Cloud Platform Architect

Overview

The Cloud Platform Architect defines the target-state technical architecture and long-term platform strategy for secure, resilient, scalable hybrid and multi-cloud mission environments. This role establishes architectural direction, governance, technical standards, and reference patterns for enterprise cloud modernization while remaining hands‑on in prototyping, validating, automating, and troubleshooting platform capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Define target-state architectures for hybrid and multi-cloud platforms supporting Department of War (DoW) mission requirements.
• Establish enterprise and program-level architecture principles, technology standards, reference architectures, reusable design patterns, and configuration baselines.
• Develop strategies for integrating on‑premises data centers with Azure, AWS, and other authorized cloud environments.
• Design, prototype, and validate platform architectures covering compute, storage, networking, identity, security, data, containers, observability, automation, backup, disaster recovery, and continuity of operations.
• Build and maintain proof‑of‑concept, prototype, and reference platform environments to validate architectural designs, technology selections, security controls, and integration patterns.
• Develop, review, and troubleshoot infrastructure‑as‑code using Terraform, Bicep, AWS CloudFormation, Ansible, or comparable automation frameworks.
• Design, deploy, configure, and troubleshoot cloud and hybrid‑networking components, including virtual networks, subnets, routing, network‑security controls, firewalls, load balancers, private connectivity, virtual private networks, and Domain Name Service services.
• Implement and validate identity, access, and privileged‑access patterns using cloud identity services, role‑based access control, federation, conditional access, secrets management, and policy‑as‑code capabilities.
• Deploy, configure, secure, and troubleshoot container platforms and supporting services, including Kubernetes clusters, container registries, ingress, workload identity, and cluster security controls.
• Develop and validate DevSecOps pipelines that incorporate source control, automated testing, artifact management, infrastructure deployment, container scanning, security checks, and configuration‑compliance capabilities.
• Configure and tune observability capabilities, including centralized logging, metrics, alerting, tracing, dashboards, service‑health monitoring, and incident‑response integrations.
• Conduct hands‑on performance, resiliency, backup, recovery, failover, and disaster‑recovery testing; document results, identify gaps, and recommend remediation.
• Analyze cloud configurations, logs, network flows, security findings, and operational telemetry to diagnose complex infrastructure and application‑platform issues.
• Ensure architecture decisions and technical implementations align with mission objectives, cybersecurity requirements, Zero Trust principles, resiliency goals, and operational constraints.
• Evaluate emerging cloud and platform technologies through technical research, prototypes, and testing, and determine their applicability to the mission environment.
• Lead architecture reviews and adjudicate technical tradeoffs among performance, security, cost, interoperability, portability, and maintainability.
• Define migration and modernization strategies for legacy infrastructure and applications, including sequencing, transition architectures, implementation dependencies, and rollback considerations.
• Establish architecture‑governance processes, technical decision records, exception processes, configuration standards, implementation documentation, build guides, and operational runbooks.
• Participate in technical working sessions, code and infrastructure‑as‑code reviews, design reviews, and operational‑readiness reviews; provide practical engineering feedback based on implementation results.
• Collaborate directly with cloud engineers, cybersecurity personnel, network engineers, application teams, and operations staff to resolve implementation issues and transition architectures into operational use.
• Provide senior technical leadership and briefings to government executives, program managers, engineering leadership, and mission stakeholders.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related discipline; equivalent experience may be considered.
• 12+ years of progressively responsible infrastructure and cloud engineering experience, solutions engineering, systems engineering, or technical architecture.
• Deep expertise in hybrid and multi-cloud architecture, preferably spanning Azure and AWS.
• Demonstrated experience architecting large‑scale enterprise or mission environments with complex security, networking, data, and infrastructure dependencies.
• Strong knowledge of cloud‑native architecture, containers/Kubernetes, infrastructure‑as‑code, DevSecOps, IAM, Zero Trust, observability, and resiliency.
• Experience developing architecture roadmaps, reference architectures, standards, technical governance, and modernization strategies.
• Ability to assess technology choices at enterprise scale and communicate architectural decisions to senior technical and government leadership.
• Strong technical writing, presentation, facilitation, and cross‑functional leadership skills.
• Must reside within a 75-mile radius of Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville AL or be willing to relocate prior to starting date.

• Must have (or be able to have before starting):

  • CompTIA Security+ CE, or other approved 8570 IAT Level II certification.
  • Cloud certification such as: Microsoft AZ900 (Azure Fundamentals), Azure Administrator Associate, Azure Security Engineer Associate, Azure Solutions Architect Expert, AWS Certified Solutions Architect, AWS Certified Developer, CCSP, GCSA or other equivalent Cloud certifications.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret U.S. Government Security Clearance. An active clearance will be required to start.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Department of War (DoW) mission systems and federal acquisition environments.
• Experience with IL4/5/6, Azure Government, AWS GovCloud, or similar controlled environments.
• TOGAF, SABSA, AWS, Azure, Kubernetes, or other relevant architecture/cloud certifications.
• Experience leading major data‑center modernization, cloud migration, or enterprise platform transformation programs.
• Preferred experience with SPECTRO Cloud, including deployment, configuration, administration, and integration of SPECTRO Cloud capabilities within hybrid and multi‑cloud environments.
• Preferred experience architecting, deploying, and integrating SPECTRO Cloud as part of secure hybrid and multi‑cloud environments, including platform orchestration, workload management, automation, and integration with government mission systems.

Physical Demands

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms.
• The employee is occasionally required to sit; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee must be able to lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
• Regular i3 hours are 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday, however, additional hours may be required on occasion. Regular and punctual attendance is required.

About i3

i3 is a technically diverse, 100% team member owned business, headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama specializing in missile and aviation systems engineering and logistic services, electronic warfare and electromagnetic effects analysis, UAS system integration and flight operations, full lifecycle C5ISR engineering services, cybersecurity and IT/IA innovative solutions and virtual training, simulation & serious game development and implementation. We have established a broad offering of products and capabilities collectively providing decades of experience supporting the full complement of DoD military services, Missile Defense Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and a variety of other Government organizations and private industry customers.

Perks of being a team member owner include:

• Long‑term financial security
• Higher job satisfaction
• Greater job security
• Personal and professional growth
• Great company culture

Other outstanding benefits:

• Excellent insurance coverage
• 401(k) match
• Generous PTO
• Health and wellness incentives
• Tuition and certification reimbursement
• Countless opportunities to give back to the community through i3 Cares