Systems Architect, SME

General Dynamics Information Technology; Springfield (VA); On-site; USD 187,000 - 253,000; Full time

Job summary

General Dynamics Information Technology seeks a strategic Systems Architect SME to lead a skilled team supporting the DSMS Enterprise for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. You will guide modernization, security governance, and cloud migration (JADE-to-Azure IL5) across DIAMONDS and related platforms.

You will bridge technical execution with Government requirements, ensuring high availability and compliance in a highly secure DoD setting.

Qualifications

• BA/BS degree or equivalent and 15+ years of related work experience.
• Top-Secret clearance currently possessed or ability to obtain SCI eligibility.
• Proven experience leading technical teams in a large, complex IT program within a Defense or IC environment.
• Hands-on architectural experience with VMware vSphere and physical server management in DISA STIG-compliant environments.
• Strong ability to communicate roadmaps, risks, and solutions to non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Provide senior technical advisory on architecture decisions, risk, and modernization priorities.
• Mentor a team of systems administrators and infrastructure engineers for 99.7% monthly availability.
• Lead design and health of DIAMONDS Enterprise and JADE environments including cloud migration efforts.
• Enforce security governance and RMF/POA&M management per DoW requirements.
• Support DoD architecture artifacts and DoDAF for network, host, and database systems.

Skills

DoDAF Systems Design

RMF/Continuous ATO

Zero Trust Architecture

VCP

IAT Level II (Security+)

Leadership/Mentoring

Education

BA/BS degree or equivalent

Tools

VMware vSphere

Windows Server

RHEL

Active Directory

Network/Firewall devices

Job description

Type of Requisition: Regular Clearance Level Must Currently Possess: Top Secret Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain: Top Secret/SCI Public Trust/Other Required: None Job Family: IT Infrastructure and Operations Job Qualifications: Skills: Enterprise Infrastructures, Enterprise Systems, System Infrastructure, Systems Design, Virtualization Certifications: None Experience: 15 + years of related experience US Citizenship Required: Yes

Job Description

We are seeking a strategic Systems Architect SME to lead a highly technical team of systems, network, software and database engineers supporting the Defense Threat Reduction Agency's (DTRA) Defense Stockpile Management System (DSMS) Enterprise. This program provides full lifecycle sustainment for a system supporting accountability and reporting for DTRA's Nuclear Enterprise Directorate. In this role, you will serve as the program's technical lead and senior advisor to Program Management, overseeing the reliability, security, and modernization of the DSMS enterprise infrastructure, including the DIAMONDS system of record, the JADE development environment, and the NIMACS application platform. You will serve as the critical bridge between technical execution and Government stakeholder requirements, guiding the enterprise modernization roadmap, including the ongoing JADE-to-Azure IL5 cloud migration, while ensuring seamless collaboration across all IT engineering disciplines in a highly secure, regulated environment governed by DoW Risk Management Framework and continuous Authority to Operate (ATO) requirements.

WHAT YOU WILL DO: Core Priorities & Responsibilities

• Serve as the Technical Lead for the program, providing senior technical advisory support to the Program Manager and Deputy Program Manager on architecture decisions, technical risk, resource trade-offs, and modernization priorities across all task areas.
• Represent the technical position of the program in Government management reviews, technical exchange meetings, and design review boards, and translate technical risk into terms Program Management can be used to inform cost, schedule, and staffing decisions.
• Direct, mentor, and empower a team of systems administrators and infrastructure engineers, driving operational excellence, workload prioritization, and technical skill development in support of a 99.7% monthly operational availability requirement across the DIAMONDS Enterprise and Central/Core virtual computing environments.
• Drive the architectural design and health of a complex environment, including but not limited to VMware vSphere (vSAN, vROPs, SRM, vRA, Horizon VDI), Windows core service servers, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, 3rd party applications, IIS, Tomcat Apache, and databases (Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle).
• Support the DIAMONDS, JADE, and DATS operating environments, including Dell EMC server hardware and Cisco network devices.
• Enforce strict security governance across the enterprise systems infrastructure.
• Ensure continuous compliance with DISA STIG security policies and implementation scheduling, manage the Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M), update System Security Plan and Risk Management Framework (RMF) control documentation, manage PKI certificate servers, Active Directory, Group Policy, and oversee RSA user authentication servers.
• Support the planning, design, and fielding of Zero Trust architecture and Comply-to-Connect (C2C) requirements in accordance with mandated DoW policy deadlines.
• Break down silos by partnering closely with Network Engineering, Cybersecurity, Application Development, Database Administration, Field Support, and the DIAMONDS Support Center (DSC) to deliver cohesive, highly available services across all task areas.
• Support quarterly Disaster Recovery switchover testing, meeting a two-hour Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and translate complex stakeholder requirements into actionable modernization strategies.
• Bridge the gap between legacy infrastructure constraints and future-state performance and security goals, including support for the migration of the JADE environment from on-premises infrastructure to the J6 IL5 Azure cloud.
• Develop and maintain DoD Architecture Framework (DoDAF) artifacts for all network, host, workstation, and database systems, and support formal Government design reviews with zero major rework.
• Support enterprise lifecycle management activities, including hardware and software refresh planning, end-of-life tracking, and cost estimation for full lifecycle refresh, ensuring 180-day advance alerts for all affected items.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO SUCCEED

Bring your technology expertise and drive for innovation to GDIT. The Systems Architect SME must have proven work experience in these areas of IT expertise along with these current IT certifications: Skills: Enterprise Infrastructure Architecture, Virtualization Engineering (VMware vSphere), DoDAF Systems Design, RMF/Continuous ATO Compliance, Zero Trust Architecture Certifications: DoW 8140 IAT Level II required (e.g., Security+ CE or equivalent) at time of hire. VMware Certified Professional (VCP) preferred. CMMI-DEV/SVC Level 3 process familiarity preferred. Minimum Qualifications BA/BS degree or equivalent, and 15+ years of related work experience. Proven experience serving as a technical lead or chief architect advising program or senior management on technical strategy, risk, and resourcing decisions on a large, complex IT program, ideally within a Defense or Intelligence Community operational setting. Proven experience managing, leading, and mentoring technical teams (systems administrators, infrastructure engineers, or similar) in an enterprise environment. Deep technical expertise managing mixed operating system environments, specifically Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and Windows Server, within a DISA STIG-compliant environment. Hands-on architectural experience with enterprise virtualization (VMware vSphere/vCenter) and physical server hardware management, including experience supporting high-availability (99%+ uptime) production environments. Strong foundational knowledge of Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) and Microsoft Exchange. Working knowledge of Risk Management Framework (RMF), continuous monitoring principles (NIST SP 800-137), and POA&M management in a DoD accredited system environment. Exceptional interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to present technical roadmaps, risks, and solutions clearly to non-technical stakeholders and Government program leadership. Must currently possess a Top-Secret clearance and be able to obtain and maintain SCI eligibility. TS/SCI preferred. Must obtain and maintain DoD 8140 IAT Level II certification within the timeline required by contract policy. (e.g., Security+ CE or equivalent at time of hire.) Work location is Fort Belvoir, VA, with occasional CONUS travel in support of programming requirements. (Less than 10% travel). Not a remote role.

Preferred Qualifications

• Extensive experience operating within Department of War (DoW) frameworks, with a deep understanding of DISA STIGs and zero-trust architecture principles, including hands-on experience implementing Comply-to-Connect (C2C) network access controls.
• Proficiency in designing and managing enterprise telemetry and vulnerability remediation using tools such as the SolarWinds product suite, Shavlik (Ivanti), and ACAS/Nessus scanning platforms.
• Strong understanding of how virtualized systems interact with the physical network fabric (vSwitches, VLAN routing, and firewall rule integration), including TACLANE KG175 and COMSEC-adjacent network segments.
• A track record of evaluating legacy processes and successfully implementing automation to reduce manual administration overhead, consistent with CMMI-DEV/SVC Maturity Level 3 process discipline.
• Experience supporting cloud migration efforts, particularly on-premises to Azure IL5 or similar DoW-accredited cloud environments.
• Familiarity with Appian-based or similar low-code enterprise application platforms in a sustainment context.
• VMware Certified Professional (VCP) preferred.
• CMMI-DEV/SVC Level 3 process familiarity preferred.

WHAT GDIT CAN OFFER

• Growth: AI-powered career tool that identifies career steps and learning opportunities.
• Support: An internal mobility team focused on helping you achieve your career goals.
• Rewards: Comprehensive benefits and wellness packages, 401K with company match, and competitive pay and paid time off.
• Community: Award-winning culture of innovation and a military-friendly workplace.

The likely salary range for this position is $187,179 - $253,000. This is not, however, a guarantee of compensation or salary. Rather, salary will be set based on experience, geographic location and possibly contractual requirements and could fall outside of this range.

Scheduled Weekly Hours: 40 Travel Required: Less than 10% Telecommuting Options: Onsite Work Location: USA VA Fort Belvoir Additional Work Locations:

Total Rewards at GDIT: Our benefits package for all US-based employees includes a variety of medical plan options, some with Health Savings Accounts, dental plan options, a vision plan, and a 401(k) plan offering the ability to contribute both pre and post-tax dollars up to the IRS annual limits and receive a company match. To encourage work/life balance, GDIT offers employees full flex work weeks where possible and a variety of paid time off plans, including vacation, sick and personal time, holidays, paid parental, military, bereavement and jury duty leave. To ensure our employees are able to protect their income, other offerings such as short and long-term disability benefits, life, accidental death and dismemberment, personal accident, critical illness and business travel and accident insurance are provided or available. We regularly review our Total Rewards package to ensure our offerings are competitive and reflect what our employees have told us they value most.

Our Identity Verification Process: As part of the hiring process, we will ask you to complete an identity verification process that leverages advanced biometrics and artificial intelligence to ensure authenticity and protect against identity fraud. You are expected to be on camera during virtual interviews. We reserve the right to take your picture to verify your identity and prevent fraud. By proceeding, you authorize the collection, processing, and use of your biometric data for identity verification and security purposes.

About Our Work: We are GDIT. A global technology and professional services company that delivers technology solutions and mission services to every major agency across the U.S. government, defense and intelligence community. Our 26,000 experts extract the power of technology to create immediate value and deliver solutions at the edge of innovation. We operate across 50+ countries worldwide, offering leading mission-ready capabilities in AI, cloud, cyber and software development. Join our Talent Community to stay up to date on our career opportunities and events at gdit.com/tc.

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