Senior Cloud Architect

Peraton•Washington, DC

About The Position

We are seeking a Senior Cloud Architect to serve as a technical authority for enterprise cloud operations within classified (TS/SCI) environments. This role combines strategic architecture, hands-on engineering, and program leadership to deliver mission-critical cloud capabilities across federal agencies. The ideal candidate will lead Landing Zone design, drive ATO readiness, and architect secure cloud solutions in air-gapped and hybrid environments—coordinating across government stakeholders, national laboratories, and cloud service providers.

Requirements

Minimum of 12 years with BS/BA; Minimum of 10 years with MS/MA; Minimum of 7 years with Ph.D., 16 years with a HS diploma
3+ years of experience operating in classified, air-gapped, or disconnected cloud environments
Strong knowledge of federal security frameworks including NIST 800-53, FedRAMP, and ATO processes
Proficiency in Infrastructure as Code (CloudFormation, Terraform, or equivalent)
Experience with DevOps toolchains including Docker, Jenkins, GitHub, and CI/CD pipeline design
Proven ability to lead cross-functional technical teams and coordinate with senior government stakeholders
Strong understanding of cloud security principles, including zero-trust architectures, encryption, and access management
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience)
Active TS/SCI or Q/SCI

Nice To Haves

AWS Solutions Architect certification (Associate or Professional)
Demonstrated expertise in AWS Landing Zone / Control Tower architecture and enterprise-scale multi-account strategies
Hands-on experience with core AWS services: EC2, S3, VPC, IAM, Lambda, EKS, CloudWatch, CloudTrail, RDS, and networking constructs
PMP (Project Management Professional) certification
Experience supporting DOE, DOW, or IC agency missions
Expertise in AI/ML and LLM deployment within secure or classified environments
Experience with big data and analytics platforms
Familiarity with container orchestration at scale in restricted environments
Background in enterprise cost optimization delivering measurable savings
Experience with cross-domain solutions and hybrid cloud networking
Proficiency in Python for automation, scripting, and tooling development
Track record of leading teams of 5+ engineers on complex cloud delivery programs

Responsibilities

Serve as Cloud Architect for TS/SCI classified enclaves, owning enterprise Landing Zone design, security posture, and operational readiness
Lead ATO gap analysis and remediation strategies, aligning cloud architecture to NIST 800-53, FedRAMP, and agency-specific security controls
Architect and oversee secure, air-gapped AWS environments, including hybrid connectivity, cross-domain solutions, and controlled data flows
Develop and implement automated cyber monitoring, anomaly detection, and alerting tools for cloud infrastructure and network activity
Provide technical leadership for AI/LLM initiatives within classified cloud environments, including secure deployment patterns, data governance, and model lifecycle management
Drive enterprise cloud optimization strategies to improve cost efficiency, operational performance, and mission delivery
Architect backup, disaster recovery, and high-availability solutions for large-scale, mission-critical data environments
Develop automation frameworks using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) for provisioning, compliance enforcement, and operational efficiency
Coordinate across government agencies, national labs, CSP(s), and contractor teams as the primary technical authority and point of escalation
Support DevOps and CI/CD pipeline development for microservices architectures, including container orchestration and monitoring
Mentor and lead teams of cloud engineers, fostering technical excellence and knowledge sharing