Type of Requisition:Regular
Clearance Level Must Currently Possess:Top Secret SCI + Polygraph
Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain:Top Secret SCI + Polygraph
Public Trust/Other Required:None
Job Family:IT Infrastructure and Operations
Job Qualifications:Skills:Agile Delivery, DevSecOps, Scrum
Certifications:None
Experience:15 + years of related experience
US Citizenship Required:Yes
Job Description:What You'll AchieveAs the
Chief Systems Architect, you will drive the transformation of mission-critical systems for a high-visibility national security customer and their premier data environment. You will shape the technical strategy that transitions legacy applications into modern, cloud-native platforms-directly influencing the future of the mission.
You will serve as the senior technical program authority across cloud, data, API, integration, and microservices modernization, bringing thought leadership and architectural vision to a highly complex and impactful environment.
This role is ideal for a senior architect who thrives on modernization at scale and wants to directly contribute to mission outcomes while developing and mentoring elite engineering teams.
How You'll Make an Impact- Develop and own enterprise architecture strategies that guide the customer's cloud, data, and services modernization journey.
- Lead, integrate, and inspire multiple high-performing technical teams working on mission-aligned modernization efforts.
- Evaluate technology tradeoffs, identify innovation opportunities, and brief senior customer and corporate leadership on architecture direction.
- Oversee the transformation of legacy applications into secure, scalable, cloud-native services built for future mission agility.
- Ensure architectures align with Agile delivery, CI/CD pipelines, DevSecOps practices, and zero-trust principles.
- Partner closely with product owners, program leadership, mission stakeholders, and engineering teams to translate operational needs into actionable architectures.
- Champion modern engineering practices, foster innovation, and help shape GDIT's enterprise modernization standards.
Required Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in a technical field.
- 15+ years of IT experience, with 5+ years in a senior architecture leadership role.
- TS/SCI with Poly clearance.
- Proven experience guiding multi-disciplinary technical teams through large-scale modernization.
- Deep experience with cloud and microservices architectures (e.g., AWS GovCloud, Kubernetes, containerization).
- Strong background in data platform modernization, including analytics platforms or distributed data systems.
- Demonstrated proficiency with Agile methodologies and modern CI/CD delivery.
- Ability to develop and brief complex strategies to senior technical and mission leaders.
Desired Skills and Experience- Hands-on experience designing and implementing microservices and cloud-native architectures.
- Expertise in API design, distributed systems, zero-trust principles, and event-driven architectures.
- Experience with CI/CD pipelines, DevOps toolchains, and Agile/Scrum environments.
- Familiarity with data lakes, analytics platforms, and modern data engineering patterns.
- Knowledge of modern UI frameworks and responsive application design.
- Understanding of AI/ML architecture patterns and emerging cloud-based AI services.
- Cloud certifications such as AWS Solutions Architect (Associate or Professional).
GDIT IS YOUR PLACE- 401K: With company match.
- Health & Wellness: Comprehensive health and wellness packages.
- Career Growth: Internal mobility team dedicated to helping you own your career.
- Professional Development: Growth opportunities including paid education and certifications.
- Innovative Tech: Access to cutting-edge technology to stay ahead of the mission.
- Work-Life Balance: Rest and recharge with paid vacation and holidays.
The likely salary range for this position is $214,776 - $290,580. This is not, however, a guarantee of compensation or salary. Rather, salary will be set based on experience, geographic location and possibly contractual requirements and could fall outside of this range.
Scheduled Weekly Hours:40
Travel Required:Less than 10%
Telecommuting Options:Onsite
Work Location:USA VA McLean
Additional Work Locations: 
