Principal Architect – AI-Enabled Legacy Modernization

CompQsoft, Inc.•Kittery, ME

11d•Remote

About The Position

CompQsoft is seeking a senior technical leader to drive an AI-enabled modernization initiative supporting a mission-critical U.S. Navy environment. Position: Principal Architect – AI-Enabled Legacy Modernization Location: Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, NH (The position is full time remote, but will require a 1 week onboarding onsite. The company will pay for the travel.) Clearance: Active DOD Secret This role will be responsible for establishing a definitive understanding of the current legacy architecture, synthesizing historical modernization lessons learned, defining the future-state architecture, and identifying an executable modernization entry point (MVP). This individual will operate at the intersection of architecture, modernization strategy, and emerging AI-assisted software development practices. This is a hands-on strategic leadership role — not a pure advisory position.

Requirements

12–15+ years in enterprise architecture or large-scale system modernization.
Demonstrated success modernizing legacy federal or defense systems.
Experience decomposing monolithic applications.
Strong integration architecture background.
Familiarity with secure cloud environments.
Exceptional architectural judgment
Ability to operate in ambiguous environments
Executive communication skills
Bias toward execution over theory

Nice To Haves

DoD or Navy experience
Active clearance
Experience with IL5 environments
DevSecOps transformation exposure
AI-assisted development familiarity

Responsibilities

Architectural Discovery & Assessment
Lead comprehensive analysis of a large-scale monolithic system and its dependencies (~30+ interfaces).
Document current-state architecture, data flows, integrations, and operational constraints.
Evaluate hosting, security, and IL4/IL5 considerations where applicable.
Modernization Strategy
Develop a pragmatic, phased modernization roadmap.
Identify high-value, low-risk opportunities for initial transformation.
Recommend architectural patterns (modular, services-based, microservices, hybrid, etc.).
Align strategy with DevSecOps and cloud adoption objectives.
AI Enablement
Evaluate where AI-assisted development can materially accelerate modernization.
Establish guardrails to prevent tool-driven rather than architecture-driven decisions.
Translate emerging capabilities (agentic workflows, code generation, automated documentation) into practical delivery models.
Historical Failure Analysis
Perform root-cause analysis of prior modernization attempts.
Identify stakeholder, interface, adoption, and cost factors that contributed to program challenges.
Ensure future strategy explicitly mitigates those risks.
Executive & Stakeholder Engagement
Serve as a senior technical advisor to CompQsoft leadership and government stakeholders.
Translate complex architectural concepts into clear decision frameworks.
Support modernization briefings and strategic planning sessions.
MVP Definition & Execution Path
Recommend an initial modernization pilot with measurable success criteria.
Define ROM-level cost ranges and delivery approach.
Establish architectural governance patterns for follow-on efforts.