Systems Architect

VTG • Chantilly, VA

19d

About The Position

VTG is seeking an experienced Solutions Architect to join a technical development program supporting the Sponsor's Entitlement Programs, Identity and Access Management (IdAM/ICAM), Authentication, Authorization, Attributes, and Digital Policy Management. This role reports directly to the Portfolio Architect of the division, and serves as the primary architectural authority at the project team level.

What will you do?

Provide direct architectural guidance and decision support to the development lead on a day-to-day basis, ensuring engineering efforts align with program and portfolio-level direction
Author and maintain detailed system designs and technical specifications prior to implementation
• Develop mature, implementation-ready designs that bridge the gap between high-level concepts and engineering execution
• Represent the team at architecture and design review meetings, communicating technical positions clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Communicate architectural decisions and risks upward to the Portfolio Architect, who is responsible for cross-team architectural alignment and sharing
• Partner with DevOps teams to support infrastructure-as-code practices, CI/CD pipeline design, and automation strategy
• Provide architectural oversight for the program's evolution toward containerized workloads and modern deployment patterns
• Design solutions that accommodate the handling of sensitive and classified data, including double-encryption requirements and data compartmentalization strategies
• Apply knowledge of accreditation and assessment and authorization (A&A) processes to ensure systems meet applicable security requirements throughout the development lifecycle
• Apply deep understanding of authorization models, attribute-based access control, and digital policy management
• Support development of capability roadmaps, use case definitions, and interface specifications
• Maintain architecture documentation repositories and ensure designs remain current through the program lifecycle
• Provide Services Oriented Architecture (SOA) guidance that includes governance issues as well as software deployments.
• Recommend software products and other solutions to the customer.

Requirements

• Active TS/SCI with Polygraph required.
• MS degree in Computer Science, Systems Engineering, or related technical discipline, plus 15+ years of relevant experience; additional years of experience may be considered in lieu of advanced degree
• Demonstrated experience designing software architectures for mission-critical, security-sensitive applications in classified or sensitive environments
• Hands-on experience supporting software development teams in an architectural or technical lead capacity
• Proficiency with API-driven architectures and integration patterns; experience designing and evaluating RESTful and service-based interfaces
• Solid understanding of network engineering concepts as they relate to software and system design
• Experience with enterprise IdAM/ICAM solutions including LDAP directories, Security Token Services (STS), attribute providers, and policy enforcement points
• Knowledge of A&A processes and the ability to design systems that support accreditation requirements
• Working knowledge of sensitive data handling requirements including encryption strategies and data classification controls
• Familiarity with DevOps practices including CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code, and containerization
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce clear technical documentation and present effectively to senior stakeholders

Responsibilities

• Provide direct architectural guidance and decision support to the development lead on a day-to-day basis, ensuring engineering efforts align with program and portfolio-level direction
• Author and maintain detailed system designs and technical specifications prior to implementation
• Develop mature, implementation-ready designs that bridge the gap between high-level concepts and engineering execution
• Represent the team at architecture and design review meetings, communicating technical positions clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Communicate architectural decisions and risks upward to the Portfolio Architect, who is responsible for cross-team architectural alignment and sharing
• Partner with DevOps teams to support infrastructure-as-code practices, CI/CD pipeline design, and automation strategy
• Provide architectural oversight for the program's evolution toward containerized workloads and modern deployment patterns
• Design solutions that accommodate the handling of sensitive and classified data, including double-encryption requirements and data compartmentalization strategies
• Apply knowledge of accreditation and assessment and authorization (A&A) processes to ensure systems meet applicable security requirements throughout the development lifecycle
• Apply deep understanding of authorization models, attribute-based access control, and digital policy management
• Support development of capability roadmaps, use case definitions, and interface specifications
• Maintain architecture documentation repositories and ensure designs remain current through the program lifecycle
• Provide Services Oriented Architecture (SOA) guidance that includes governance issues as well as software deployments.
• Recommend software products and other solutions to the customer.

What This Job Offers

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