Technical Lead/Platform Solutions Architect
Defense Unicorns9 hours ago
Washington, DC, USAStaff+
Responsibilities
- Own the end-to-end technical architecture and serve as the primary technical SME across the platform ecosystem.
- Translate mission objectives into technical recommendations, tradeoffs, risk assessments, and architecture decisions.
- Maintain the architectural big picture across application, platform, AI, data, networking, security, identity, and integration layers.
- Lead integration across Kubernetes/OpenShift, GitLab, AI/ML services, enterprise data platforms, and security tooling.
- Identify architectural dependencies, integration risks, bottlenecks, and technical debt early.
- Guide repeatable patterns for deployment, configuration, observability, identity, secrets, APIs, data access, and lifecycle management.
- Work with OEM engineering and professional services teams to resolve cross-platform issues.
- Evaluate AI, agentic, cloud-native, and platform technologies for practical adoption and integration.
- Support repeatable technical patterns across classified environments and transition prototypes into operational capabilities.
- Incorporate NIST 800-53, RMF, ATO, and compliance considerations into architecture and engineering decisions.
- Partner with data and AI engineering teams to integrate data, models, agents, and applications.
- Produce architecture diagrams, architecture decision records, technical standards, integration patterns, roadmaps, and executive decision briefs.
- Identify platform problems that can be standardized, automated, or productized through UDS or reusable capabilities.
Requirements
- Active TS/SCI clearance.
- Local to the National Capital Region and able to support onsite work at a government facility in Springfield, Virginia, including increasing onsite/SCIF interaction.
- At least 8 years of experience in systems engineering, platform engineering, cloud architecture, DevSecOps, or solution architecture.
- Demonstrated ownership of complex technical environments and hands-on understanding of Kubernetes and enterprise container platforms, preferably Red Hat OpenShift.
- Strong understanding of cloud infrastructure, CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code, GitOps, APIs, networking, identity, secrets, and observability.
- Familiarity with NIST 800-53, RMF, ATO/C-ATO, zero-trust architecture, software supply-chain security, and continuous authorization.
- Ability to communicate architecture across application, platform, AI, data, and security boundaries.
- Experience leading technical decisions in ambiguous environments involving multiple engineering teams and technology vendors.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills for briefing senior government leaders and collaborating with technical engineers.
- Preferred experience with AI/ML infrastructure, generative AI, agentic systems, model serving, RAG, or AI platform architecture.
- Preferred experience with Red Hat OpenShift AI, NVIDIA AI technologies, GitLab, enterprise data platforms, or comparable technologies.
- Preferred experience integrating multi-vendor platforms, supporting Secret or TS/SCI systems, and working with multi-domain or disconnected/air-gapped deployments.
- Preferred experience with UDS, Zarf, Pepr, Iron Bank, or similar secure software delivery and platform engineering technologies.
- Preferred experience creating architecture decision records, reference architectures, technical roadmaps, executive briefings, and advising government customers.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance with premiums 100% company paid, plus a health savings account.
- Life insurance and disability insurance.
- 401(k) retirement plan, company stock options, and a home office budget.
- Flexible Time Off, federal holidays, one week for Thanksgiving, and two weeks for Christmas and New Year's.
- Paid parental leave.
- Reimbursement for approved training and subscriptions, plus conference travel, lodging, and fees.
- Full-time role supporting onsite work at a government facility in Springfield, Virginia.
Tech Stack
Categories
Forward DeployedSolutions Engineering
About Defense Unicorns
Defense Unicorns builds platform software and services that streamline secure, cloud-native delivery for defense and federal programs, with emphasis on DevSecOps, Kubernetes, and air‑gapped environments. It provides software and professional services under government contracts to deploy open-architecture platforms and CI/CD pipelines across classified and disconnected systems. Founded in 2021 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, the privately held company serves U.S. defense and national security agencies.