Federal Compliance & Security Architect

Salesforce•Washington DC, VA

17h

About The Position

Salesforce is seeking a Principal Federal Compliance & Security Architect to serve as the chief technical authority for their federal platform footprint. This role involves defining and informing technical vision, bridging high-level compliance directives with robust cloud engineering to achieve and maintain Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Moderate, High, and Department of Defense (DoD) Impact Level 5 (IL5) authorizations. The architect will partner with the Engineering team to drive systemic engineering excellence, align cross-functional initiatives with long-range strategic goals, and act as a trusted advisor to executive leadership, key customers, and federal authorizing bodies. The incumbent will have deep experience in Federal security and compliance requirements, focusing on identifying risks and mitigation strategies to deploy secure and compliant products.

Requirements

12+ years of experience in security architecture, cloud engineering, or systems design
5+ years leading major federal compliance initiatives (FedRAMP Moderate/High, DoD Impact Level 5 [IL5])
Proven track record operating as a Principal Architect, driving cross-organizational alignment, technical strategy, and multi-year roadmaps across engineering organizations.
Deep technical mastery of NIST SP 800-53, NIST SP 800-37 Risk Management Framework (RMF), FIPS 140-2/140-3, and DoD Cloud Computing SRG requirements.
Hands-on experience designing and securing cloud architectures within Amazon Web Services (AWS) GovCloud, Microsoft Azure Government, or equivalent federal environments.
Direct experience acting as a technical lead through Third-Party Assessment Organization (3PAO) assessments, agency sponsorship, and FedRAMP PMO / DoD AO authorization cycles.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated ability to present complex technical topics to C-level executives and federal officials.

Nice To Haves

Relevant certifications preferred (e.g., Certified Information Systems Security Professional [CISSP], Certified Cloud Security Professional [CCSP], Certified Information Security Manager [CISM]).
Active or eligible-for United States federal security clearance (Secret or Top Secret) preferred.

Responsibilities

Partner with Engineering and Product leadership to establish architectural standards, ensure technical quality, and design highly available, resilient federal platforms capable of achieving FedRAMP High and DoD IL5 authorizations.
Evaluate technical feasibility for complex architecture initiatives and perform architectural governance reviews to ensure enterprise-wide alignment with a focus on proactive risk identification and mitigation strategy development and implementation.
Establish strategic architectural principles and reusable design frameworks that empower engineering teams with compliant-by-default guidance.
Explore emerging technologies, cloud design patterns, and open-source innovations, quantifying trade-offs between delivery velocity, risk profile, and federal compliance mandates.
Translate NIST SP 800-53 controls, DoD Cloud Computing SRG, and FIPS requirements into scalable, high-performance cloud architectures across AWS GovCloud, Microsoft Azure Government, or dedicated enclaves.
Drive end-to-end accountability for compliance and security architecture across the platform lifecycle, proactively closing structural gaps in technical and security requirements.
Advance engineering excellence by defining standardized frameworks, refining Continuous Monitoring (ConMon) practices, and optimizing developer productivity.
Author high-impact architecture specifications, System Security Plans (SSPs), and portfolio strategy documents tailored for executive, technical, and regulatory audiences.
Conduct rigorous architecture and code reviews, drive Root-Cause Analyses (RCAs) to permanent resolution, and ensure alignment across technical deliverables and organizational goals.
Partner with Product Management on Long-Range Planning (LRP), leveraging data-driven insights to align release trajectories with strategic federal platform vision.
Monitor execution risk, optimize continuous delivery feedback loops, resolve operational friction, and balance strategic business mandates with technical trade-offs.
Evangelize incremental delivery models and maintain refined engineering backlogs that balance continuous compliance posture with rapid technical innovation.
Analyze service health metrics, advocate for true service ownership across engineering teams, and systematically identify and remediate long-term technical debt.
Engage directly with key senior leaders, internal and external customers to align custom requirements, platform strategy with market trends, and champion customer needs and learnings internally.
Advise executive leadership on strategic architectural choices while serving as the primary technical liaison to Third-Party Assessment Organizations (3PAOs), sponsoring agencies, and Authorizing Officials (AOs).
Oversee cross-product technical alignment, guide platform consumption models, and ensure seamless, secure transitions into production federal environments.
Articulate complex security and architectural concepts to executive and customer leadership through tailored messaging, active listening, and concise presentation.
Coach and mentor architects and engineering leaders in soft skills, business acumen, and systemic problem-solving to build organizational capability.