Cloud Infrastructure Architect
Location: Annapolis Junction, MD
Clearance: TS/SCI with Polygraph required
Work Type: On-site
Salary: $220,000-$229,000
Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced High Performance Computing (HPC) Architect to provide technical leadership for the design, modernization, and implementation of enterprise computing environments. This role will be responsible for developing strategic technology roadmaps, architecting scalable infrastructure solutions, and supporting the integration of advanced computing capabilities, including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and high-performance computing platforms.
The successful candidate will work closely with technical teams, stakeholders, and organizational leadership to modernize infrastructure, improve developer experiences, and establish reusable patterns that enable secure, scalable, and efficient technology adoption across the enterprise.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop strategic technical roadmaps supporting infrastructure modernization, advanced computing initiatives, and AI/ML platform adoption.
- Design and architect high-performance computing (HPC) environments and associated infrastructure solutions.
- Create reusable technical patterns, templates, and reference architectures that enable teams to adopt emerging technologies efficiently and consistently.
- Evaluate and recommend AI, machine learning, and large language model (LLM) solutions based on organizational needs and return on investment.
- Architect end-to-end solutions that integrate legacy systems with modern computing platforms while maintaining security, reliability, and performance requirements.
- Conduct technical assessments of existing infrastructure, applications, and services to identify modernization opportunities.
- Document system dependencies, evaluate platform utilization, and develop prioritization strategies for modernization efforts.
- Design improved workflows, developer experiences, and platform capabilities that increase productivity and operational efficiency.
- Lead infrastructure transformation initiatives using phased modernization approaches and incremental migration strategies.
- Collaborate with stakeholders to balance technical, operational, security, and business requirements.
- Develop and promote best practices for infrastructure management, automation, cloud adoption, and software delivery.
- Support the implementation of Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines and modern development environments.
Required Qualifications
Education and Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Systems, Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline and eight (8) years of relevant experience; OR
- Four (4) additional years of directly related experience may be substituted for the degree requirement.
Technical Qualifications
- Strong background in stakeholder engagement, business case development, and technology strategy.
- Ability to communicate technical concepts and architectural decisions to executive leadership, security teams, and technical stakeholders.
- Five (5) or more years of experience in systems engineering, infrastructure architecture, cloud engineering, or related disciplines.
- Demonstrated experience designing, deploying, and managing complex enterprise infrastructure environments.
- Hands-on experience with high-performance computing (HPC) architectures and operational environments.
- Experience with system design, configuration, usability, and performance optimization in production environments.
- Experience leading infrastructure modernization and transformation initiatives.
- Experience implementing incremental migration and modernization strategies rather than large-scale replacement approaches.
- Familiarity with cloud governance, compliance requirements, security authorization processes, and operational accreditation frameworks.
- Experience supporting CI/CD pipelines, automation platforms, and modern software development environments.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience supporting software development organizations and understanding developer workflow requirements.
- Experience working in highly regulated, secure, or restricted computing environments.
- Experience designing architectures that balance security, performance, and operational requirements.
- Experience with cloud cost optimization, financial operations (FinOps), or technology investment analysis.
- Experience evaluating cloud versus on-premises solutions and developing cost-benefit analyses.
- Familiarity with AI/ML platforms, large language models, and advanced computing environments.
- Experience supporting hybrid cloud and on-premises infrastructure architectures.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Strong systems architecture and infrastructure engineering expertise.
- Deep understanding of high-performance computing, cloud technologies, and enterprise platforms.
- Ability to develop strategic technology roadmaps and modernization plans.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to build consensus across technical and non-technical stakeholder groups.
- Strong leadership and organizational influence skills.
- Ability to balance innovation, security, cost, and operational requirements.
- Strong project planning, prioritization, and execution capabilities.
Benefits
This position includes a competitive and flexible benefits package, including:
Medical
Employer pays 100% of the monthly premium for the employee and 80% for the employee’s dependents.
Health Savings Account (HSA)
Save for all medical, dental, vision and prescription expenses by contributing pre-tax money to an HSA account. Employer contributes 50% of the annual deductible (prorated to start date).
Dental and Vision
Employer pays 100% of the monthly premium for the employee and 80% for dependents.
Life Insurance
100% company-paid Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) coverage offered to all full-time employees.
Short-Term Disability
100% company-paid short-term disability. This benefit pays out 60% of earnings, with a $1,500 maximum for up to 12 weeks.
Retirement Plan
Automatic 6% of salary contributed to the company 401(k) plan, fully vested. Employee match encouraged but not required.
Paid Time Off (PTO) & Holidays
5–6 weeks of PTO based on tenure with the company, in addition to 11 paid holidays.
Tuition Reimbursement
$5,000 annually for courses directly related to job role and responsibilities.
Training Reimbursement
Paid training, certification courses, and conferences to support employee career growth.
We do not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.