Senior Cloud Architect

Strategic ACI; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Strategic ACI seeks a Senior Cloud Architect to lead secure cloud design, deployment, and configuration for AI/ML Test & Evaluation across NGA environments.

You will drive scalable, high-availability cloud architectures with RMF/ATO alignment, collaborating with cybersecurity to ensure compliance and minimal latency for mission-critical tools and reports.

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance with ability to pass CI polygraph within 30 days.
• 8+ years designing, developing, or deploying enterprise cloud infrastructure and software solutions.
• Experience designing secure cloud architectures on AWS or comparable platforms.
• Experience with IaC tools (Terraform, CloudFormation, Ansible).
• Experience with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving under Agile/DevSecOps.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, deployment, and configuration of secure cloud infrastructure for AI/ML Test & Evaluation environments.
• Architect scalable, highly available, low-latency cloud solutions within NGA C2E AWS.
• Develop cloud architectures supporting automated T&E workflows and mission applications.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity to ensure RMF/ATO compliance and secure cloud architecture across UNCLASSIFIED, SECRET, TS/SCI.
• Provide technical leadership and mentoring to engineers; troubleshoot complex deployments and document standards.

Skills

Active TS/SCI clearance

8+ years cloud infra experience

AWS architecture

DevSecOps & Agile

Leadership & mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

Tools

Terraform

AWS CloudFormation

Ansible

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

Strategic ACI is seeking a Senior Cloud Architect to lead the design, deployment, and configuration of secure cloud-based AI/ML Test & Evaluation (T&E) solutions supporting mission-critical national security programs. The Senior Cloud Architect provides technical leadership in developing scalable, resilient cloud infrastructure that enables Model T&E (MT&E), System T&E (ST&E), Human-Machine Team T&E (HMTT&E), and T&E-as-a-Service (T&EaaS) capabilities across NGA environments.

This role architects secure, high-availability cloud environments within the NGA C2E AWS infrastructure that support low-latency processing, scalable compute resources, and reliable delivery of AI/ML evaluation services. Working closely with cybersecurity personnel, the engineer ensures cloud infrastructure complies with security requirements, mitigates vulnerabilities, and maintains compliance across UNCLASSIFIED, SECRET, and TS/SCI environments. By delivering secure, resilient, and scalable cloud solutions, the Senior Cloud Architect enables uninterrupted T&E operations and the timely delivery of evaluation tools, reports, and contract deliverables.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, deployment, and configuration of secure cloud infrastructure supporting AI/ML Test & Evaluation environments.
• Architect scalable, highly available, and low-latency solutions within the NGA C2E AWS cloud environment.
• Develop and implement cloud architectures that support automated T&E workflows, evaluation services, and mission applications.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity engineers to implement secure cloud solutions that comply with security policies, RMF requirements, and organizational standards.
• Design infrastructure that supports operations across UNCLASSIFIED, SECRET, and TS/SCI environments.
• Implement cloud resiliency, redundancy, monitoring, and disaster recovery capabilities that ensure continuous T&E operations.
• Optimize cloud infrastructure performance, scalability, reliability, and cost efficiency to support evolving mission requirements.
• Provide technical leadership and mentoring to software, platform, and DevSecOps engineers supporting cloud infrastructure development.
• Troubleshoot complex infrastructure and deployment issues while implementing long-term architectural improvements.
• Develop technical documentation supporting cloud architecture, deployment procedures, infrastructure standards, and operational best practices.

Qualifications

Required

• Active TS/SCI clearance and the ability to pass a CI polygraph within 30 days.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Information Systems, or a related STEM field (or additional relevant experience in lieu of a degree).
• 8+ years of experience designing, developing, or deploying enterprise cloud infrastructure and software solutions.
• Extensive experience designing cloud architectures using AWS or comparable enterprise cloud platforms.
• Experience deploying and managing secure cloud environments supporting mission-critical applications.
• Experience implementing Infrastructure as Code using Terraform, AWS CloudFormation, Ansible, or similar technologies.
• Experience with containerization and orchestration technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes.
• Experience collaborating with cybersecurity teams to implement secure cloud architectures and maintain compliance.
• Strong understanding of high-availability architectures, cloud networking, load balancing, and performance optimization.
• Excellent technical leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience working within Agile and DevSecOps software development environments.

Desired

• Experience supporting DoD, NGA, or Intelligence Community cloud modernization initiatives.
• Experience supporting AI/ML operational environments, MLOps platforms, or AI/ML Test & Evaluation infrastructure.
• Familiarity with C2E AWS cloud services and classified cloud computing environments.
• Experience supporting Risk Management Framework (RMF), Authority to Operate (ATO), and continuous monitoring activities.
• Experience designing cloud solutions across multiple security domains, including UNCLASSIFIED, SECRET, and TS/SCI environments.
• AWS Professional, Kubernetes, Security, or comparable cloud certifications.
• Experience supporting GEOINT systems, enterprise analytics platforms, or mission-focused AI/ML capabilities.