Project Design Authority

Thales • Arlington, TX

10h • Hybrid

About The Position

Thales is seeking a System Architect in Arlington, VA or Syracuse, NY. The System Architecture role is responsible for defining, governing, and maintaining end-to-end solution architectures that align internal and external stakeholder needs with business strategy, technical feasibility, and lifecycle objectives. The role leads architectural definition from bid and concept phases through design, development, integration, validation, customer acceptance, and in-service support, ensuring solutions meet performance, cost, risk, schedule, and regulatory requirements. Acting as a key technical authority, the System Architect drives informed trade-offs, ensures compliance with engineering governance and product policies, and safeguards the long-term viability, scalability, and sustainability of solutions across their full lifecycle.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline, with a minimum of 9 years of relevant professional experience, or 10+ years of experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated experience applying Design Assurance standards, particularly as they relate to system safety, compliance, and certification.
• Proven knowledge and hands-on experience in complex systems engineering, including system integration across hardware, software, and operational domains.
• Strong understanding of systems engineering processes and lifecycle methodologies, with experience supporting large-scale, complex programs involving multiple stakeholders and demanding schedules.
• Solid knowledge of and practical experience with Agile development methodologies, including iterative delivery, cross-functional collaboration, and incremental value realization.
• Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer at the time of hire.
• This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship or for assuming sponsorship of an employment visa now or in the future.
• Must be a US Person as defined in applicable law
• This position will require successfully completing a post-offer background check.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary technical interface with customers (or Product Line Management for product-based solutions) on solution architecture, design, performance, and lifecycle considerations.
• Lead and oversee the architecting of software solutions in alignment with the approved technology roadmap, agile development strategy, and sprint planning cycles.
• Proactively anticipate, analyze, and translate customer and stakeholder needs into a structured and traceable initial requirements baseline.
• Develop and evolve the solution architecture by fully understanding operational context, stakeholder expectations, and system constraints.
• Define and drive the development strategy for advanced algorithms, software applications, and enabling technologies required to deliver the solution.
• Formalize solution requirements and ensure alignment with business objectives, technical feasibility, and lifecycle constraints.
• Prepare, review, and sign Design Validation (DVa) documentation at each applicable bid and project milestone, ensuring formal approval by the Design Authority (DA).
• Review and approve the completion of integration, verification, validation, and qualification (IVVQ) activities, ensuring compliance with architectural intent and requirements traceability.
• Develop, stabilize, and maintain solution architectures for bids and projects across the full lifecycle, in close cooperation with the SEM.
• Define and propose candidate architectures at the solution or solution-element level that meet stakeholder expectations while complying with standardization, reuse policies, technology roadmaps, and business strategy.
• Establish solution architectures through structured trade-offs among stakeholder expectations, technical and technological options, cost, risk, and schedule; document architectural rationale through formal artifacts (e.g., D&JF, PBS, SSDD); and approve resulting lower-level specifications.

Benefits

• Elective Health, Dental, Vision, FSA/HSA, Voluntary Life and AD&D, Whole Group Life w/LTC, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, Accident Insurance, Legal Plan, Identity Theft, and Pet Insurance
• Retirement Savings Plan after 30 days of employment with a company contribution and a match, and with no vesting period
• Company paid holidays and Paid Time Off
• Company provided Life Insurance, AD&D, Disability, Employee Assistance Plan, and Well-being Program

What This Job Offers

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