Senior Cloud Solutions Architect

The Aerospace Corporation; Colorado Springs (CO); On-site; USD 166,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive health care and wellness

Relocation assistance

401(k) plan with match

Education assistance

Job summary

The Aerospace Corporation is seeking a senior cloud architect for a 100% onsite role in Colorado Springs. The candidate will lead cloud strategy, provide technical guidance, and drive prototyping efforts for space mission use cases, working with DoD, IC, and civil space customers.

A deep cloud background and security clearance readiness are required. Ideal candidates have extensive experience with AWS/Azure/GCP, well‑architected frameworks, and customer collaboration to deliver scalable cloud

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related STEM field.
• At least 12 years of experience working with software, IT systems, and related technologies.
• At least 5 years of experience working with cloud technologies.
• In depth knowledge and hands on experience with at least one public cloud service provider (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform).
• In depth understanding and demonstrated experience with well‑architected cloud concepts: operational excellence, performance efficiency, security, reliability, and cost optimization.
• Experience in designing, architecting, developing, implementing, operating, and evolving cloud systems to support customers.
• Proven track record of working with customers to understand requirements and build cloud solutions to meet those requirements.
• Willing to travel domestically up to 10% if required.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance; U.S. citizenship required.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with DoD, IC, and Civil space mission owners to understand their cloud technology use cases and mission needs.
• Work with cloud service providers to understand their technologies and help leverage those technologies.
• Provide cloud strategic advice, technical guidance, reference architectures, and best practices for the space enterprise.
• Act as a technical lead on prototyping efforts to demonstrate and benchmark cloud technologies for space mission use cases.
• Conduct cloud architecture reviews of customer mission systems.
• Develop cloud migration strategies for customer mission systems.
• Perform cloud cost estimations and optimizations for customer mission systems.
• Capture and share best‑practice knowledge amongst the Aerospace Corporation’s cloud solution architect community.
• Create and deliver presentations to internal teams and external stakeholders.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related STEM field

Tools

AWS

Azure

Google Cloud Platform

Job description

About the Company

The Aerospace Corporation is the trusted partner to the nation’s space programs, solving the hardest problems and providing unmatched technical expertise. As the operator of a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), we are broadly engaged across all aspects of space— delivering innovative solutions that span satellite, launch, ground, and cyber systems for defense, civil and commercial customers. When you join our team, you’ll be part of a special collection of problem solvers, thought leaders, and innovators. Join us and take your place in space.

Information Systems and Cyber Division (ISCD) staff couple the latest in information system technologies, such as elastic compute clouds, containerization, microservices, real‑time operating systems, and visualization frameworks, with expertise in cyber security, software architecture, software engineering, data science, Artificial Intelligence, process improvement, and software development to deliver responsive, resilient, high‑performance software intensive systems to our Intelligence Community, DoD, and civilian customers. The Cloud Platforms & Architectures Department (CPAD) is the center‑of‑excellence for cloud computing and cloud‑related technologies within The Aerospace Corporation. CPAD’s overall goal is to stay at the forefront of cloud technology to enable our customers to effectively leverage it to fulfill their space mission needs. CPAD works with a variety of government organizations, contractors, and cloud service providers to help government programs design, architect, and evolve their cloud systems. They also provide the government and contractors with guidance on best practices for developing, implementing, and operating cloud systems in support of government space missions.

Work Model

This is a fulltime position based in Colorado Springs, CO which requires 100% onsite work.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Collaborate with DoD, IC, and Civil space mission owners to understand their cloud technology uses cases and mission needs.
• Work with cloud service providers (e.g., Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud) to understand their technologies and help the government and their contractors effectively leverage those technologies.
• Provide cloud strategic advice, technical guidance, reference architectures, and best practices for the space enterprise.
• Act as a technical lead on prototyping efforts to demonstrate and benchmark cloud technologies for space mission use cases.
• Conduct cloud architecture reviews of customer mission systems.
• Develop cloud migration strategies for customer mission systems.
• Perform cloud cost estimations and optimizations for customer mission systems.
• Capture and share best‑practice knowledge amongst the Aerospace Corporation’s cloud solution architect community.
• Create and deliver presentations to internal teams and external stakeholders.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related STEM field.
• At least 12 years of experience working with software, IT systems, and related technologies.
• At least 5 years of experience working with cloud technologies.
• In depth knowledge and hands on experience with at least one public cloud service provider (e.g., Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform).
• In depth understanding and demonstrated experience with well‑architected cloud concepts: operational excellence, performance efficiency, security, reliability, and cost optimization.
• Experience in designing, architecting, developing, implementing, operating, and evolving cloud systems to support customers.
• Proven track record of working with customers to understand requirements and build cloud solutions to meet those requirements.
• Willing to travel domestically to work locations, customer sites, and conferences up to 10%, if required.
• This position requires ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance, which is issued by the U.S. government.
• U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance.

How You Can Stand Out

• Advanced degree in Computer Science or a related STEM field.
• Certifications related to cloud computing (e.g., AWS Solutions Architect, Azure Solutions Architect, Google Cloud Engineer).
• Certifications related to cybersecurity (e.g., Security+, CISSP).
• Familiarity with satellite and ground systems architectures.
• Active security clearance issued by the U.S. Government.

Salary and Pay Basis

(Min - Max) $166,400.00 - $249,600.00

Pay Basis: Annual

Leadership Competencies

Our leadership philosophy is simple: every employee, regardless of level and role, can demonstrate leadership. At Aerospace, our commitment is our people. To cultivate our talent and ensure that we have a strong pipeline of future leaders, we want individuals who:

• Operate Strategically
• Lead Change
• Engage with Impact
• Foster Innovation
• Deliver Results

Benefits

• Comprehensive health care and wellness plans
• Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation
• Standard and alternate work schedules, including telework options
• 401(k) Plan — Employees receive a total company‑paid benefit of 8%, 10%, or 12% of eligible compensation based on years of service and matching contributions; employees are immediately eligible and vested in the plan upon hire
• Flexible spending accounts
• Variable pay program for exceptional contributions
• Relocation assistance
• Professional growth and development programs to help advance your career
• Education assistance programs

Equal Opportunity Commitment

The Aerospace Corporation is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, color, religion, genetic information, marital status, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, physical disability, medical condition, mental disability, or disability status and any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. If you’re an individual with a disability or a disabled veteran who needs assistance using our online job search and application tools or need reasonable accommodation to complete the job application process, please contact us by phone at 310.336.5432 or by email at [e-mail] . You can also review Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal.

Right Place

The Aerospace Corporation has over 26 locations nationwide, which allows us to build a workforce that will nurture the best ideas, and generate the most novel innovations and solutions to our nation’s toughest space enterprise challenges.

Right Path

Aerospace covers all stages of the space lifecycle, from concept to operations. We believe our people are our most valuable resource and that’s why we propel our employees forward in their careers through ongoing education, training, and professional development.

Right Purpose

We can all serve a mission much greater than ourselves, and at Aerospace that is exactly what we do. By hiring the industry’s most preeminent scientists and engineers, Aerospace advances emerging technologies that protect some of the most critical missions on Earth and above it.

Return to the Aerospace Careers site.

Aerospace employees working in organizations with technical responsibilities are required to obtain a Security Clearance. U.S. citizenship is required for those positions.