Senior Solution Architect for Federal Agency

Senior roles in cloud, delivery, engineering, and change. Placed properly.

Key requirements

• You must be an Australian Citizen - this is a federal government engagement and no visa holders (including PR) will be considered.
• You must be able to obtain and maintain a Baseline security clearance.
• You need 5+ years of hands-on Cloud Engineering / Solution Architecture experience in AWS or Azure, including IaC, secure-by-design, and AI/ML workload delivery.

The gig Picture this: you're embedded inside one of a major federal agency. Now they need a Senior Solution Architect who can design, build, and govern next-generation cloud platforms with AI baked right in.

This is a 12-month contract (extensions up to 24 months) kicking off around 3 September 2026, operating on a hybrid basis from offices in VIC or NSW (among other locations). You'll be working at an EL2-equivalent seniority level - this is a serious gig for serious architects.

What you'll be doing You'll be the technical heavyweight driving end-to-end solution architecture across greenfield and brownfield cloud platforms (AWS and/or Azure), with a sharp focus on AI, ML, and Generative AI workloads. Think secure-by-design, IaC-first, DevSecOps-native delivery - not just drawing boxes on whiteboards. You'll lead governance, mentor teams, engage senior stakeholders, and help shape the agency's strategic cloud direction.

This role spans the full SFIA Level 5-6 spectrum: solution architecture, enterprise architecture, software design, innovation leadership, stakeholder management, and business process improvement. If you've been operating at that altitude and you've got the cloud scars to prove it, read on.

We know because we do At Cloud Delivered, we've been ICT contractors ourselves. We know what a genuinely senior cloud architecture gig looks like - and this one's the real deal. Complex programs, real autonomy, and the kind of impact that matters. We'll back you through the pitch process and make sure your experience lands the way it should.

If you tick the essentials below, we'll help you nail this one.

Please note: We can place candidates working from VIC or NSW offices only. Candidates based in or willing to commute to Melbourne or Sydney are encouraged to apply.

Business process improvement: Level 6 (SFIA)Plans and leads strategic, large and complex business process improvement activities aligned with automation, or exploiting existing or new technologies. Develops organisational policies, standards, and guidelines for business process improvement. Leads the introduction of techniques, methodologies and tools to meet business requirements, ensuring consistency across all user groups. Leads the development of organisational capabilities for business process improvement and ensures adoption and adherence to policies and standards.

Consultancy: Level 6 (SFIA)Manages the provision of consultancy services and/or a team of consultants. In own areas of expertise, provides advice and guidance to consultants and/or the client when delivering consultancy services. Engages with clients and maintains client relationships. Establishes consultancy agreements/contracts and manages completion and disengagement.

Emerging technology monitoring: Level 5 (SFIA)Monitors the external environment to gather intelligence on emerging technologies. Assesses and documents the impacts, threats and opportunities to the organisation. Creates reports and technology roadmaps and shares knowledge and insights with others.

Enterprise and business architecture: Level 5 (SFIA)Develops models and plans to drive the execution of the business strategy, taking advantage of opportunities to improve business performance. Contributes to creating and reviewing a systems capability strategy which meets the business's strategic requirements. Determines requirements and specifies effective business processes, through improvements in technology, information or data practices, organisation, roles, procedures and equipment.

Innovation: Level 6 (SFIA)Obtains organisational commitment to innovation. Develops organisational capabilities to drive innovation. Leads and plans the development of innovation capabilities and implementation of innovation processes, tools and frameworks. Leads the communication and an open flow of creative ideas between interested parties and the set-up of innovation networks and communities.

Software design: Level 5 (SFIA)Specifies and designs large or complex software applications, components and modules. Adopts and adapts software design methods, tools and techniques. Undertakes impact analysis on major design options, makes recommendations and assesses and manages associated risks. Specifies prototypes/simulations to enable informed decision-making. Evaluates software designs to ensure adherence to standards and identifies corrective action. Ensures that the software design balances functional, quality, security and systems management requirements. Contributes to the development of organisational software design and architecture policies and standards.

Solution architecture: Level 5 (SFIA)Leads the development of solution architectures in specific business, infrastructure or functional areas. Leads the preparation of technical plans and ensures that appropriate technical resources are made available. Ensures that appropriate tools and methods are available, understood and employed in architecture development. Provides technical guidance and governance on solution development and integration. Evaluates requests for changes and deviations from specifications and recommends actions. Ensures that relevant technical strategies, policies, standards and practices (including security) are applied correctly.

Stakeholder relationship management: Level 6 (SFIA)Leads the development of comprehensive stakeholder management strategies and plans. Builds long-term, strategic relationships with senior stakeholders (internal and external). Facilitates the engagement of stakeholders in support of the delivery of services and change projects. Acts as a single point of contact for senior stakeholders, facilitating relationships between them. Negotiates to ensure that stakeholders understand and agree on what will meet their needs, and that appropriate agreements are defined. Oversees monitoring of relationships including lessons learned and appropriate feedback. Leads actions to improve relations and open communications with and between stakeholders.

Systems design: Level 6 (SFIA)Develops and drives adoption of and adherence to organisational policies, standards, guidelines, and methods for system design. Champions the importance and value of system design principles and the selection of appropriate systems design life cycle models. Leads system design activities for strategic, large and complex systems development programmes. Develops effective implementation strategies consistent with specified requirements, architectures and constraints of performance and feasibility. Develops system design requiring the introduction of new technologies or new uses for existing technologies.

Screening Questions YOU WILL BE ASKED: Seriously, don't bother if you don't think you'll pass these questions.

Are you an Australian Citizen?

• Are you an Australian Citizen?
  
  (Expected answer: yes / no)

• What Australian Government Security Vetting Agency (AGSVA) clearance do you currently hold (Active or Dormant)?(Expected answer: one of the listed options)

• Can you attend onsite in Melbourne or Sydney (VIC, NSW)?(Expected answer: yes / no)

• Do you live in VIC, or NSW, or are you willing to relocate to one of those states?(Expected answer: yes / no)

• Are you an Australian Citizen (required for this federal government engagement)?(Expected answer: yes / no)

• Are you eligible to obtain and maintain a Baseline security clearance?(Expected answer: yes / no)

• How many years of total experience do you have working in federal government ICT programs?(Expected answer: a number)

• How many years of hands-on experience do you have as a Cloud Engineer designing greenfield and brownfield setups in AWS or Azure public clouds, including IaC implementations and secure-by-design principles?(Expected answer: a number)

• How many years of experience do you have leading solution architecture (SFIA Level 5) - including technical plans, governance, and integration across business or infrastructure domains?(Expected answer: a number)

• How many years of experience do you have with enterprise and business architecture (SFIA Level 5) - developing models and plans to drive business strategy execution?(Expected answer: a number)

• How many years of experience do you have with the migration and deployment of cloud-based AI workloads, including architecture, data migration, model deployment and platform integration?(Expected answer: a number)

• How many years of experience you have with DevOps practices and CI/CD pipelines (e.g. Azure DevOps, AWS CodePipeline) including scripting in PowerShell, Python, or Bash?(Expected answer: a number)

• How many years of experience do you have leading stakeholder relationship management at a senior level (SFIA Level 6) - including strategic relationship building and negotiation with executive stakeholders?(Expected answer: a number)

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