Resident Architect

Resident Architect (RA) — Public Sector Cloud & Enterprise Modernization
Location: Bay Area Onsite / Remote (DC Metro strongly preferred (regular SCIF access required)
Clearance: Ability to obtain TS/SCI (sponsorship provided; active/transferable clearance a major plus)

About the Role

We''re looking for a Resident Architect to embed directly within a public sector client''s technical team — bringing hands-on architectural leadership from initial concept through delivery. You''ll work shoulder-to-shoulder with client engineers on real infrastructure decisions, while also serving as a trusted advisor to executive stakeholders navigating cloud modernization at scale. This is a rare role that stays technical — you''ll still be writing code and reviewing architecture, not just managing decks.

What You''ll Do

Serve as an embedded technical leader within the client''s team, owning architectural decisions from concept through completion

Partner with client engineers to evaluate tradeoffs and shape integration strategies, enterprise architecture, and application infrastructure

Coordinate with internal cross-functional teams and cloud platform engineers to get ahead of project risks, issues, and scheduling

Build and manage relationships with key and executive stakeholders — translating technical analysis into clear, actionable roadmaps

What You''ll Need

U.S. citizenship and ability to work from the United States

5+ years advising enterprise or government clients in cloud architecture, technical program management, or consulting

3+ years hands-on with an object-oriented language (C++, Python, etc.) — you should be comfortable as a "keyboard engineer," not just an architecture-diagram author

Ability to obtain TS/SCI clearance (no active clearance required to apply — sponsorship provided post-offer; typical new investigation timeline is 8–15 months)

Willingness to travel up to 30%

Bachelor''s degree or equivalent practical experience

Nice to Have

Active TS/SCI clearance (fast-tracks start date via reciprocity)

Hands-on experience with major cloud platforms — compute, storage, managed databases, networking, managed Kubernetes — at enterprise scale

Comfort operating at both ends of the spectrum: whiteboarding tradeoffs with engineers and briefing C-suite stakeholders

Strong grasp of IaaS/PaaS/SaaS models and curiosity about emerging cloud, edge, and AI technology

Logistic

This role requires regular physical presence at a secure government/contractor facility (SCIF access) for classified work. Fully remote is not viable for this position — candidates should be within reasonable proximity to an approved facility, DC metro preferred.