Systems Architect - TS/SCI w/ Poly required

Location: McLean, Virginia, United States, Warrenton, Virginia, United States

Department: Government

Workplace: on_site

Employment Type: full

Description

We are seeking a hands-on Systems Architect (SME) with deep expertise across infrastructure, platforms, and

application ecosystems spanning cloud and on-premises environments. This role requires a proven practitioner

who can analyze existing (“as-is”) systems and applications, document current state architectures, design future-

state solutions, and implement system enhancements or technology transformations end-to-end.

The ideal candidate is a technical leader and doer, not just an advisor – someone who can seamlessly

collaborate across infrastructure, platform, application, DevSecOps, information systems security, and data

teams while maintaining ownership of system reliability, performance, scalability, and security.

QUALIFICATIONS

 Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, IT or related technical discipline, or the equivalent combination of

education, technical training, or work/military experience.

 Minimum ten (10) years of related experience

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS

Candidates must demonstrate hands-on experience in all the following areas:

Infrastructure & Platforms

 Enterprise networking (e.g., routing, switching, firewalls, load balancers, DNS)

 Storage technologies (e.g., SAN, NAS, object storage)

 Container platforms (e.g., Kubernetes, Docker)

 Linux (Redhat, CentOS) operating systems (administration, hardening, automation)

 IdAM – Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) hands-on for AuthN and AuthZ

Cloud & On-Prem Technologies

 Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, and/or GCP)

 Hybrid and on-prem infrastructure design and integration

 Cloud networking, identity, security, and cost optimization

Data & Application Platforms

 Relational and NoSQL databases – relational (e.g., Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server) and NoSQL (e.g.,

MongoDB, Cassandra, DynamoDB, Redis) databases

 Web services, APIs, and middleware

 Software development lifecycle (SDLC) fundamentals

 Event-based messaging systems (e.g., SQS, SNS, RabbitMQ)

Engineering & Automation

 Infrastructure as Code – Scripting & Automation: Python, Bash, PowerShell, Terraform, Ansible, or

CloudFormation

 Configuration management and scripting (e.g., PowerShell, Bash, Python, etc.)

 CI/CD integration with infrastructure and platforms (e.g., Jenkins, Gitlab CI/CD, GitHub Actions, GitOps,

ArgoCD)

 Security best practices and system hardening

 Monitoring & Incident Response: Proficiency with tools like Prometheus, Grafana, Splunk, ELK Stack,

CloudWatch

Architecture & Design

 Ability to create:

o As-is architecture documentation

o To-be architecture and detailed engineering designs

o Implementation and migration plans

DESIRED KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS

 Observability and monitoring tools (e.g., logging, metrics, tracing)

 Zero Trust and modern security architectures

 Data analytics, AI/ML platform exposure

 Experience supporting production or mission-critical environments

 Relevant certifications (e.g., cloud, systems, security, or architecture)

 Knowledge of machine learning platforms (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, SageMaker)

 Familiarity with big data ecosystems (e.g., Hadoop, Databricks, Snowflake, Google, BigQuery)

 Strong background in ITIL processes and agile methodologies

 Certifications: AWS Solutions Architect / DevOps Engineer, Azure Administrator, Kubernetes CKA/CKAD, ITIL

Foundation

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

 Perform hands-on systems engineering across network, compute, storage, operating systems,

middleware, databases, and applications

 Analyze and document as-is infrastructure, platform, and application architectures

 Work with the System Architect and Cloud Architect to create the detail engineering designs for

modernization, optimization, and transformation initiatives

 Lead and execute cloud and on-prem system implementations, migrations, and upgrades

 Ensure systems meet availability, scalability, performance, security, and compliance requirements

 Integrate infrastructure and platforms with DevOps and DevSecOps pipelines

 Troubleshoot complex, cross-stack issues spanning infrastructure, platforms, and applications

 Collaborate effectively with:

o Infrastructure & Platform Engineers

o Software Engineers

o DevOps / DevSecOps Engineers

o Data Engineers (ETL)

o Data Modelers, Data Scientists, and Data Analysts

 Produce clear technical documentation, diagrams, standards, and runbooks

 Serve as a technical authority and escalation point for complex system issues

 Communication Skills:

o Ability to brief executives clearly and translate technical issues into business impact

o Ability to work across organizations (internal and IC) to implement complex solutions

Ideal Candidate Profile

 Recognized SME with deep, hands-on technical expertise

 Strong systems thinker with the ability to see and engineer across the full stack

 Comfortable operating at both strategic architecture and tactical implementation levels

 Excellent communication and collaboration skills across technical and non-technical teams

 Proven ability to own complex systems from design through production

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS

 Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, IT or related technical discipline, or the equivalent combination of

education, technical training, or work/military experience.

 Minimum ten (10) years of related experience

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS

Candidates must demonstrate hands-on experience in all the following areas:

Infrastructure & Platforms

 Enterprise networking (e.g., routing, switching, firewalls, load balancers, DNS)

 Storage technologies (e.g., SAN, NAS, object storage)

 Container platforms (e.g., Kubernetes, Docker)

 Linux (Redhat, CentOS) operating systems (administration, hardening, automation)

 IdAM – Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) hands-on for AuthN and AuthZ

Cloud & On-Prem Technologies

 Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, and/or GCP)

 Hybrid and on-prem infrastructure design and integration

 Cloud networking, identity, security, and cost optimization

Data & Application Platforms

 Relational and NoSQL databases – relational (e.g., Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server) and NoSQL (e.g.,

MongoDB, Cassandra, DynamoDB, Redis) databases

 Web services, APIs, and middleware

 Software development lifecycle (SDLC) fundamentals

 Event-based messaging systems (e.g., SQS, SNS, RabbitMQ)

Engineering & Automation

 Infrastructure as Code – Scripting & Automation: Python, Bash, PowerShell, Terraform, Ansible, or

CloudFormation

 Configuration management and scripting (e.g., PowerShell, Bash, Python, etc.)

 CI/CD integration with infrastructure and platforms (e.g., Jenkins, Gitlab CI/CD, GitHub Actions, GitOps,

ArgoCD)

 Security best practices and system hardening

 Monitoring & Incident Response: Proficiency with tools like Prometheus, Grafana, Splunk, ELK Stack,

CloudWatch

Architecture & Design

 Ability to create:

o As-is architecture documentation

o To-be architecture and detailed engineering designs

o Implementation and migration plans

DESIRED KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS

 Observability and monitoring tools (e.g., logging, metrics, tracing)

 Zero Trust and modern security architectures

 Data analytics, AI/ML platform exposure

 Experience supporting production or mission-critical environments

 Relevant certifications (e.g., cloud, systems, security, or architecture)

 Knowledge of machine learning platforms (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, SageMaker)

 Familiarity with big data ecosystems (e.g., Hadoop, Databricks, Snowflake, Google, BigQuery)

 Strong background in ITIL processes and agile methodologies

 Certifications: AWS Solutions Architect / DevOps Engineer, Azure Administrator, Kubernetes CKA/CKAD, ITIL

Foundation

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

 Perform hands-on systems engineering across network, compute, storage, operating systems,

middleware, databases, and applications

 Analyze and document as-is infrastructure, platform, and application architectures

 Work with the System Architect and Cloud Architect to create the detail engineering designs for

modernization, optimization, and transformation initiatives

 Lead and execute cloud and on-prem system implementations, migrations, and upgrades

 Ensure systems meet availability, scalability, performance, security, and compliance requirements

 Integrate infrastructure and platforms with DevOps and DevSecOps pipelines

 Troubleshoot complex, cross-stack issues spanning infrastructure, platforms, and applications

 Collaborate effectively with:

o Infrastructure & Platform Engineers

o Software Engineers

o DevOps / DevSecOps Engineers

o Data Engineers (ETL)

o Data Modelers, Data Scientists, and Data Analysts

 Produce clear technical documentation, diagrams, standards, and runbooks

 Serve as a technical authority and escalation point for complex system issues

 Communication Skills:

o Ability to brief executives clearly and translate technical issues into business impact

o Ability to work across organizations (internal and IC) to implement complex solutions

Ideal Candidate Profile

 Recognized SME with deep, hands-on technical expertise

 Strong systems thinker with the ability to see and engineer across the full stack

 Comfortable operating at both strategic architecture and tactical implementation levels

 Excellent communication and collaboration skills across technical and non-technical teams

 Proven ability to own complex systems from design through production

Benefits

Leading Path is an award-winning Information Technology and Management Consulting firm focused on providing solutions in process, technology, and operations to our government and Fortune 500 clients. We offer a professional and family friendly work environment with a strong work-life balance. Leading Path provides a comprehensive and competitive benefits package including fully paid medical/dental/vision premiums, generous PTO, 11 Paid Holidays, 6% 401K contribution, annual training and tuition reimbursement, SPOT Award bonuses, regular team events, opportunities for professional growth and advancement and much more!