Cloud Security Architect with Security Clearance

Job Title: Cloud Security Architect (Top Secret Cleared)
Location: Ft. Meade, MD (hybrid)
Position Type: Full-time, Direct Hire
Salary Range: $140-160,000 (or higher/negotiable based on experience) Summary:
The Cloud Security Architect provides specialized cybersecurity architecture and engineering guidance for modern, distributed, cloud, and cloud-native DoD environments. The position serves as a technical security consultant to architects, developers, ISSMs, and ISSOs and helps ensure security is engineered into cloud solutions.

Responsibilities

• Design, review, and recommend secure architectures for cloud, hybrid, distributed, and cloud-native environments.
• Perform security architecture and design reviews to identify design-level weaknesses and recommend appropriate mitigations.
• Provide specialized security guidance for APIs, microservices, containerized workloads, Docker, Kubernetes, serverless functions, and software-defined networking.
• Analyze cloud architectures, system interfaces, trust boundaries, network segmentation, and data flows for cybersecurity risk.
• Translate RMF, NIST, DoD cybersecurity, and hardening requirements into actionable cloud engineering solutions.
• Collaborate with system owners, developers, and architects during requirements development, design reviews, modernization efforts, and implementation.
• Recommend practical technical controls such as multi-factor authentication, encryption, secure network zoning, access controls, and other security mechanisms.
• Support vulnerability remediation and development of technically sound mitigation strategies that reduce attack surface while maintaining mission capability.
• Provide technical recommendations to ISSMs/ISSOs and clearly communicate architectural risks and mitigation alternatives to Government stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or additional equivalent professional experience.
• 10+ years of related experience.
• DoD 8140 Work Role 652 – Security Architect Certification requirement (must have at least one of the following): Security X/CASP+CE, CCSP, Cloud+, CISSP, CSSLP, CISM, CISSP-ISSAP, CISSP-ISSIP, CSSLP, and GSEC.
• Must have and maintain a current DoD Top Secret clearance.
• Demonstrated cloud and cloud-native security architecture experience.
• Demonstrated expertise securing APIs, microservices, containerized workloads, Kubernetes/Docker, serverless functions, and software-defined networking.
• Expert knowledge of RMF, NIST SP 800-37, and NIST SP 800-53.