Senior AWS Cloud Architect
About The Position
Space Dynamic Laboratory’s (SDL’s) Strategic & Military Space Division is seeking a highly experienced Senior Cloud Architect to lead the design, integration, and evolution of cloud-enabled satellite ground system solutions. This is a strategy-first, architecture-led role. The selected candidate will be responsible for shaping a long-term cloud vision, establishing architectural standards, and ensuring that secure, resilient, and scalable cloud capabilities align with evolving mission needs. This position is ideal for a senior technical leader who operates at the enterprise and system-of-systems level — someone who designs for mission continuity, cross-domain integration, and long-term modernization, not just infrastructure deployment. You will work closely with a broad community of stakeholders—including customer Program Offices, internal engineering teams, FFRDCs/UARCs, SETA personnel, and industry partners—to architect, deploy, and sustain trusted cloud and information systems. The Strategic & Military Space Division delivers advanced satellite and sensor systems that support the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community. Our division is a key component of national security, providing technological solutions and expert mission support. Become part of a team dedicated to making a tangible contribution to our nation’s defense capabilities.
Requirements
- U.S. citizenship with the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance
- Bachelor’s degree with 15+ years of experience, or master’s with 13+ years, or PhD with 9+ years (engineering or science discipline)
- Demonstrated experience defining and governing enterprise-scale cloud architectures
- Deep understanding of AWS core services and architectural patterns across compute, storage, networking, identity, and security domains
- Experience designing multi-account cloud governance models and secure landing zone strategies
- Experience aligning cloud architectures with NIST 800-53 and DoD security frameworks
- Proven ability to lead technical trade studies and communicate architectural decisions to senior stakeholders
- Experience guiding engineering teams through solution implementation without functioning as primary administrator
- Demonstrated ability to lead projects, manage risk, and deliver solutions from concept to deployment
- Ability to build and maintain trusted customer relationships
- Demonstrated engineering judgment in high-impact technical decisions.
Nice To Haves
- Active Top-Secret clearance
- AWS Solutions Architect – Professional or equivalent enterprise cloud certification
- Experience leading architecture in Agile or DevSecOps environments
- Experience supporting national security, Air Force, or space-domain ground systems
- Knowledge of satellite communications protocols and standards
- Experience supporting DoD or Intelligence Community programs at IL4/IL5 or higher
- Experience integrating complex cloud platforms with external or legacy ground systems
Responsibilities
- Define and maintain the target-state cloud architecture supporting satellite ground and mission data systems
- Develop and communicate multi-year cloud modernization and evolution roadmaps aligned to strategic objectives
- Lead architectural trade studies and document technical decisions, risks, and alternatives
- Establish reusable reference architecture and standard design patterns for mission systems
- Analyze existing cloud architectures and make recommendations for change to pertinent stakeholders
- Architect secure cloud solutions aligned with NIST 800-53, DoD CC SRG (IL4/IL5+), and applicable cybersecurity requirements
- Guide control inheritance strategies and support maintenance of system authorization (RMF/ATO) processes
- Ensure auditability, continuous monitoring, and evidence generation are architected into solutions from inception
- Evaluate cost, reliability, and operational tradeoffs at the architecture level
- Architect integration patterns between cloud environments and legacy or on-premise ground systems
- Evaluate and design secure cross-domain and multi-classification data flow strategies where required
- Provide architectural oversight for containerization, data platforms, and infrastructure automation frameworks
- Promote and evangelize adherence to standard architecture frameworks
Benefits
- SDL offers competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits package.
- Visit our Benefits Page to learn more about what we offer.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
