Responsibilities

Help shape the future of U.S. airspace safety and efficiency. We are seeking aAutomation Architect -SME to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals. The ideal candidate will lead the design, implementation, and oversight of automation strategies supporting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In this senior technical role, you will provide strategic vision, architecture leadership, and technical expertise to enable automation, including infrastructure, testing, cybersecurity, and operations workflows. You will guide modernization initiatives through automation that enhances efficiency, scalability, and reliability.This position offers an excellent opportunity to gain in-depth experience in federal contracting while supporting high-visibility aviation programs.

Work Location:

• This position is 100% on-site, primarily located in Chantilly, VA, with an alternate work location available in Bowie, MD. Candidates must be able to work on-site at one of these locations based on program requirements.

In this position, you will:

• Lead the design and implementation of automation frameworks across FAA infrastructure, applications, and operations.

• Define and enforce enterprise automation standards, tools, and practices aligned with FAA modernization objectives.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to FAA leadership on automation strategy, tools selection, and roadmap development.

• Provide technical oversight of subcontractor automation activities to ensure compliance and integration consistency.

• Drive adoption of Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Configuration as Code, and automated deployment pipelines.

• Integrate automation into testing processes, ensuring performance, reliability, and security are validated at scale.

• Collaborate with cybersecurity, network, and systems engineering teams to ensure automation supports Zero Trust, RMF, and compliance requirements.

• Conduct trade studies, risk assessments, and architecture reviews to evaluate and recommend automation solutions.

• Mentor engineers and analysts in automation best practices, fostering a culture of efficiency and innovation.

• Prepare and deliver executive-level briefings, reports, and technical recommendations on automation initiatives.

Why This Role Matters

The FAA is the cornerstone of aviation safety and innovation.Automation Architect 6 Subject Matter Expert (SME) to lead the design, implementation, and oversight of automation strategies supporting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In this senior technical role, you will provide strategic vision, architecture leadership, and technical expertise to enable automation across FAA systems, including infrastructure, testing, cybersecurity, and operations workflows. You will serve as a trusted advisor to FAA leadership, guiding modernization initiatives through automation that enhances efficiency, scalability, and reliability.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• U.S. Citizenship Required.
• Must have the ability to obtain / maintain a Public Trust clearance.
• Bachelors degree and 12 years of experience; or Masters degree and 10 years; or Associates degree and 14 years experience; or HS diploma/equivalent and 16 years experience.
• Experience in IT automation architecture or engineering.
• Strong knowledge of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools such as Terraform, Ansible, or CloudFormation.
• Experience with automation in hybrid and cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Knowledge of federal cybersecurity requirements (NIST RMF, FedRAMP, Zero Trust) and integration into automated solutions.
• Hands-on experience automating infrastructure provisioning, monitoring, patching, and compliance activities.
• Proficiency in scripting languages (Python, PowerShell, Bash) for automation workflows.
• Experience with automated testing frameworks for performance, scalability, and security validation.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Direct FAA or NAS configuration management experience.

• Advanced degree (Masters or Ph.D.) in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or Systems Engineering.

• Certifications such as AWS Solutions Architect, Microsoft Certified Azure Expert, Red Hat Certified Architect, or Kubernetes Administrator (CKA).

• Direct experience supporting FAA automation initiatives.

• Background in AI/ML-driven automation, predictive analytics, or intelligent orchestration.

• Familiarity with NextGen FAA modernization programs and their automation dependencies.

• Demonstrated ability to leadenterprise automation initiativesfor large-scale, mission-critical programs.

• Strong understanding of federal IT modernization initiatives, ideally with FAA.

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Target Salary Range$135,000 - $216,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individuals experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.