Space Force Software Architect

General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc•Scottsdale, AZ

1d•$200,723 - $222,678•Hybrid

About The Position

General Dynamics Mission Systems (GDMS) is seeking an experienced Software Architect to provide technical and architectural leadership for the Ground Management and Integration (GMI) program supporting the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). GMI continues GDMS’s Ground Segment work under the Tranche 1 Operations and Integration program and supports Tranche 2 capabilities, with architecture designed to maintain interoperability, scalability, and continuity into Tranche 3 and future tranches. The architect will work across three related PWSA levels: enterprise architecture and integration across the Ground, Space, and User Segments; Ground Segment development and integration involving SUPERNOVAs, NOVAs, Ground Entry Points (GEPs), and related networks; and T2-specific GMI work, including T2 SUPERNOVAs and GEPs. The role calls for technical leadership delivering secure, resilient, mission-critical software and cloud-enabled systems in classified defense or intelligence environments. The position leads architecture definition, maturation, governance, and integration; maintains alignment across program levels and stakeholders; and guides secure, distributed, highly available, and maintainable ground-system solutions. It also provides direction for cloud migration, cloud-native development, hybrid-cloud integration, and DevSecOps practices in secure or classified environments. The architect contributes to technical planning and transition to operations, manages technical risks, and mentors engineering and architecture personnel. The position is fully on-site or hybrid/flex, with at least three days per week on-site at the SDA Team facility in Scottsdale, Arizona. The successful candidate should be willing and able to work primarily in the Scottsdale area and travel as required. The listed annual salary range is USD $200,723–$222,678; actual pay may vary based on experience and other factors. The posting remains open until the position is filled.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field.
Minimum 25 years of progressive experience in software engineering, software architecture, systems engineering, or technical leadership roles.
Minimum 10 years of recent experience designing, architecting, integrating, or sustaining complex distributed software systems.
Experience supporting classified, defense, intelligence, space, satellite-ground, command-and-control, or other mission-critical operational systems.
Active DoD Secret security clearance and ability to maintain the clearance required for the program; U.S. citizenship is required.
Experience designing, implementing, or integrating cloud architectures, including cloud-native, hybrid-cloud, and/or on-premises-to-cloud environments.
Experience designing secure cloud solutions using AWS services and capabilities, including compute, storage, networking, identity and access management, monitoring, logging, security controls, and disaster recovery.
Experience with cloud deployment and operations in controlled, restricted, regulated, or classified environments.
Strong understanding of software architecture principles, distributed systems, service-oriented architectures, microservices, APIs, event-driven architectures, data architectures, and secure software design.
Experience integrating software systems with complex networks, external interfaces, mission systems, hardware platforms, and geographically distributed operational environments.
Experience with cybersecurity engineering concepts, including secure communications, encryption, authentication, authorization, audit logging, vulnerability management, secure configuration, and zero-trust principles.
Ability to clearly communicate architecture decisions, technical trade studies, risks, and integration approaches to engineering teams, program leadership, customers, and mission stakeholders.
Willingness and ability to work primarily from the Scottsdale, Arizona area.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, Cybersecurity, or a related discipline.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional and/or AWS Certified Security – Specialty.
Experience with AWS GovCloud, AWS Secret Region, or comparable government cloud environments.
Experience with PWSA, Space Development Agency programs, DoD space programs, satellite operations, satellite ground systems, ground networks, command-and-control systems, or tactical mission systems.
Experience supporting multi-tranche, incremental capability-delivery programs requiring interoperability between legacy, developmental, and operational systems.
Experience with SUPERNOVAs, NOVAs, GEPs, satellite ground entry points, ground-network architecture, or comparable mission-ground infrastructure.
Experience with DevSecOps and platform engineering, including CI/CD, automated security scanning, software supply-chain security, containers, Kubernetes, Helm, Docker, Terraform, Ansible, and infrastructure as code.
Experience implementing or integrating cloud platforms using AWS services such as EC2, EKS, ECS, Lambda, S3, RDS, VPC, Route 53, CloudWatch, CloudTrail, IAM, KMS, Secrets Manager, Security Hub, and GuardDuty.
Familiarity with RMF, NIST Risk Management Framework guidance, NIST 800-53 controls, STIGs, Authority to Operate processes, and DoD cybersecurity requirements.
Experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering, architecture frameworks, interface-control documentation, requirements traceability, and system-of-systems integration.
Experience leading technical teams in Agile, iterative, or scaled development environments.
Active Top Secret clearance or eligibility to obtain one.
Strategic architecture skills connecting GMI implementation decisions to long-term PWSA Enterprise and Ground Segment architecture.
Ability to work across software, systems, cybersecurity, cloud, network, integration, and operations disciplines.
Judgment balancing mission needs, security requirements, technical risk, schedule, cost, and long-term sustainment.
Collaboration skills to build alignment across GDMS organizations, government customers, mission partners, and subcontractor teams.
Commitment to secure, reliable, scalable, and operationally effective mission capabilities.

Responsibilities

Lead software architecture definition, maturation, and technical governance for GMI capabilities supporting SUPERNOVAs, GEPs, and related ground-network integrations.
Support existing architectures and develop new architectures as requirements and program functionality evolve.
Ensure GMI architecture aligns with Ground Segment and Enterprise objectives, interfaces, technical standards, operational needs, and integration dependencies.
Architect distributed, secure, highly available, resilient, and maintainable ground-system software for classified mission environments.
Establish architectural patterns and standards for service design, APIs, data exchange, event-driven systems, messaging, workflow orchestration, identity and access management, logging, monitoring, and operational observability.
Lead technical definition and integration of SUPERNOVAs, NOVAs, GEPs, ground networks, cloud services, and supporting infrastructure.
Define and maintain logical, physical, deployment, interface, data-flow, security, and operational architecture artifacts.
Develop and govern integration approaches across the Ground, Space, and User Segments, mission systems, operational users, external partners, and ground infrastructure.
Lead architecture and design reviews, technical interchange meetings, integration readiness assessments, and technical risk-reduction activities.
Identify and manage risks involving interoperability, cyber resilience, cloud adoption, system performance, integration, sustainment, and future tranche evolution.
Partner with systems engineering, software development, cybersecurity, network engineering, integration and test, platform engineering, program management, and customer stakeholders.
Provide architectural direction for cloud migration, cloud-native development, hybrid-cloud integration, and mission-software deployment in secure or classified environments.
Guide DevSecOps practices, including secure CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, containerization, infrastructure as code, configuration management, artifact management, and continuous monitoring.
Support technical planning, roadmap development, estimates, proposal efforts, schedule planning, and transition-to-operations activities.
Mentor architects, software engineers, systems engineers, and technical leads, and promote disciplined software engineering and architecture practices.
Travel as required to support program, customer, and integration activities.