Staff Solutions Architect (Individual Contributor) with Security Clearance

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JOB DESCRIPTION: SOLUTION ARCHITECT / SPECIAL PROJECTS SPECIALIST
Company: Linchpin Software
Location: Washington, DC (100% Onsite - Government Site)
Role Type: Senior Individual Contributor (Non-Management)
================================================================================ OVERVIEW
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Linchpin Software is growing, and we are looking for a Solution Architect / Special Projects Specialist who thrives on tackling complex, high- stakes technical challenges.

In this role, you will act as a senior-level technical problem solver working directly with organizational leadership. You will serve as an elite individual contributor--without direct people management responsibilities--tasked with surging into challenging problem sets, leading critical R&D initiatives, and untangling tough architectural bottlenecks. If you enjoy working independently, diving deep into research, dissecting complex systems, and delivering impactful solutions under defined deadlines, this is the opportunity to make your mark.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
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1.

Leadership Advisory & Rapid Surge Response

• Work directly with organizational leadership to analyze, surge onto, and resolve high-priority technical issues across various systems. 2.

Deep Technical Investigation

• Troubleshoot, diagnose, and fix complex performance, functional, and architectural issues across cloud environments, API integrations, and backend infrastructure. 3.

Applied R&D & Proof-of-Concepts

• Conduct independent research and development projects to evaluate new technologies, mitigate system vulnerabilities, and design prototypes under firm deadlines. 4.

Systems Architecture & Security Design

• Evaluate end-to-end system designs, identify architecture antipatterns or security vulnerabilities, and propose robust, scalable mitigation plans. 5.

Technical Guidance

• Provide overarching technical direction on cross-team design, API specifications, data migration processes, and system integration strategies. 6.

Full-Stack Problem Solving

• Write, test, and refactor mission-critical software across various frameworks, languages, and modern software design patterns. DESIRED SKILL SETS

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• Strong mastery of modern backend ecosystems (Java/JDK, Go, Python, TypeScript, Node.js, .NET) and foundational frameworks (Spring, NestJS, Gin, React/NextJS).
• Deep familiarity with system design, architectural patterns/antipatterns, API design, and cloud performance optimization.
• Comfort working as a self-directed individual contributor who can take high- level problem statements, run independent research, and produce concrete solutions.
• Exceptional communication skills when collaborating directly with executive leadership, architects, and engineering leads. REQUIREMENTS

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1.

Experience Level

• 7 to 9+ years of hands-on experience in full-stack backend software engineering, system architecture, and cloud troubleshooting. 2.

Backend & Language Proficiency

• Expertise in developing, testing, and deploying backend software using modern JDK/Java ecosystems, along with Go, Python, or TypeScript. 3.

Architecture & Design

• Proven background in systems design, assessing and mitigating security and architectural vulnerabilities, and guiding technical design implementations. 4.

Tooling & SDLC

• Solid experience with modern dev/build tools (Git, Jenkins, Ansible/Ansible Tower, SonarQube, Nexus, Jira, Confluence) within SAFe or Agile environments. 5.

Complex Problem Solving

• Demonstrated success in data migration planning, API design, and performance tuning in cloud environments. 6.

Role Logistics

• Ability to work full-time, 100% onsite at a Vienna, VA government site (no remote available). ================================================================================