Chief Architect

Aether Aerospace•Dayton, OH

20h•Remote

About The Position

Aether Aerospace is a Defense Technology platform formed by JHNA, CTSi, and EXPANSIA to deliver high-impact technologies, technology-enabled services, and advanced manufacturing solutions to the U.S. Department of Defense and related national security customers. Backed by Falfurrias Management Partners, the organization brings together expertise across Army, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force programs, digital engineering, systems integration, and specialized manufacturing. The Chief Architect provides technical leadership across complex U.S. Air Force programs, guiding integration of systems engineering, software delivery, cloud platforms, and digital engineering capabilities. The role establishes the architectural vision, principles, standards, and technical roadmaps that connect mission needs with executable program solutions. Working with Government, contractor, and mission-partner organizations, the Chief Architect shapes architectures supporting capability development from concept and requirements through design, integration, test, deployment, sustainment, and modernization. The position promotes disciplined systems engineering, model-based approaches, modular open systems, secure software factories, and reusable digital infrastructure while balancing mission effectiveness, affordability, schedule, cybersecurity, interoperability, and technical risk. As a senior technical authority, the Chief Architect aligns engineering teams, resolves cross-domain architectural issues, and communicates technical decisions to program leadership, customers, and stakeholders. The role is full-time and permanent, starts immediately, and is remote, with Boston, MA or Dayton, OH preferred.

Requirements

Active TS/SCI clearance.
Bachelor’s degree in systems engineering, software engineering, computer science, engineering management, or a related technical discipline.
15 or more years of relevant experience.
Extensive experience supporting U.S. Air Force, Department of Defense, or other national-security programs involving complex mission systems.
Demonstrated success as a chief architect, lead architect, chief engineer, or senior technical authority for large, multi-team programs.
Deep knowledge of systems engineering principles and lifecycle processes, including requirements, architecture, interfaces, integration, verification, validation, configuration management, and technical risk management.
Experience developing and governing system, solution, platform, enterprise, or system-of-systems architectures.
Ability to connect mission and operational needs to technical architecture, program roadmaps, engineering priorities, and implementation decisions.
Experience with software-intensive systems, modern application architectures, APIs, microservices, event-driven integration, and cloud-native design patterns.
Strong understanding of software factories, DevSecOps, CI/CD, infrastructure as code, automated testing, artifact management, observability, and secure software supply chains.
Experience applying digital engineering or model-based systems engineering practices and integrating engineering tools into an authoritative digital environment.
Working knowledge of Department of Defense cybersecurity, risk management, authorization, Zero Trust, and secure cloud or classified-environment considerations.
Experience applying modular open systems approaches, interface standards, interoperability principles, and reuse strategies.
Proven ability to lead architectural trade studies, assess alternatives, resolve complex technical issues, and document defensible decisions.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in systems engineering, software engineering, computer science, engineering management, or a related technical discipline.
Experience with Air Force acquisition programs, capability development, test and evaluation, operational transition, and sustainment.
Experience with DAF CloudWorks, Cloud One, Platform One, or comparable Department of Defense cloud and software-factory ecosystems.
Experience establishing or modernizing enterprise software factories, platform engineering capabilities, or digital engineering environments.
Familiarity with SysML, UML, DoDAF, UAF, MBSE platforms, requirements-management tools, modeling and simulation environments, or digital-thread integrations.
Knowledge of continuous ATO, automated compliance evidence, policy as code, software bills of materials, and secure supply-chain practices.
Familiarity with AI-assisted development and agentic workflows, including coding agents, MCP integrations, automated tests, and documentation, with human review and configuration control.

Responsibilities

Define and maintain the technical vision, reference architecture, architectural principles, and modernization roadmap for assigned Air Force programs.
Translate operational mission needs, capability objectives, and program priorities into coherent system-of-systems architectures and executable technical strategies.
Lead architecture development across mission systems, enterprise services, software applications, cloud environments, networks, cybersecurity, data, interfaces, and digital engineering toolchains.
Apply disciplined systems engineering throughout the lifecycle, including requirements development, functional analysis, architecture definition, interface management, integration, verification, validation, deployment, and sustainment.
Establish and govern technical baselines, architecture decision records, engineering standards, interface specifications, and reusable design patterns.
Promote model-based systems engineering and authoritative sources of truth linking requirements, architecture, design, analysis, test evidence, and configuration data.
Guide the adoption and integration of digital engineering capabilities, including collaborative models, digital threads, digital twins, simulation environments, and automated engineering workflows.
Provide architectural leadership for secure software factories, DevSecOps pipelines, platform services, continuous integration, continuous delivery, automated testing, and continuous authorization practices.
Ensure software-factory and platform solutions align with Air Force enterprise services, approved cloud environments, cybersecurity requirements, and program-specific mission constraints.
Champion modular open systems approaches, well-defined interfaces, interoperability, portability, reuse, and avoidance of unnecessary vendor or platform lock-in.
Evaluate current-state systems and technical debt, identify gaps and constraints, and define practical transition plans toward target architectures.
Identify cross-program architectural dependencies, integration risks, and technical issues; establish mitigation strategies and drive resolution across organizational boundaries.
Review system designs, engineering artifacts, implementation plans, test strategies, and technical deliverables for consistency with approved architecture and program objectives.