SME Systems Architect

KDA Consulting Inc

$150K — $180K *
Information Technology
15+ years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 20+ years of technical experience in Systems Engineering and Enterprise Architecture.
  • 15+ years supporting the Intelligence Community (IC) or Department of Defense (DoD).
  • Bachelor's Degree in IT, Systems Engineering, Business and IT, or related discipline.
  • Active TS/SCI security clearance with Polygraph.
  • Expertise in security standards and Risk Management Frameworks (RMF).

Responsibilities

  • Drive the development of future-state technical architecture for enterprise platforms.
  • Define and maintain the centralized IT systems data architecture aligned with strategic goals.
  • Lead the deployment of AI-driven ecosystems for resource optimization in Cyber and IT operations.
  • Facilitate strategic discussions to identify infrastructure gaps and mitigate technical debt.
  • Lead systems integration efforts across diverse technical teams and solutions.
  • Implement data governance and compliance policies for hybrid cloud environments.
  • Mentor technical teams and promote DevSecOps cultures in engineering practices.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage.
  • 401(k) plan with company match.
  • Professional development and training opportunities.
  • Flexible work hours and remote work options.
  • Generous paid time off policy including holidays.
Full Job Description
We are seeking a highly accomplished Subject Matter Expert (SME) Systems Engineer to serve as a Senior Digital Transformation Architect & Strategist. In this role, you will define, integrate, and modernize the technical architecture for a centralized enterprise IT systems data ecosystem. You will serve as a strategic technical advisor to executive leadership, bridging the gap between high-level vision and engineering execution.

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience designing secure, scalable architectures that support advanced threat detection, real-time monitoring, automation, predictive analytics, and compliance strategies within complex multi-network Intelligence Community (IC) environments. Specifically, you will lead the architectural evolution and integration of enterprise platform standards including Splunk, ServiceNow, and AppDynamics to drive end-to-end visibility and operational excellence.
  • Future & Integrated Enterprise Architecture: Drive the development, evolution, and alignment of the future-state and integrated technical architecture for critical enterprise platforms, specifically ensuring seamless interoperability between Splunk, ServiceNow, and AppDynamics.
  • Enterprise Technical Architecture: Define and maintain the end-to-end technical architecture for a centralized IT systems data ecosystem, ensuring complete alignment with strategic modernization goals and federal IT mandates.
  • Digital Transformation Leadership: Drive mission enablement for Cyber, IT, and Insight Operations through the deployment of an AI-driven ecosystem that optimizes resources for data-driven success.
  • Strategic Facilitation: Lead and facilitate leadership offsites, multi-agency working groups, and strategic technical discussions to identify and mitigate infrastructure gaps, platform limitations, technical debt, and disconnected workflows.
  • Systems Integration: Lead massive-scale systems integration efforts across disparate technical teams, ensuring seamless integration of Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) and custom-built solutions.
  • Data Governance & Integrity: Build and operationalize robust data governance, data classification, and access control policies across hybrid cloud and on-premise environments in compliance with ICD 503, ICD 504, and upcoming AI mandates (e.g., ICD 505).
  • Security & Compliance Architecture: Architect secure network segmentations, zero-trust frameworks, and cross-domain solutions (CDS) within highly complex security enclaves. Ensure technical systems satisfy strict federal accreditation and assessment (A&A) standards.
  • Technical Mentorship & Governance: Provide technical leadership, conduct comprehensive code/architecture reviews, promote DevSecOps cultures, and establish rigorous performance benchmarks for engineering teams.
  • Program Advisory Support: Assist in managing program scope, schedules, milestones, technical dependencies, and risk mitigation strategies to optimize the return on investment (ROI) for critical technical solutions.

Requirements
  • Required Qualifications
    • Experience:
    • Minimum of 20+ years of technical experience in Systems Engineering, Enterprise Architecture, Systems Integration, and Digital Transformation.
    • Minimum of 15+ years of dedicated experience supporting the Intelligence Community (IC) and/or Department of Defense (DoD).
    • Education: Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology, Systems Engineering, Business and IT, or a related technical discipline (or equivalent combination of education and experience).
    • Security Clearance: Must possess an active TS/SCI with Polygraph.
  • Required Technical & Core Competencies
    • Enterprise Monitoring & ITSM Integration: Deep architectural understanding and proven ability to support the development of integrated future-state architectures combining Splunk (enterprise logging/SIEM), ServiceNow (ITSM/ITOM), and AppDynamics (application performance monitoring) to deliver holistic operational observability.
    • Architectural Frameworks: Proven expertise using enterprise architecture methodologies (e.g., JARM, Gartner Enterprise Architecture, FEAF) to manage complex system-of-systems configurations.
    • AI/ML Strategy: Broad understanding of the notional AI stack, machine learning lifecycles, full lifecycle model management, and integrating massive enterprise datasets with machine learning tools.
    • Cloud & Infrastructure: Deep familiarity with secure, scalable hybrid cloud engineering solutions (e.g., AWS, cloud-native architectures) and cross-domain communications.
    • Security Standards: Expert-level knowledge of Risk Management Frameworks (RMF), A&A processes, system hardening, and IC directives (including ICD 503, ICD 504, and NIST 800-53 standards).
    • Agile & DevSecOps Mindset: Demonstrated experience championing SecDevOps best practices (automated security testing, IaC, CI/CD pipelines) and working within or across Agile/Scrum delivery teams.
    • Tools: Proficiency utilizing workflow tracking and documentation platforms like JIRA and Confluence to manage system requirements and backlogs.
    • Communication: Exceptional ability to synthesize complex architectural designs and technical issues into high-impact briefings and customer-facing dashboard presentations for senior executive leadership.

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