Data Center Engineer / Architect

GovCIO; Hampton (VA); On-site; USD 230,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

GovCIO is seeking a Data Center Engineer in Hampton, VA to lead and execute large-scale data center migrations. The role requires Top Secret/SCI clearance and a bachelor’s degree with 12+ years of experience.

You will design target-state data center architectures, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and establish standards for security, reliability, and DR planning. This is a fully onsite position.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree with 12+ yrs experience.
• Clearance Required: Top Secret/SCI.
• Deep expertise in data center infrastructure, including compute, storage, and networking.
• Strong understanding of virtualization platforms (VMware, Hyper-V, KVM, etc.).
• Proficiency in designing and executing large-scale data center migrations.
• Knowledge of cloud platforms and hybrid/cloud-adjacent architectures.
• Experience with storage architectures (SAN, NAS, object storage).
• Advanced networking knowledge, including routing, switching, firewalls, and load balancing.
• Familiarity with backup, recovery, and disaster recovery strategies.
• Strong understanding of security frameworks, compliance requirements, and risk mitigation.
• Ability to develop architectural standards, frameworks, and documentation.
• Experience with automation and orchestration tools (PowerShell, Ansible, etc.).
• Proficiency in dependency mapping, workload analysis, and capacity planning.
• DoD 8140 IAT Level II certification (Security+ CE,CCNA-Security,CySA+,CND).

Responsibilities

• Design and lead end-to-end data center migration strategies.
• Assess current environments and risks to create migration roadmaps.
• Architect target-state data center designs aligned with security and compliance.
• Collaborate with infrastructure, network, storage, security, and apps teams.
• Establish standards and architectural frameworks for ongoing operations.
• Lead decision-making across virtualization, storage, networking, and DR.
• Oversee migration execution including cutover planning and validation.
• Identify and mitigate performance, availability, data integrity, and security risks.
• Produce architecture diagrams, runbooks, migration plans, and handoff materials.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineering and operations.
• Investigate capabilities of company services and competing solutions.
• Stay abreast of hardware and software developments.
• Translate product strategies into network and system requirements.
• Establish standards, practices, and procedures for network/system development.
• Design interfaces and integrate network and system elements.
• Assess performance using evaluation criteria and metrics.
• Provide customer liaison and support for business development and requirements.
• Coordinate planning, design, and installation of equipment using engineering and programming knowledge.
• Participate in system conceptual design and documentation.
• Designs, creates, and builds network services, equipment and devices.

Skills

Data center infrastructure

Virtualization platforms

Data center migrations

Cloud/hybrid architectures

SAN/NAS/object storage

Networking (routing/switching/w Fire)

Backup/DR strategies

Security/compliance knowledge

Architectural standards/docs

Automation/Orchestration (PowerShell,_

Dependency mapping/capacity planning

DoD 8140 IAT Level II

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Tools

VMware

Hyper-V

KVM

PowerShell

Ansible

Job description

GovCIO is currently hiring for Data Center Engineer to support a moderinization effort. This position is located in Hampton, VA and will be a fully onsite position.

Responsibilities

• Design and lead end-to-end data center migration strategies, including on-premises to on-premises transitions, data center consolidations, and hybrid or cloud-adjacent migrations.
• Assess current data center environments, dependencies, and risks to create detailed migration roadmaps and execution plans.
• Architect target-state data center designs that align with business objectives, security standards, and compliance requirements.
• Collaborate closely with infrastructure, network, storage, security, and application teams to coordinate and execute migration activities.
• Establish standards, best practices, and architectural frameworks to support ongoing data center operations and future scalability.
• Lead technical decision-making across virtualization platforms, storage solutions, networking architectures, backup strategies, and disaster recovery planning.
• Oversee migration execution, including cutover planning, validation activities, and post-migration optimization.
• Identify and mitigate performance, availability, data integrity, and security risks throughout the migration lifecycle.
• Produce comprehensive documentation such as architecture diagrams, runbooks, migration plans, and operational handoff materials.
• Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to engineering and operations teams.
• Investigates the technical capabilities of company services and competing equipment and/or solutions.
• Stays abreast of developments in hardware and software.
• Generates quantifiable requirements based on customer description, system planning and design, and ensures requirements comply through formal verification methods.
• Translates high level product development strategies into network and system requirement specifications and works with other engineering disciplines to develop lower-level detailed implementation requirements.
• Establishes and coordinates development of standards, practices, and procedures as related to the network and system development.
• Designs interfaces and brings network and system elements together so they work as a whole.
• Assesses performance using evaluation criteria and technical performance measures.
• Provides customer liaison and support for business development activities and to understand and shape requirements.
• Coordinates the planning, design, and installation of equipment, using knowledge of engineering and programming as well as sophisticated instruments and computers.
• Participates in system conceptual design and documentation of the design concepts.
• Designs, creates, and builds network services, equipment and devices.

Qualifications

Required Education and Experience
Bachelor’s Degree with 12+ yrs experience

• Clearance Required: Top Secret/SCI

Required Skills:

• Deep expertise in data center infrastructure, including compute, storage, and networking
• Strong understanding of virtualization platforms (VMware, Hyper-V, KVM, etc.)
• Proficiency in designing and executing large-scale data center migrations
• Knowledge of cloud platforms and hybrid/cloud-adjacent architectures
• Experience with storage architectures (SAN, NAS, object storage)
• Advanced networking knowledge, including routing, switching, firewalls, and load balancing
• Familiarity with backup, recovery, and disaster recovery strategies
• Strong understanding of security frameworks, compliance requirements, and risk mitigation
• Ability to develop architectural standards, frameworks, and documentation
• Experience with automation and orchestration tools (PowerShell, Ansible, etc.)
• Proficiency in dependency mapping, workload analysis, and capacity planning
• DoD 8140 IAT Level II certification (Security+ CE,CCNA-Security,CySA+,CND)

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Strong problem-solving, analytical, and troubleshooting skills
• Excellent communication and cross-team collaboration skills
• Ability to lead technical teams and provide mentorship

• Experience with DOD Networks (NIPR, SIPR, JWICS)
• Experience working in fast-paced, transformation-driven environments

Posted Salary Range

USD $230,000.00 - USD $240,000.00 /Yr.