Solutions Architect

Optimal Solutions Inc.; Washington; On-site; USD 130,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Optimal Solutions Inc. is seeking an experienced Solutions Architect to join their corporate team in Washington. This pivotal role involves engaging with customers and driving proposal development in line with federal contracting processes. The ideal candidate has over 15 years of relevant experience and a Bachelor's degree in a related field.

Key responsibilities include leading technical solution design, writing proposals, and maintaining relationships with industry partners.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in solution architecture or related roles.
• Strong knowledge of federal acquisition processes.
• Demonstrated experience leading proposal development.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design of innovative technical solutions for proposals.
• Serve as the lead technical writer for proposals.
• Build and maintain relationships with industry collaborators.

Skills

Technical writing

Customer engagement

Solution architecture

Proposal development

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field

Job description

Location: DC Metro (with potential travel as needed; 10% travel outside of DC region)

Position Overview:

We are seeking an experienced Solutions Architect to join our corporate team. This role is critical in shaping technical solutions, engaging with customers, driving proposal development, and supporting business development (BD) and capture activities. The Solution Architect will work closely with capture managers, proposal teams, and technical subject matter experts (SMEs) to lead the design of innovative, compliant, and competitive solutions that align with customer requirements and corporate capabilities. The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise with strong business acumen and proven experience in Federal and Defense contracting.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Solutioning & Architecture

• Lead the design of innovative, scalable, and cost-effective technical solutions for proposals, RFIs, and Sources Sought responses.
• Translate customer requirements into architectures that leverage corporate strengths and industry best practices.
• Ensure solutions are executable, compliant, and aligned with emerging technologies and customer mission needs.
• Collaborate with SMEs, partner companies, and program teams to integrate past performance and technical differentiators into solutions.

Proposal & Capture Support

• Serve as the lead technical writer for proposals, ensuring clarity, compliance, and compelling narratives.
• Drive solutioning sessions and contribute to win strategies, discriminators, and technical approaches.
• Participate in color team reviews (Pink, Red, Gold), providing constructive feedback to strengthen technical volumes.
• Support capture managers in developing technical strategies, solution roadmaps, and partner engagement approaches.

Business Development & Market Engagement

• Participate in Industry Days, customer forums, and other customer engagement opportunities to gather intelligence, shape requirements, and align solutions with customer needs.
• Build and maintain relationships with Large Business primes, teaming partners, and industry collaborators.
• Independently identify and qualify opportunities, bringing them into the pipeline and aligning them with corporate strategy.
• Actively support pipeline management, including opportunity qualification, gate reviews, and bid/no-bid decisions.
• Contribute to strategic growth by analyzing market trends, customer missions, and the competitive landscape.
• Develop and deliver white papers, capability statements, and thought leadership materials to showcase corporate capabilities.

Internal Collaboration & Leadership

• Partner with pricing, contracts, and delivery teams to ensure solutions are executable and cost-effective.
• Mentor SMEs and technical contributors in proposal solutioning and writing best practices.
• Promote knowledge sharing across programs and capture efforts to strengthen overall corporate technical positioning.

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 15+ years of experience in solution architecture, technical capture, or related roles within the Federal contracting space.
• Demonstrated experience leading technical solutioning and writing winning proposals.
• Strong knowledge of federal acquisition processes (RFI, RFP, Sources Sought, etc.).
• Experience working with technical proposal development and review processes.
• Excellent technical writing, communication, and presentation skills.
• Proven ability to engage with customers, partners, and internal teams to drive solution strategies.

Preferred:

• Master’s degree in a related field.
• Experience with cloud architectures, cybersecurity, AI/ML, data analytics, enterprise IT modernization, or related domains.
• Familiarity with Shipley or capture/proposal methodologies.