Cloud Infrastructure Architect, Level 2

Cloud Infrastructure Architect, Level 2 (SE2) – TS/SCI w/ Poly

Location: Columbia, MD
Compensation Range: $182,000 – $222,000 (annualized USD)
Clearance Required: Must be a U.S. citizen with an active TS/SCI security clearance with polygraph

We are seeking a Cloud Infrastructure Architect (SE2) to lead the modernization of a complex development and operations environment as it transitions to a cloud-native architecture
. In this role, you will serve as a technical pioneer—designing the roadmap, reusable patterns, and foundational services that enable teams to adopt cloud capabilities while maintaining flexibility for hybrid and on-premise solutions where required.

This position is ideal for an architect who understands legacy environments, has successfully led infrastructure modernization efforts, and can balance long-term architectural vision with immediate operational needs. You will work closely with engineering teams, cloud service providers, and technical leadership to deliver scalable, secure, and developer-friendly infrastructure.

• Lead cloud architecture strategy by designing technical roadmaps, reusable patterns, and shared services that enable scalable cloud adoption.

• Develop high-ROI pilot solutions and “easy-button” templates to accelerate team onboarding while supporting hybrid infrastructure models.

• Architect end-to-end solutions for complex services, including large-scale data storage, cloud migration, and integration between legacy and cloud-native systems.

• Conduct technical assessments of existing infrastructure, documenting dependencies, evaluating platform viability, and prioritizing modernization efforts.

• Build prioritization frameworks based on lifecycle status, operational impact, cost efficiency, and user experience.

• Partner with cloud professional services teams and internal stakeholders to validate architectures and ensure solutions meet operational and security requirements.

• Design modern workflows and developer experiences, including unified authentication, access patterns, and support for large-scale datasets.

• Communicate architectural decisions clearly and effectively to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Champion best practices that improve developer productivity, system reliability, and long-term platform sustainability.

• Deep systems engineering expertise
  , including hands-on experience with complex enterprise infrastructure and legacy environments.

• Proven production cloud architecture experience
  , preferably with AWS
  , including VPC design, storage tiers, compute options, and security controls.

• Demonstrated experience leading infrastructure modernization or cloud migration initiatives.

• Strong understanding of cloud economics, trade-offs, and cost/performance optimization.

• Ability to design pragmatic migration paths that maintain system availability during transformation.

• Excellent technical communication and stakeholder management skills.

• Ability to translate between engineers, security teams, cloud vendors, and leadership.

• Strong documentation skills for architectural decisions, patterns, and standards.

Success in this role requires alignment with the following principles:

• Service mindset: Technology decisions serve operational and user needs first.

• Collaboration over heroics: Progress is driven through constant communication, iteration, and shared ownership.

• Pragmatic execution: Balance long-term architecture with near-term delivery and measurable impact.

• Design for optionality: Enable hybrid approaches that allow teams flexibility while leveraging shared cloud services.

• Team cultivation: Share knowledge generously and empower others to succeed.

• Iterative delivery: Favor rapid prototyping, tight feedback loops, and incremental wins.

• Experience supporting software development environments in restricted or highly controlled systems.

• Background working closely with application or platform engineers.

• Familiarity with security-driven cloud deployment processes and compliance workflows.

• Experience with
  Fin Ops or cloud cost optimization practices.

• Ability to make data-driven recommendations on when cloud adoption…