Sr. Systems Architect

Bixal•Fairfax, VA

50d•$190,000 - $200,000

About The Position

The Systems Architect plays a central role in designing, implementing, and optimizing cloud data solutions that power a large data lakehouse at CMS. You will work directly with engineers, data analysts, and stakeholders to develop solutions in Databricks and AWS that are scalable, compliant and efficient . This position is hands-on, focused on delivering practical, secure, and maintainable architectures that support data ingestion, transformation, and visualization. This is a full-time position on a currently funded Federal contract. This role offers you a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact on a project that aligns with Bixal’s mission of delivering innovative, human-centered solutions. While the role has a fixed duration, we are committed to transparency and collaboration, keeping you informed about contract updates and new opportunities. At Bixal, we support your professional journey, ensuring your experience reflects our inclusive, purpose-driven culture and prepares you for future success.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in a related field.
8 or more years of experience designing and implementing solutions in AWS.
4 or more years of hands-on experience with Databricks, including Spark, SQL, Delta Lake, and Python.
Strong background in data engineering, ETL/ELT design, and cloud data architecture.
Experience designing secure, compliant, and scalable data environments.
Strong understanding of networking, IAM, and infrastructure concepts within AWS.
Ability to lead solutioning discussions and provide practical technical guidance.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust Security Clearance.

Nice To Haves

Experience with federal healthcare data.
Familiarity with QuickSight or similar BI tools.
Experience with AI agents and production of AI-ready dataset.
Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines, GitHub integration, and DevOps practices.
AWS Certified Solutions Architect or Databricks certification.
Familiarity with Agile or SAFe delivery environments.

Responsibilities

Solution Architecture and Design
Design and document end-to-end data solutions in Databricks and AWS, including ingestion pipelines, transformations, and storage patterns.
Define technical standards and configurations that ensure performance, reliability, and security.
Develop and maintain architecture diagrams, schemas, and documentation for engineering teams.
Review requirements and propose efficient, cost-effective cloud solutions that align with client standards.
Support integration of Databricks with AWS services, QuickSight, and other client systems.
Other relevant duties as assigned and qualified/trained to perform.
Implementation and Delivery
Work closely with data engineers to design and implement pipelines using Spark, Delta Lake, and Databricks Workflows.
Optimize cluster configurations, job performance, and data access for large-scale workloads.
Support automation of deployment and monitoring processes using CI/CD and Infrastructure as Code tools.
Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues across the Databricks and AWS environments.
Design, deploy, and operate secure hosting for custom and proprietary models using AWS Bedrock, including model access controls, network isolation, and MLOps-ready deployment pipelines.
Collaboration and Communication.
Partner with CMS stakeholders to assess data maturity and establish governance, quality, and transformation approaches that produce AI-ready datasets within the lakehouse.
Performance and Cost Optimization
Monitor resource usage and performance to ensure stability and efficiency.
Provide recommendations for compute optimization, storage lifecycle policies, and job scheduling to control costs.
Partner with client to review cloud usage metrics and cost forecasts for Databricks and AWS services.
Security and Compliance
Work with the Security and DevOps teams to maintain compliance with FedRAMP and CMS ATO requirements.
Implement data security best practices for encryption, access control, and audit logging.
Contribute to technical documentation for security reviews and system authorization.
Collaboration and Communication
Collaborate with client and partner teams on solution planning and design decisions.
Present technical concepts and recommendations to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Participate in architecture review and design sessions to ensure consistency across the platform.
Excellent presentation and relationship building skills.