest and in transit
• Manage cloud storage (S3 buckets, EBS volumes) and database scalability (RDS, MySQL, Aurora)
• Design and operate multi-tier PKI hierarchies (Root and Subordinate CAs) to support encryption and authentication
• Develop secure, mis-attributable internet-based systems that mitigate user-tracking concerns
• Integrate new capabilities — AI, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), mobile devices, data analytics — into existing systems architecture
• Lead system upgrades end-to-end; identify technical risks and define mitigation strategies
• Provide Tier 1–3 Operations & Maintenance support across Windows, Linux/CentOS, and macOS/iOS environments
• Stand up and tune monitoring and alerting (Datadog, CloudWatch)
• Author procedures, runbooks, and user-facing documentation; deliver briefings and demos to users and management

Core Skills We're Looking For

• Hands-on AWS architecture experience (EC2, RDS, S3, ELB, Route 53, CloudFormation)
• Cloud security implementation — IAM, security groups, KMS, encryption in transit and at rest
• PKI design and operation (Root/Subordinate CA hierarchies)
• System administration across Windows Server, Linux/CentOS, and macOS/iOS
• Database administration and scaling (AWS RDS, MySQL, Aurora)
• Monitoring and alerting stacks (Datadog, CloudWatch)
• Basic scripting proficiency in Ruby on Rails, Bash, and Python
• Track record leading system upgrades and identifying/mitigating technical risk
• Strong written and oral communication — procedures, briefings, demos

Nice to Have

• Experience moving systems through Assessment & Authorization (A&A) and monitoring for compliance
• Splunk for log capture in hybrid on-prem/cloud environments
• Experience integrating AI, AR/VR, mobile, and analytics capabilities into production systems
• Configuring and maintaining Extron AV devices
• Familiarity with JIRA and Agile delivery

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• Active TS/SCI with Full Scope Poly