Staff Cloud Solutions Architect

CHAOS Industries; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 180,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits 100% paid

401k match

FSA/HSA

Life insurance

Relocation assistance

Unlimited PTO

Job summary

CHAOS Industries is seeking a Staff Cloud Solutions Architect in Washington, DC to design, lead, and govern cloud infrastructure strategy across defense and GovCon programs. You will own the architecture end-to-end, from concept to delivery, ensuring mission-ready solutions with strong security and compliance.

You’ll collaborate with ISSMs, program managers, and engineers to implement AWS GovCloud and Azure Government throughout classified and unclassified environments, while mentoring teams and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Cloud Computing, or related field.
• Master’s degree preferred or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 8–12 years in cloud architecture with DoD/federal programs.
• Hands-on with Terraform, CloudFormation, or Bicep; DevSecOps focus.

Responsibilities

• Design and own enterprise cloud architecture across AWS GovCloud, Azure Government, and on-premise/hybrid environments.
• Develop cloud architecture docs and ATO artifacts aligned to NIST RMF, ICD 503, FedRAMP.
• Define and enforce cloud security standards including Zero Trust and IAM.
• Lead cloud migration planning and execution (rehost/replatform/refactor).
• Architect secure, highly available cloud networks (VPC/VNET, transit, Direct Connect/ExpressRoute).
• Collaborate with ISSM/ISSO to maintain SSPs and continuous monitoring for cloud-hosted systems.
• Establish IaC standards using Terraform, CloudFormation, or Azure Bicep; enable auditable pipelines.
• Evaluate emerging cloud tech with CIO/executive trade studies.
• Serve as primary technical authority for cloud architecture on assigned programs.
• Mentor engineers and architects; establish governance and review processes.
• Travel up to 10% CONUS for site support and reviews.

Skills

Cloud architecture

AWS GovCloud

Azure Government

Terraform

CI/CD security

IAM

Zero Trust

Networking design

Multi-account design

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Terraform

CloudFormation

Azure Bicep

Kubernetes

Job description

Washington, District of Columbia, United States

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by CDN™, empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com .

Role Overview:

CHAOS Industries is hiring a Staff Cloud Solutions Architect to design, lead, and govern our cloud infrastructure strategy across defense and GovCon program environments. This is a high-impact, senior individual contributor role that sits at the center of our digital transformation — you’ll define how we build, secure, and scale cloud capabilities across classified, unclassified, and hybrid environments. You’ll own the architecture from concept through delivery, working alongside ISSMs, program managers, and engineering teams to ensure every solution is mission-ready, compliant, and built to last.

• You’ll be embedded across the Enterprise Technology and Classified Programs divisions — partnering with ISSMs, security engineers, program leads, and government customers to translate mission requirements into cloud architecture that actually works at scale in a defense environment. If you thrive in environments where the stakes are real, this is your seat.
• From day one, you’ll own the cloud architecture roadmap, lead our AWS GovCloud and Azure Government platform strategy, drive zero trust network architecture implementation, and architect the secure connectivity fabric between classified and unclassified environments. You build the things other architects only diagram.

Responsibilities:

• Design and own the enterprise cloud architecture across AWS GovCloud, Azure Government, and on-premise/hybrid environments supporting classified and unclassified program workloads.
• Develop cloud architecture documentation including solution design documents, network diagrams, data flow maps, and Authority to Operate (ATO) supporting artifacts aligned to NIST RMF, ICD 503, and FedRAMP.
• Define and enforce cloud security architecture standards including Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA), identity and access management (IAM), encryption in transit and at rest, and workload isolation patterns.
• Lead cloud migration planning and execution — assess on-premise workloads, define migration strategies (rehost, replatform, refactor), and oversee technical delivery.
• Architect secure, high-availability cloud network topologies including VPC/VNET design, transit gateways, private connectivity (AWS Direct Connect, Azure ExpressRoute), and cross-domain solution integration.
• Collaborate with ISSM/ISSO teams to develop and maintain Cloud Security Plans, System Security Plans (SSPs), and continuous monitoring strategies for cloud-hosted systems.
• Establish infrastructure-as-code (IaC) standards and patterns using Terraform, AWS CloudFormation, or Azure Bicep; promote repeatable, auditable, and secure deployment pipelines.
• Evaluate emerging cloud technologies, services, and vendors; provide build vs. buy vs. configure recommendations with documented trade studies for CIO and executive review.
• Serve as the primary technical authority for cloud architecture on assigned programs; engage directly with government customers, AOs, and prime contractors on cloud-related matters.
• Mentor and guide cloud engineers, DevSecOps practitioners, and junior architects; establish architecture review processes and cloud governance frameworks.
• Travel up to10% CONUS to support program sites, government customer engagements, and architecture reviews.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Cloud Computing, or a related technical field. Master’s degree preferred; equivalent experience considered.
• 8–12 years of experience in cloud architecture, infrastructure engineering, or solutions architecture, with a minimum of 4 years designing cloud solutions for DoD, IC, or federal government programs.
• Demonstrated experience architecting production workloads on AWS GovCloud and/or Azure Government, including multi-account/multi-subscription landing zone design, networking, and IAM.
• Hands-on experience with infrastructure-as-code tooling (Terraform, CloudFormation, Bicep, or equivalent) and CI/CD pipeline security (DevSecOps).
• Working knowledge of FedRAMP, NIST SP 800-53, NIST SP 800-144, CMMC Level 2/3, and DFARS cloud security requirements.
• Experience supporting NIST RMF authorization activities for cloud-hosted systems, including development of cloud-specific SSP artifacts and continuous monitoring strategies.
• Active Secret clearance required at time of hire. TS/SCI eligibility strongly preferred; specific program assignments may require upgrade.

Preferred Requirements:

• Experience designing Cross Domain Solutions (CDS) or multi-level security (MLS) architectures for classified environments.
• Familiarity with NSA/CSS cloud security standards, DoD Cloud Computing Security Requirements Guide (CC SRG), or IC cloud policy.
• Experience with container orchestration (Kubernetes, EKS, AKS) and service mesh architectures in a GovCloud environment.
• Knowledge of cloud-native SIEM and security tooling (AWS Security Hub, Microsoft Sentinel, Crowdstrike Falcon) for continuous monitoring in classified/CUI environments.
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional, AWS Certified Security – Specialty, Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert, or equivalent.

Why CHAOS?

• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
• Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
• Our Perks: Free daily lunch, ‘No meeting Fridays’, unlimited PTO, casual dress code
• Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
• Team Growth: 250 employees and counting across 5 global offices

Salary Range: $180,000 - $220,000

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.

Recruiting Agencies: CHAOS Industries does not accept unsolicited resumes or outreach. Unsolicited submissions will not be reviewed or compensated.

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