Solutions Architect

Syms Strategic Group, LLC (SSG) • Richmond, VA

1d • $109,623 - $126,790 • Remote

About The Position

Syms Strategic Group is seeking an experienced Solutions Architect for a full-time, 100% U.S.-based remote position supporting the Department of Veterans Affairs. The role develops and governs secure, scalable, and highly available Azure cloud solutions aligned with customer requirements, enterprise standards, business objectives, security requirements, and government cloud best practices. The position leads solution development for competitive proposals and coordinates technical contributors across business development, capture, proposal, and technical teams. The salary range is $109,623–$126,790. U.S. citizenship is required, and the candidate must possess or qualify for a Public Trust (MBI). Applicants from California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, or Washington will not be considered. This is a W-2 position.

The architect will guide technical teams, contribute to concepts and standards, and solve complex problems requiring ingenuity and innovation. The posting states a requirement of 10+ years of software testing, quality assurance, or system validation experience, and a bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Cloud Engineering, or a related technical discipline. Desired experience includes hands-on EDIFECS work with EDI X.12 workflows and advanced Azure certifications. Applicants selected will be subject to a government security investigation and may also undergo background checks, drug testing, and creditworthiness review.

Requirements

• Proven track record designing, deploying, and managing Azure infrastructure and services.
• Experience with large-scale, highly available, scalable cloud architecture.
• Extensive experience with Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Storage, Azure SQL Database, Azure Virtual Network, Azure Functions, Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD), Azure Resource Manager templates, Azure Monitor, and Azure DNS.
• Experience implementing Azure security services and practices, including Microsoft Entra ID, Azure DDoS Protection, Azure Firewall, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, and Web Application Firewall.
• Strong understanding of Azure networking, including VNet peering, ExpressRoute, VPN Gateway, Private Link, and hybrid connectivity architectures.
• Ability to design, deploy, and manage secure, scalable, highly available Azure solutions supporting enterprise requirements.
• Experience establishing and governing multi-subscription Azure environments using Azure Management Groups, Azure Policy, and Azure Landing Zones.
• Knowledge of Azure Cost Management, budgeting, resource optimization, and cloud cost governance.
• Proficiency in automation and scripting with Python, PowerShell, Azure CLI, or other automation frameworks; the posting also mentions Bash and NodeJS.
• Expertise with monitoring, logging, and observability tools such as Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Application Insights, Microsoft Sentinel, and third-party platforms.
• Strong understanding of Azure security architecture, governance, and compliance frameworks, including HIPAA, GDPR, and PCI DSS.
• Experience implementing encryption, key management, identity management, and privileged access controls using Azure Key Vault and Microsoft Entra ID.
• Knowledge of Azure data platform services, including Azure SQL Database, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Synapse Analytics, and Azure Data Lake Storage.
• Experience with database performance optimization, high availability, backup and recovery planning, and disaster recovery strategies.
• Familiarity with CI/CD methodologies and DevOps practices using Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, Azure Pipelines, and related deployment tools.
• Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, Azure Kubernetes Service, Azure Container Apps, and Azure Container Instances.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to diagnose and resolve complex cloud infrastructure, networking, application, and cloud-related issues.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders and present business-focused recommendations to stakeholders and executives.
• Ability to prioritize competing initiatives, manage multiple workstreams, and deliver high-quality outcomes within established timelines.
• Strong attention to detail to ensure operational excellence, system stability and reliability, security, and data integrity.
• Ability to mentor technical teams and lead technical projects while collaborating across functions.
• Experience leading cloud transformation initiatives and collaborating with cross-functional teams.
• Strong documentation and architectural design skills, including creating and maintaining system configurations, processes, procedures, and governance documentation.
• Commitment to continuous learning and staying current with Azure technologies, cloud-native architectures, security trends, tools, and industry best practices.
• 10+ years of software testing, quality assurance, or system validation experience, as stated in the posting.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Cloud Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• U.S. citizenship is required for this opportunity.
• Must possess or qualify for a Public Trust (MBI).

Nice To Haves

• Deep hands-on EDIFECS experience with Electronic Data Interchange X.12 transaction standards and workflows, including medical claims transactions 837, 834, 835, and 277; 270/271 and 278/275 transactions; and 999 transactions.
• Advanced Azure certifications, including Microsoft Certified DevOps Engineer Expert, Azure Administrator Associate, and Azure Security Engineer Associate.

Responsibilities

• Develop a comprehensive understanding of customer requirements using domain expertise.
• Lead development of complete solutions that meet requirements and support price-competitive proposals.
• Collaborate with business development, capture, proposal, and other team members to optimize proposed solutions.
• Identify technical staffing needs for Pre-Bid and Proposal (B&P) activities and coordinate assignment of technical personnel.
• Coordinate with technical leaders and contributors on solution development, proposal writing, and estimating.
• Provide subject matter expertise to meet technical, schedule, and cost requirements within applicable risk parameters.
• Work with the Enterprise Architect to design, implement, and govern secure, scalable, and highly available Azure cloud architectures aligned with enterprise standards, business objectives, security requirements, and government cloud best practices.
• Contribute to new concepts, techniques, and standards; establish goals to meet assigned objectives and guide team members toward those goals under established policies.
• Develop innovative solutions to complex problems and ensure solutions are consistent with organizational objectives.
• Determine technical objectives for assignments.
• Lead cloud transformation initiatives and collaborate across infrastructure, security, development, and business organizations.
• Troubleshoot and optimize Azure resource and workload performance, availability, and reliability.
• Create and maintain solution designs, standards, operational procedures, and governance documentation.
• Mentor engineers, architects, and technical teams while fostering knowledge sharing and technical growth.
• Manage and contribute to multiple complex projects while meeting timelines and architectural standards.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior